Bangkok.

Amsterdam.

San Francisco, south of Market.

Tehran?

When it comes to transexual hotspots, few would argue with the first three. But what many don’t know is that Iran, a nation that is oftentimes a symbol of theological conservatism and anti-homosexuality, also carries out more sex change operations than any other country in the world, apart from Thailand.

If this doesn’t sound right, then you’re certainly not alone. But even fewer know who the architect of this seemingly progressive Iranian stance on transexuality is. It’s not this girl, and not even this cleric. It is none other than Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini himself, who in 1983 issued a fatwa authorizing a man or woman to change their sex if they truly felt they were of the opposite gender.

Of course, it’s not as easy as snapping one’s fingers while holding the Quran. Iranians who feel that they are trapped by their own sex still have to fork up upwards of $3,000 dollars for a sex change operation. They are often shunned by their friends and families, and not to mention faced with much discrimination. But when compared to state repression for following their hearts, sex change surgery is often deemed the least costly option for more and more Iranian transexuals.

Here are a couple articles on this fascinating topic:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7259057.stm
http://www.truthout.org/article/irans-transsexual-revolution
Progress? An exception to the rule? Or simply immoral? You decide.
-Kevin