Fact Check: Iran supports transgender rights

Fact Check: Iran supports transgender rights

Published April 29, 2025
Β±
VERDICT
Partially True

# Claim Analysis: "Iran supports transgender rights" ## Introduction The claim that "Iran supports transgender rights" is a complex assertion that re...

Claim Analysis: "Iran supports transgender rights"

Introduction

The claim that "Iran supports transgender rights" is a complex assertion that requires careful examination. While there are elements of legal recognition for transgender individuals in Iran, the broader context of human rights and societal attitudes complicates this claim. This article will explore the nuances of transgender rights in Iran, considering both supportive and contradictory evidence.

What We Know

  1. Legal Recognition: Iran recognizes transgender identities to some extent, allowing for sex reassignment surgeries, which are even subsidized by the government. This recognition stems from a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s, which legitimized such surgeries as a means of addressing gender dysphoria 17.

  2. Inheritance and Civil Rights: According to Article 939 of the Iranian Civil Code, transgender individuals can inherit as their identified gender, which indicates a level of legal acknowledgment 1.

  3. Discrimination and Challenges: Despite some legal recognition, transgender individuals in Iran face significant discrimination and societal stigma. Reports indicate that trans people often experience harassment and violence, and many are pressured to undergo gender reassignment surgery as a means of conforming to societal expectations 689.

  4. Human Rights Context: The U.S. Department of State's report on human rights practices in Iran highlights severe restrictions on various rights, including those of LGBTQ+ individuals. The report indicates that while transgender identities are recognized, the overall environment remains hostile 4.

  5. Public Perception: A study on the lived experiences of young transgender individuals in Iran reveals that they face numerous challenges, including societal rejection and lack of support systems 2. This suggests that while there may be some legal frameworks in place, the reality for many transgender individuals is fraught with difficulties.

Analysis

The claim that Iran supports transgender rights is multifaceted and requires a critical evaluation of the sources and evidence available.

  • Source Reliability:

    • The PMC articles 12 provide peer-reviewed insights into the legal aspects and lived experiences of transgender individuals in Iran. However, they may not fully capture the societal attitudes and discrimination faced by these individuals.
    • The Wikipedia entries 37 serve as useful overviews but should be approached with caution due to their collaborative nature and potential for bias.
    • News articles from reputable outlets like AP News 8 and BBC 6 offer firsthand accounts and broader context, but they may also reflect the journalists' perspectives and the editorial slant of their respective organizations.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Some sources, such as the American Iranian Council 10, may have an agenda to present a more favorable view of Iran's policies, potentially downplaying the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ individuals.

  • Methodological Concerns: Many studies and reports rely on qualitative data, which can provide valuable insights but may not represent the experiences of all transgender individuals in Iran. Quantitative data on discrimination rates and societal attitudes would enhance the understanding of the situation.

  • Contradictory Evidence: While there are legal provisions for transgender individuals, the overarching narrative of repression and discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in Iran complicates the notion of "support." The Economist article 5 emphasizes that the regime's acceptance of transgender identities is not indicative of a liberal stance but rather a means of controlling and regulating gender identity.

Conclusion

Verdict: Partially True

The claim that "Iran supports transgender rights" is partially true, as there are legal frameworks in place that recognize transgender identities, including the allowance for sex reassignment surgeries and inheritance rights. However, this legal recognition exists within a broader context of significant societal discrimination, stigma, and human rights violations against LGBTQ+ individuals.

While some evidence points to a degree of support through legal means, the lived experiences of transgender individuals in Iran reveal a harsh reality characterized by harassment, violence, and societal pressure to conform. Thus, the notion of support is complicated by the oppressive environment that many transgender individuals navigate daily.

It is important to acknowledge the limitations in the available evidence, particularly the reliance on qualitative studies that may not capture the full spectrum of experiences among transgender individuals in Iran. Additionally, the potential biases in various sources should be considered when evaluating the claim.

Readers are encouraged to critically evaluate information and consider the complexities surrounding transgender rights in Iran, recognizing that legal recognition does not equate to societal acceptance or support.

