Iran as a place for GRS

[celeste26]

It seems that Iran of all places has been a place where the GRS surgery is now done often. It seems that being "Gay" in Iran is totally unacceptable but being trans is OK so some if not all of those gays who are somehow willing have gone through with the GRS just to avoid the social stigma associated with being gay.

The numbers are growing fast since 2004 and it is approaching the level of Thailand as a possible site. The cost there are very low (the government pays for some of the costs) and the skills of the surgeon whose training comes from France is high.

Unfortunately for the locals their life as a woman afterward is still rather oppressed, but they are accepting foreigners into their programs for surgery.

Would any of us here even consider going to Iran for GRS?

[Veronica_Jean]

Aside from the fact that I am not allowed to go there, I don't think I want to put my life in the hands of someone that likely hates Americans. :)

Veronica

[Shikyo]

I don't think I'd like to go there for my SRS. When I've gotten enough money and all the other things needed, I'd like to have one of the best do it, currently I haven't heard any surgeon like that being and doing operations in Iran.

Not to forget that it might be rather hard and also dangerous for some of us to even go there. Living as a woman in Iran might not be the best choice considering how many of the men over there think about women. I wouldn't want to stay in an environment that seems hostile towards females when I'm recovering from a major surgery. So unless the situations in Iran changes drastically, Iran is not going to be my place of choice for my SRS.

[Samantha Kelsey]

Not if you're British!

[kellycan27]

I think I also would have to take a pass on getting my SRS in Iran. But thanks for the ifo..:heehee:

A female journalist was interviewing an Iranian woman for a second time in regards to woman's rights. The last time I was here, you had to walk 20 paces behind your husband. Today, I noticed that you walked 20 paces in front of him. To what do you attribute this change to? Land mines she said.

[Lisa Golightly]

I know the surgeon I want, and he's not in Iran.

[MJ]

something about being gay = the death penalty. but being trans is OK. and being an English woman in Iran i don't think so.. you go first :D

[Tamara Croft]

Iran? seriously? you're more likely to get killed going there.... nevermind having SRS...

[Anna the Dub]

It seems that Iran of all places has been a place where the GRS surgery is now done often. It seems that being "Gay" in Iran is totally unacceptable but being trans is OK so some if not all of those gays who are somehow willing have gone through with the GRS just to avoid the social stigma associated with being gay.

Hmm, I think it's more the case of avoiding being executed for being gay.

It's interesting that an oppressive country such as Iran is willing to permit GRS. Apparently it is down to Ayatollah Khomeini before the fall of the Shah. A religious TS wrote to him in France asking if they were going against Allah in pursuing surgery, and he deliberated for a while, then wrote back saying it was permissible for the faithful to do this, as long as they fully integrated into their new role. When the Shah was toppled, the new Islamic government accorded the existence of this letter as permission to begin a medical programme permitting GRS.

[SirTrey]

The thing about going to Iran is that you may get in, but are you going to get out? Are you going to make one small mistake that over there is a crime, but here is something we don't even think about...and....They hate Americans...so I can't imagine feeling comfortable going over there.

[Heatherx75]

Things would have to change drastically in Iran for me to even think about it. I realize that at this very moment, Iran is going through an upheaval that might just do that, but even if it did, we'd have to wait a few years for the dust to settle. As it stands right now, all it would take is for some guy with a hat and a big beard to decide that "there are no transsexuals in Iran," and the program would disappear.

My other thing is that when considering GRS surgeons, my first considerations would pertain to the quality of the vagina created. How many of his patients report orgasms within the first year, Do they have multiples, etc.? Then I'd worry about how much it costs and balance out what I want with what's realistic.

And let me just add that the idea of cisgendered gay men undergoing SRS to avoid being executed sounds like a horrible, horrible thing. Your money would be supporting the regime.

[MJ]

off with his/her head ... what one :heehee:

[Veronica_Jean]

My other thing is that when considering GRS surgeons, my first considerations would pertain to the quality of the vagina created. How many of his patients report orgasms within the first year, Do they have multiples, etc.? Then I'd worry about how much it costs and balance out what I want with what's realistic.



