LF: State Department refers to Iran's forced sex changes of homosexuals and transgenders as 'gender-confirmation' because their identity was 'ambiguous' beforehand

Title: State Department refers to Iran's forced sex changes of homosexuals and transgenders as 'gender-confirmation' because their identity was 'ambiguous' beforehand
Source: Daily Mail Online
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art ... tity-ambiguous-beforehand.html
Published: Jun 27, 2015
Author: Wills Robinson
Post Date: 2015-06-28 09:07:09 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 2236
Comments: 5

The State Department has referred to Iran's policy of forcing homosexuals or transgenders to have sex changes as gender 'confirmation' rather than reassignment.

Gays and lesbians living in the Islamic state are often coerced into going through the procedure while volunteer in a bid to avoid punishment.

Homosexuality is illegal and carries the death sentence, while transsexuals are defined by law as mentally-ill.

A government report on human rights abuses in the Middle Eastern country published on Thursday says the practice confirms a citizen's gender because of 'ambiguity' surrounding their identity.

The scathing chapter on Iran, which is around 16,000 words long, lists a huge number of basic human rights violations, including: lack of freedom for religious and political expression; unlawful detention, torture and killing; and 'discrimination and violence against women, ethnic and religious minorities.

Part of the section on abuse directed at 'sexual orientation' or 'general identity' reads: 'The law defines transgender persons as mentally ill, and the government provided transgender persons financial assistance in the form of grants of up to 4.5 million tomans ($1,660) and loans up to 5.5 million tomans ($2,030) to undergo gender-confirmation surgery.

'In addition, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare requires health insurers to cover the cost of gender-confirmation surgery.

'Individuals who underwent gender-confirmation surgery may petition a court for new identity documents with corrected gender data, which the government reportedly provided efficiently and transparently.

'Human rights activists and NGOs reported that some LGBT persons were advised to undergo gender-confirmation surgery to avoid legal and social consequences due to their gender-identity ambiguity.'

The section continues: 'Security forces harassed, arrested, and detained individuals they suspected of being gay. In some cases security forces raided houses and monitored internet sites for information on LGBT persons.

'Those accused of sodomy often faced summary trials, and evidentiary standards were not always met. Punishment for same-sex sexual activity between men was more severe than for such conduct between women.'

Following the release of the paper, Secretary of State John Kerry said: 'The discomfort that these reports sometimes cause does more to reinforce than to undermine the value and credibility of these reports.

'Truth cannot successfully be evaded or dented or defeated, not over time. It can be changed. The truth wins out.

'And so my advice to any leader who is upset by these findings is really to examine them, to look at the practices of their country, and to recognize that the way to alter what the world thinks and the way to change these judgments is to alter what is happening in those countries.

'That is the advice that we also give to ourselves. There is nothing sanctimonious in this. There is zero arrogance.'

IRAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT: ACTS OF VILOENCE, DISCRIMINATION AND OTHER ABUSES BASED ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY

The law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity, which is punishable by death, flogging, or a lesser punishment. The law does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Security forces harassed, arrested, and detained individuals they suspected of being gay. In some cases security forces raided houses and monitored internet sites for information on LGBT persons. Those accused of sodomy often faced summary trials, and evidentiary standards were not always met. Punishment for same-sex sexual activity between men was more severe than for such conduct between women.

The government censored all materials related to LGBT issues. There were active, unregistered LGBT NGOs in the country, but most activities to support the LGBT community took place outside the country. Antidiscrimination laws do not exist. Hate crime laws or other criminal justice mechanisms do not exist to aid in the prosecution of bias-motivated crimes against members of the LGBT community. International LGBT NGOs reported that many young gay men faced harassment and abuse from family members, religious figures, school leaders, and community elders. Some persons were reportedly expelled from university for alleged same-sex sexual activity.

Fifteen of 24 LGBT individuals interviewed by the UN special rapporteur for his February 2013 report stated they had been arrested at least once for their sexual orientation or association with other LGBT individuals.

Thirteen interviewees claimed that security officers subjected them to torture or physical abuse in detention, including punches, kicks, baton strikes, sexual assault, or rape. Many reported that family members beat them at home but feared reporting those assaults to authorities because they might themselves be charged with a criminal act.

The law defines transgender persons as mentally ill, and the government provided transgender persons financial assistance in the form of grants of up to 4.5 million tomans ($1,660) and loans up to 5.5 million tomans ($2,030) to undergo gender-confirmation surgery. In addition, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare requires health insurers to cover the cost of gender-confirmation surgery. Individuals who underwent gender-confirmation surgery may petition a court for new identity documents with corrected gender data, which the government reportedly provided efficiently and transparently.

Human rights activists and NGOs reported that some LGBT persons were advised to undergo gender-confirmation surgery to avoid legal and social consequences due to their gender-identity ambiguity.

They should tax all the faggots. Then implement this plan on them. Cut them all off.