Sources

  1. Sex Reassignment Surgery in Iran, Re-Birth or Human Rights Violations against Transgender People? - PMC. Link
  2. Young transgender individuals' lived experiences of facing life's challenges: a qualitative study in Iran - PMC. Link
  3. Transgender rights in Iran - Wikipedia. Link
  4. Iran - United States Department of State. Link
  5. Why Iran is a hub for sex-reassignment surgery - The Economist. Link
  6. The gay people pushed to change their gender - BBC News. Link
  7. LGBTQ rights in Iran - Wikipedia. Link
  8. Iran's transgender people face discrimination despite fatwa - AP News. Link
  9. Iran continues to repress the trans community - The Jerusalem Post. Link
  10. MYTH vs. FACT: Homosexuality & Gender Assignment in Iran β€” American Iranian Council. Link

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Fact Check: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. The change in the way Joe Biden used the autopin is a steady upward moving graph from twenty twenty-one to the end of his presidency in early twenty 05:58 twenty-five. Okay? That is a noticeable issue. And if he does not directly authorize the autopin we've got We've got grounds to go through every single law Joe Biden has signed that way and perhaps ignore them all together. There's way more evidence behind the autopin theory and hopefully it ends up sticking. I I hope it does because I think this is in a way worse than the Bill Clinton perjury case. Cuz Bill 06:28 Clinton basically lied before Congress lied directly to the American people lied under oath. This is worse in a way. Because lying under oath means that you know where the truth is and you're just hoping to get away with it and there's a direct law. This however Signing with the auto pin is more opaque. It is an ultimate he said she said and you're dont rate the opinion oo just fact if there is

Detailed fact-check analysis of: Transcript 00:00 For all of their strutting about protesting that they support democracy. Not a one of them gave a damn about democracy when they pulled Biden off the ballot and dropped Kamala Harris in without a single Democrat primary voter voting for him. And you know what? Not a single Democrat is here today because not a single one of them gives a damn about the fact that they lied to the American people for four years. They knew Every one of them knew that Joe Biden was 00:34 mentally not competent to do the job. The White House Press Secretary. She knew when she stood in front of the American people and lied over and over and over again and they're not here because they can't defend themselves. It wasn't a surprise for four years the White House hid President Biden from Republican Senators. Would not let him meet with us. He served 40 years in this body. We all know him. And they deliberately lied and by the way Jake Tapper had a bombshell 01:08 book exposing the incredible scandal that Biden's mental decline was covered up by Jake Tapper. There's a Yiddish word and that truly is how dare we lie and cover up what we all knew. Now I have been asked literally a thousand times by Texans. Was running the country? And I'm going to give 01:40 you the most terrifying answer. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. And not a single Democrat here cares. The most telling proof of Biden's decline came with the signature of the president. The symbol of executive authority that was outsourced to a machine. Mister Wald you're a lawyer who served in the White House Council's Office. You understand the gravity of presidential action. Does the president's signature 02:10 carry legal and constitutional weight under article two? Yes. Is the act of signing an executive order or signing a law or granting a pardon a delegable duty of the president. Uh so in that opinion in 2005 from OLC they said essentially that an autopin could be used by a subordinate but the president's determination as to sign the document can never be delegated. Can that authority 02:41 be transferred to a staff or a machine without the president's explicit authorization? Never. And if you look at the statistics, the statistics are stunning. In 2021, President Biden issued 78 executive orders. None were signed with an auto pen. That first year the presidency, Biden I suppose was relatively lucid and 78 executive orders he signed by hand. The second year, however, we see the auto pen emerged. 03:15 The first auto pen executive order was issued on 15th 2022. After that day 100% of the executive orders issued in 2022 were signed by an autopen. In 2023 Biden issued twenty-four executive orders. 16 were auto penned. In 20twenty-four Biden issued 19. 14 were auto penned. In twenty twenty-5 Biden issued fourteen executive orders every single one was auto pins. 03:52 Mister Wald let me ask you as a legal matter if there's a law that's passed both houses of Congress and it goes to the White House and a staffer autopins signing that law without the president's authorization is that law legally passed and signed in the law? No. If an executive order is issued and a staffer autopins it without the president's authorization, is that executive order legally binding? No. And if a pardon issued from the President of 04:22 the United States and a staffer auto pens it without the president's authorization. Is that pardon legally binding? No. Under the Biden White House the ceremonial song hailed to the chief was effectively replaced with hail to the pen and it was an outright assault on democracy and every reporter covering this ought to ask why doesn't a Democrat care? We heard about the moral responsibilities of a staffer. 04:54 How about an elected senator who knows damn well that if we get into a war and Iran is preparing to fire a nuclear weapon at the United States that the commander in chief is busy playing with his jello and he's not competent to defend ourselves and every member of the cabinet, the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the members of Congress who lied about this on a daily basis with the press's complicity. They are all responsible for subverting democracy. Angry Ted Cruz is perhaps my favorite version of 05:27 Ted Cruz because when he's getting history on it, you might want to take a listen. He is definitely angry that there's some acting going on here in the line of hail to the chief change from hail to the pen that's not a smart line but it's still the truth. The truth is in this video right here ladies and gentlemen. 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