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Thursday, February 20, 2003It is not an act of rebellion by Westernized feminists determined to buck the system and cast off the headscarf. Rather, it is a growing phenomenon mainly among lower-class runaways who believe that the disguise gives them a degree of freedom and protection they could not enjoy as girls. Posing as boys on the streets makes it easier to avoid rape and falling victim to prostitution rings. And sometimes, doing so gives them a chance to excel in careers denied them: Dressing and acting like a boy can bring other benefits, like jobs. One runaway who dressed as a boy easily got a job as an apprentice at a car repair shop in Tehran, something that would never happen if she were a girl. "When I asked her why she cross-dressed she said she was able to be successful in the workplace as a boy," Ms. Shirazi said. "This is the way our society thinks about boys." They aren’t homosexuals, who are illegal. They aren’t transsexuals, who are encouraged to have sex-change operations. (Or so the article claims. More about that later.) They’re women through and through. One girl explained to her psychiatrist: "Why did you dress like a boy?" "I was more comfortable like this," she said. "No one bothered me. I wouldn't have been able to survive in women's dress. I would have been finished by now." The doctor explained that she would have to undergo some blood tests, a standard procedure in such cases to rule out transsexuality. Only one problem. Transsexuality can’t be ruled out by blood tests. Only hermaphrodism can. posted by Sydney on 2/20/2003 08:13:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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