Legacy of the Imam: Iran's Transsexual Support Society

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Available Summary:

"This is a short film about the first time I met the organizer and members of the "Iran Transsexual Support Society" in the summer of 2006 in Tehran. The group went on to play a pivotal role in bringing visibility and acceptance of sexual minorities in Iran until the death of its founder Ms. Maryam Khatoon Molkara in 2012." -Kouross Esmaeli.

Jack's Summary:

This is a fascinating, but unfortunately short, window into the lives of transsexuals living in Iran. Amir Ali, a trans man, is interviewed alongside other transsexuals who are at different points in their journeys. "I've had boyish manners since the age of two or three," Amir says, "When I first told my family, I was 21 years old. At first, my father was upset, but mainly because he felt that it would not be accepted in this society. But right now, my family has accepted it completely. I have received a permit, and I am ready for my operation." When asked whether he wants to undergo sex change surgeries in Iran or in another country, he confirms that he wishes to transition in his own country, saying, "I am extremely proud of being Iranian."

At the beginning of the short film, Mohammad Mahdi Kariminiya is interviewed. He is a student and professor who is authoring a thesis on the "religious and legal dimensions of a sex change". He argues that, since homosexuality is strictly forbidden but transitioning a person's sex characteristics is not, transsexualism should be permitted and considered separate from homosexuality.

The late Maryam Khatoon Molkara, a trans woman and the first Iranian to receive a permit for a transition surgery, stresses the importance of blending into society and abiding by Iranian laws, namely that a trans person should "act properly". She and another trans woman discuss rejecting interested men on the basis that, if a trans woman were to be in such a relationship before undergoing transition surgeries, she would be considered a homosexual and would therefore be committing a crime.