Be Like Others

In the Islamic Republic of Iran, homosexuality is punishable by death. Diagnosed transsexuality, though, can be remedied by a sex-change operation which is not only legal but embraced by society. Thus young men are forced into denying their own sexual identity and, in search of a decent life, to take the drastic measure of sex-change surgery. Every day in the Tehran medical office of Dr. Bahram Mir-Jalali, the country’s most prominent sex-change surgeon, the waiting room is full. We accompany a group of men before and after surgery. Ali hopes that the operation will free him and his boyfriend from shame and constant harassment. Ali Askar meanwhile reflects that were he anywhere but Iran he’d never touch God’s work. Vida, who says she was reborn 10 months previously when she became a woman, counsels the boys on how to “fit in” before surgery and warns them of the dangers that await them afterwards. Many transsexuals end up on the streets, as prostitutes or even murdered. This is a provocative testament to the power of shame in Iran’s theocratical society and to the lengths people will go to to “be like others” (DOK.fest München)