One of the Iranian A.R Transsexuality individuals. R, who felt that his body did not belong to his at a young age, underwent ‘gender surgery’ despite all the pressure and violence he was exposed to in Iran. A.R., who escaped from the pressures and settled in Van, faced the same pressures here, and his struggle for life becomes more difficult day by day. “I just want to live comfortably,” R. says.
LGBTI+ individuals, who struggle with violence and discrimination in all areas of life in Turkey, are also subjected to the same treatment in Iran. Iran is one of the rare countries where homosexuality is punishable by death. Religious scholars find the idea that a person could be incarnated in the wrong body acceptable. For this reason, homosexuals may be forced to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Many of those who do not want to undergo surgery find the solution in leaving the country. Of course, those who turn from women to men (Transsexuals) are excluded, subjected to violence, and some are even rejected by their families. One of them is A.R., who is now 43 years old and grew up exposed to all these pressures in Iran…
At the age of 13, R. felt that his body did not belong to him, and despite all the pressure and obstacles, he became a man at the age of 22 through ‘gender reassignment’ surgery. Of course, before he undergoes surgery, he is taken to the hospital by his family and subjected to shock torture. With this shock, the family believes that their children will come to their senses. R., who migrated to Van after changing gender, struggles with life difficulties here too.
‘My family shocked me thinking I could get better’
R. says, “It’s not my fault, my chromosomes are different.” He adds: “My family and the people around me tortured me a lot in Iran. That’s why I migrated to Van and now I live in Van. When I was 13-14 years old, I felt like I belonged to a different body. Then I had surgery when I was 22. However, before the surgery, my family did not want me to have surgery. They were very opposed to this. Anyway, my family rejected me after the surgery. I knew this body wasn’t mine. When my family noticed the difference in me, they took me to the hospital and gave me a shock there. They thought I could change by giving a shock.”
‘I was tortured’
Stating that he immigrated to Van illegally, R. says that when he went to the Van Immigration Administration, he shared the information that he had changed his gender with the administration. R. states that the administration told him, “Don’t stay here, your place is in another city,” but he rejected this offer because his wife, who was in Van, was waiting for him. Pointing out that he was tortured by a group of men in Van, R explains the torture he experienced there as follows: “My ribs were damaged and they tried to strangle me. People who knew me a little were insulting me when they saw me. I told a few people that I had changed gender, and they told many people around me about my situation. Some even threatened me and asked for money. We complained several times and even went to the police station with them. But we couldn’t find a solution.
‘I just want to live comfortably’
Stating that he wanted to go to a different city because of the violence against him, R. notes that he requested to go to the Immigration Administration, but his request was rejected. Finally, R. said, “It’s not something I can control, my chromosomes are different. I just want to live freely and comfortably. Before Van, I lived in Iran. I see the same violence in Van that I see in Iran. I was also exposed to police violence in Iran. “I just want to live comfortably,” he calls out.
The documentary film in which we cover A.R’s entire life will be on air very soon.
CAMERA-MONT: Zafer Avnaş
Serhat News
Translator :Akif Coşkun
