Iran’s Gender Reassignments, Regrets and Satisfactions: Tales from Refugees

In this article I am looking at therapeutic treatments and sex reassignment surgeries done in the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent years a number of academic publications has become available on this subject focusing on the legal, social, anthropological and religious aspects of this topic. My take on this subject is quite different and based on in-depth interviews I conducted with three Iranian refugee women within a span of three years. These women were formerly men who underwent the sex change process in Iran. My findings reveal a wide spectrum of results from the very satisfied to the very unsatisfied with the life changing decisions they had made. The theme of violence, sexual abuse, and loss of family support is prevalent in all of these interviews. Significantly and too often mentioned, many people accept sex-change surgery to escape persecution as homosexuals. The stories they shared with me are the reality of life for many Iranian sex reassignment patients who live inside and outside of Iran.