An article in this issue of the MET should give us some idea of what is possible in the Mideast. Excerpt:
Cleric saves transsexual
By Thanaa Imam DAMASCUS
SYRIAN MAN HAS SEX CHANGE, FOLLOWING ADVICE OF IRAQI IMAM
A Syrian woman is giving thanks to the open-minded Iraqi cleric whose understanding led her to have a sex change operation.
Hiba, 33, faced years of trauma – both as a woman ‘trapped’ in the body of a man, and – over the past year – as one of the Arab world’s few transsexuals. But after 19 attempts at suicide, Hiba says she has been saved. “I feel I am a complete female now.”
Hiba recalls the depression she felt when Imad, as she was called, discovered he was not a “complete man.”
...
Dr. Muhammad Hassan, the plastic surgeon who performed the surgery by replacing Imad’s atrophic male organs with female ones, said, “Such an operation necessitates solid medical tests proving that the transformation could be possible, as well as psychological reports and legal approvals allowing the change of gender in the official records.”
Hassan said cases such as Imad’s were not very common in the Arab world, as many who suffer genetic disorders tend to conceal the fact.
“I now live in peace with myself,” Hiba said. But only Hiba’s mother has accepted her transformation, “as God’s wish.” The rest of her family has rejected her.
AFP
Thanks to Jane for the Gay Middle East link.