I totaly agree the quality of work followed by acceptable cost is they way to go when deciding who to use and where to go.

Of course, not being able to live afterwards is very high up there too.

[Patricia1]

What a revolting development. Amazing, maybe the only place on earth where a transsexual isn't at the bottom of the heap & I can't see any reason why I would want to go there with any confidence.

[divamissz]

You might take a look at the Wikipedia entry on the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transsexuality_in_Iran

And there's a documentary on the subject:

http://www.belikeothers.com/

But you can't just go to Iran and ask for GRS. Especially if you're not a Muslim and an Iranian citizen.

[NiCo]

Yes if I ever became suicidal enough, defiantly, why not? Warm weather…warm weather…warm weather…yeah, that’s about it really. So what would it be like in my case? Would I get treated terribly when I went in for surgery but when I get out, get treated like a god?

I’d need to hide my passport though “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” wouldn’t go down very well…I can run fast, but not faster than a bullet lol.

Oh well it’s always an option if I ever feel I have lost the will to live. But not at the moment :p lol.

[kellycan27]

Iran? seriously? you're more likely to get killed going there.... nevermind having SRS...
Yeah, they shoot it off with an AK-47

[Krista1985]

I was shocked beyond words seeing the topic of this documentary,

Especially considering Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comments at Columbia University. But according to the documentary Ayatollah Khomeni, the original Muslim cleric turned radical revolutionary, permitted the practice of GRS.

After watching the film though, I can't help but feel that there are going to be a lot of suicidal transexuals in Iran. Not because of the status of women in the Islamic Republic, their rights get trampled daily since 1979, but because of mis-diagnosis.

I believe Ahmadanutcakeajad may have been correct when he claimed there were no gays in Iran. I'm tempted to believe him because all the gays in Iran are being systematically encouraged to undergo SRS. Being gay there is a serious crime, but a transsexual woman can take male lovers. Sadly their logic is, "You like men, then become a woman or offend God which means death." And the men affected hear that from medical professionals, state officials, religious scholars and others in society.

Did anyone else get the feeling that some of the subjects they portrayed were simply homosexuals forced into all sorts of surgery? That doctor they interviewed claimed that in addition to the meager sum he collected from his patient, he also received a big payday from the Iranian government. It would seem to be in his best interest to recommend surgery to as many people as possible. His patient population likely includes many actual trans-gendered folks, but definitely includes others who were misdiagnosed.

Did anyone else get this impression?

[Krista1985]

Did you all see the bit about how the Revolutionary Guard regards crossdressers?

Beatings, mockery, harassment, imprisonment and fines. So there may well be several CD's that seek out SRS to end this harassment, and later bitterly regret the decision. This in addition to the mis-diagnosed homosexuals. Probably 1 in 3 SRS recipiants in Iran get a fitting diagnosis, the other 2 out of 3...I don't even want to think about it.

To close,
Iran is not candyland for the trans community. It is a land of state sponsored bigotry and intolerance and most of these surgeries are being preformed for the wrong reasons. It would be the acme of foolishness to consider going to Iran and expecting the procedure to go smoothly. If you are a citizen of Iran, you are entitled to the government sponsored SRS program, if not it'll cost significantly more. That's how a welfare state works.

[Hope]

Yeah... there is also this link some might find interesting:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jul/27/gayrights.iran

For all of the Iran bashing going on here (some of it certainly warranted, but certainly not all of it) I think more than anything else this just shows that no place is exclusively bad (sorry W.) and that there are (many) ways in which the good 'ol U S of A is well behind the curve.

Sure, the level of care is identical to any other level of medical care in Iran - but SRS is legal, and state sponsored? Lets give credit where it is due.

[Denise01]

I May be a bit too Cautious, but for me, When i am able to have surgery, I prefer to go to a Doctor that has good credentials, and also where I know that other girls have had good success.

