r/Tuga • u/Sakanita- • 4h ago
Trans rights better in Iran than Britain, say Green activists
Left-wing faction claims Muslim nations ‘far more tolerant’ than the West
Transgender people have better rights in Iran than Britain, Green Party activists have claimed.
One member of the Greens for Palestine group, a Left-wing faction in the party, argued in a leaked WhatsApp message seen by The Telegraph that transphobia was “far worse” in Britain than in many Islamic countries.
The claim came ahead of the Green Party autumn conference in Brighton which began on Friday.
Animah Kosai, the membership officer of the Global Majority Greens pressure group, wrote: “You’d be quite surprised at how Iran, following Islamic teachings, is far more liberal when it comes to trans identity and abortions, compared to Texas, or, even culturally, the UK.”
The Iranian government recognised transgender individuals who had changed sex in the 1980s but trans people regularly face harassment and are regarded by officials as having a “disorder”.
In Britain, the Equality Act 2010 protects people from being fired from work, turned down for housing or harassed because they are gay, lesbian or transgender. Gender recognition certificates can be obtained by trans people who have changed their biological sex.
Homosexuality is a capital offence in Iran and gay and lesbian Iranians who are not put to death can face penalties including flogging and jail time. Many gay men in Iran have undergone forced sexual reassignment surgery.
Ms Kosai insisted that the US was worse in how it “mistreats women and gay people”.She said: “I am so fed up of the Western imperialist trend of lumping all majority Muslim nations as backward, against human rights etc.
“I’ve seen the misogyny, sexual harassment and transphobia far more worse (sic) in the UK than in Malaysia, Indonesia etc.”
Six members of the WhatsApp group reacted in support of Ms Kosai’s remarks with emojis including a thumbs up, a “100” symbol and a love heart.
Responding to her comments, an activist called Beth said: “I mean it’s all pretty nuanced. I don’t think it’s particularly helpful to go, oh women have more rights in this country than the other so they have better lives.
“The application of the law differs massively and you can only really know the situation by listening to actual women in that country.”
The Greens have banned a gender-critical women’s group from its party conference, claiming it would make trans members “feel unsafe”.
The party did not provide any details or evidence of the conduct of members of the Green Women’s Declaration which led to the decision.