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Amirhossein Zolghadri

“Natural” is a term that most people, with a patriarchal mindset, consider to be exclusive to the relationship between two opposite genders, namely the perfect man and the perfect woman. However, the concepts of gender, sexual identity, social gender, and even one’s own gender, which are determined by the sexual organs, chromosomes, hormone levels, and secondary sexual characteristics, are a continuous spectrum and cannot be divided into two distinct and defined categories of male and female.

Since individuals in society have diverse gender, sexual identity, gender, and sexual orientations, those who adhere to this mindset are not necessarily individuals who consider themselves to be complete men or women and are only attracted to the opposite gender. Others may also hold such beliefs, or even change its form from being heteronormative to being homonormative or transnormative in their personal lives or in society.

Lack of independence in defining oneself

Sexual orientation describes an individual’s sexual desires towards another person, and if directed towards the same gender, it is called homosexuality. However, being homosexual has a different meaning in Iranian society.

Homosexual man or gay is perceived as a man in Iranian society who has become the object of sexual desire and has feminine characteristics. Homosexual woman or lesbian is a woman who is repulsed by men and her hatred towards men has led her to see herself as masculine and therefore be attracted to women.

These incorrect definitions have led most Iranian minorities to evaluate their own nature and sexual orientation in relation to the ideal man portrayed only in the myths of a patriarchal society, and never define themselves independently.
Unfortunately, these definitions of self and others have become internalized beliefs, preventing individuals in Iranian society from understanding and standing beside each other, and also contributing to the perpetuation of violence against minorities within the groups formed by these individuals.

The non-acceptance of individuals who are not feminine among gays and vice versa among lesbians, placing emphasis on appearance and orientation of individuals for friendship and group formation among others, non-acceptance of bisexuals and all independent individuals with different orientations among other groups, not having the right to speak about personal differences among a group of others, and similar examples are reasons that even if a person reveals and removes their mask, they will put on another mask that is not their true self.

A fatwa within the framework of man and woman.

The withdrawal of sovereignty from Islamic law only allows for heterosexual relationships, and even the sexual relationships of hermaphrodites and those who are born with their own unique sexual characteristics are not considered lawful. In many other cases, such as purity, prayer, pilgrimage, jihad, stoning, marriage, inheritance, limits, retribution, and compensation, confusing rulings have been issued for them. However, Ayatollah Khomeini made a decision to innovate in this area and in 1343, through his jurisprudence, “Tahrir al-Wasilah”, he declared the principle of gender reassignment to be permissible. The first person to receive permission for gender reassignment from Ayatollah Khomeini was an Iranian transgender named Maryam Khatoon Malek Ara, and in 1364, with the approval of doctors, allowing her to undergo gender reassignment surgery turned it into a legal and jurisprudential issue in Iran.

Since then, a significant number of transgender and intersex individuals have found the opportunity to change their gender based on their mental image, but unfortunately, gender reassignment surgeries have become a means of changing gender for many homosexuals, bisexuals, and even individuals with diverse sexual identities and genders.

The difference between defining sexual identity and sexual orientation, the sinfulness of homosexual relationships in religion, considering relationships between two men as feminine and also considering relationships between two women as masculine, legal punishments and non-acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in society and family, are some of the reasons that unfortunately force LGBTQ+ individuals to change themselves based on these definitions and go through the difficult process of gender reassignment; unaware that definitions do not create a person’s nature, and it is their nature that should be the source of creating and changing definitions.

Bisexuals are victims of others.

The definition of independent orientation of bisexuals among other non-conformists is also questioned by a definition derived from the way of life in a society with a dualistic view of men and women.

Imagining a relationship as eternal and everlasting causes homosexuals and trans individuals, who may even be bisexual themselves, to be labeled as deviant and promiscuous, and not seen as trustworthy individuals for creating a relationship; while if their criteria is an eternal relationship with a person, they may be able to experience it with a bisexual or pansexual person.

Bisexuality simply means that a person can choose a sexual partner from both genders, male and female. This choice can involve multiple individuals at the same time, or it can be exclusive to one person forever. It is exactly like other sexual orientations, where one may have sexual relationships with different people at the same time, or their preference may only be directed towards one person.

These reasons make it difficult for most bisexual and all homosexual individuals to introduce themselves independently among their peers and other homosexual individuals, and they may even divide their relationships into homosexuality and heterosexuality and value them differently.

Arguing with oneself prevents individuals from having a good personal and collective life, and from striving for greater goals that benefit everyone regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or sexual identity.

The global problems that Iran is a part of, will one day come to an end and individuals will strive to create a better world regardless of who they are.