For Me when the time comes, i am sure that it will be Montreal, as also it is only a couple of hours or less from where i live

Denise


:):):):):)

[4serrus]

*finds this entire conversation mind-boggling considering current events in Iran...*

[Sejd]

Very interesting post. I guess, if you make it to Teheran and find your way to the surgeon, that is, looking out from under you Burka, or getting through the streets without being arrested for showing any skin, you might enjoy their services. No I think we need a system change in that country before even considering medical care as an American.
That's in shor: Thumbs down. :thumbsdn:
Sejd

[Sammy777]

amongst all this debate about what state Iran is in and the quality of GRS is you are forgetting one thing.

The mountains of Iran actually have some of the best skiing/snowboarding conditions on the planet. :D

Ya, its true - Ski Iran (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ski_areas_and_resorts_in_Iran)

And you though it was all sand and 150 degree temps.

[onerous]

Agree with Hope.

Don't understand the Iran-bashing and Iran-hating going on. Granted I'm not in the USA and I don't watch the news. But saying such things about a country because of some who-knows-what political/religious leader issues is unwarranted IMO. It doesn't mean every single citizen is bad, evil, and are out to murder you upon the slightest opportunity. It sure reads that way to me.

[Persephone]

An amazing film on the status of women in Iran came out in limited release (arty theaters in big cities) this weekend. It is a must see, titled "The Stoning of Saraya M."

[kay_jessica]

I think perhaps this article from the BBC will explain the situation in Iran with regards to GRS.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7259057.stm

[Anna the Dub]

I think perhaps this article from the BBC will explain the situation in Iran with regards to GRS.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7259057.stm

I watched that documentary when it was on last year, and it was fascinating. My own impression was that at least half of the candidates for SRS were not transsexual at all, but homosexual men who had absolutely no desire to be women, but had the operation as they were afraid of the authorities. The TS (who was definitely a TS) who had a boyfriend looked very happy when she was revisited a year later. She looked good too.

[TommiTN]

Lessee, what do we cut off first? The head or the PP? Decisions, decisions!

No, tank you beddy much! :eek:

[BlondeAngela]

Iran is one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, who brutalize their own people.
Why would any man, woman, gay or straight , genetic or transwoman, want to go there. Many of the people there want to leave.

A half a million Iranian refugees and immigrants live in the U.S. and many of them are adamantly opposed to the government of Iran, as are many of the people there, as evidenced by the millions of Iranian people who were out in the streets of the various cities protesting the regime recently, who were then brutally oppressed by government goons.
A tragic country these days. The Iranian people deserve better than that.

[Gerard]

Iran is a very strange country. On the one hand it's very civilized and one of the oldest cultures on the planet, on the other hand you can get your face smashed in by the revolutionary guard for any real or imagined transgression. I know a few Iranians, and it's quite different from most of the Arabic countries as it's very civilized with a long history of proud people. The Arab culture on the other hand is more rooted in nomadic tribal pasts.

One thing I learned about orthodox islam though, is that it's not like othodox christianity in some respects. They are even more literal in interpreting their holy texts, and are more ok with things not mentioned in the texts.
I'm not sure if Iranian practices are up to western standards, but the story doesn't surprise me as much as you might think.

[Katelyn]

That's just crazy. It's nice to see another country accepting of transexualism but for them to force it upon non TS people is ubsurd. I feel sorry for those who live over there.

[kay_jessica]

Iran is one of the most oppressive regimes in the world, who brutalize their own people..........................
.............................. as evidenced by the millions of Iranian people who were out in the streets of the various cities protesting the regime recently, who were then brutally oppressed by government goons.........................



And that doesn't happen in the west..... AKA the London protest earlier this year, for revolutionary goons read Met Police. 1967, Lincoln Memorial (Washington), 647 civivlians beaten an arrested by goons, aka US troops and state police.

Iran just has a different culture, one that many do not understand. One that is far older than the Indian nations of the US.

But they do not shun you if you undergo GRS. So they have weird and different ways but this world would be awfully boring if we were all alike. Such differences in cultures enriches our own culture.


That's just crazy. It's nice to see another country accepting of transexualism but for them to force it upon non TS people is ubsurd. I feel sorry for those who live over there.

I don't think any one was forced to undergo GRS. They choose to.