Maryam Khatoon Molkara

Maryam Khatoonpour Molkara (1950-2012)
Born in 1950 as Fereydoon Molkara, Maryam Khatoon Molkara as a young child knew she had identified female, even prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1975. As a child she would “scream when they tried to dress [her] in boy’s clothes … and wanted dolls instead of boy’s toys.” She is recognized as one of the earliest advocates for transgender rights and gender reassignment in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sexual Reassignment Surgery, a costly procedure was not widely accessible to many who did not identify as their assigned gender at birth.
During the 1970’s however, Molkara desired religious authorization and approval and would meet with Ayatollah Behbehani a well-known figure of religion in Iran at the time. His advice after performing an istikhareh, led her to seeking advice from Ayatollah Khomeini, future leader of the Iranian Revolution in Iran and present her case. The Iranian Revolution during 1978 and 1979, would stall any transition, and during this time she was forced to wear men’s clothing and injected with male hormones. During the 1980’s the conflict between Iraq and Iran would begin and aspirations for reassignment could not become as reality and during this time she would work as a nurse. While with male patients some voiced their attraction to her and would question her gender because of her gentleness with them.
Later on in 1986, Molkara would receive government approval to proceed with sexual reassignment surgery, allowing her to legally change her gender, although she still was not able to afford it. In 1987, Molkara would meet Khomeini, although upon entering his compound she would be beaten by his guards before being granted an audience with him. During their meeting he had ruled that her case was different from that of a homosexual and as a result gave her his blessing, stating that it was a religious obligation for her to have surgery. At the meeting she was given a black chador, a piece of clothing worn by women signifying her womanhood.
Despite having the religious approval granted to her by Ayatollah Khomeini, she still received backlash from her mother. As a result, she did not proceed with the surgery and instead began to take hormones and continued dressing in women’s clothing, living her life as a woman without surgically transitioning. It would be roughly 10 years later in 1997 that Molkara would continue with the surgery, which would take place in Thailand that was funded by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee. Through the monetary provision, Molkara was able to surgically transition as fully female and would co-found an organization known as the Imam Khomeini Charity Foundation to provide loans to help others like her transition.