Transsexual’s memoir breaks new ground in Arab world | The Raw Story
Transsexual’s memoir breaks new ground in Arab world
By Agence France-PresseSunday, June 27, 2010 11:49 EDT
Topics: choice ♦ HELEM ♦ sex
TweetBEIRUT Ã¢â‚¬â€ In a daring, unprecedented move, a pioneer of the Arab world’s underground transgender movement has released her memoirs, recounting her struggle to become a woman against all odds.
“Mouzakarat Randa al-Trans”, or “The Memoirs of Randa the Trans”, is a brutally honest narrative that traces Randa’s battles with family, society, country, religion and abuse in her native Algeria.
Co-authored by Lebanese journalist Hazem Saghieh, the 144-page book released this year in Beirut unflinchingly details Randa’s life from childhood as a male to her first sexual experience with a man and the consequences of her choice to live as a male-to-female transsexual.
“At some point I put two bottles of pills on my dresser and knew that I had a choice,” Randa, who was named Fuad at birth, told AFP in Beirut.
“I could either die now by taking the entire vial of medication, or start on the vial of hormones and live — as a woman and with the possibility that I might die at the hands of someone else.”
“I had been receiving threats for some time,” she said. “General security in Algeria had built a file on me, and I had been ‘warned’ by certain Islamist groups.
“Last April, I was given a 10-day ultimatum: leave or be killed.”
And although patriarchal values still hold sway over this small eastern Mediterranean country, Beirut’s relatively tolerant society and the stellar reputation of Lebanese doctors have encouraged persons of different sexual orientations and identities to seek refuge in the vibrant city.
“People ask you why anyone would give up the privileges men have to be ranked even worse than women who were born as women,” Randa said.
“We need to make people understand that the word transsexual is not about sex and it’s not about pleasure,” she added. “It’s about identity.”
“Generally they feel that it is a more democratic country, at least socially,” Nakhoul told AFP. “It’s known for its multiplicity, especially when the other choice is totalitarian countries like Iran.”
“People are increasingly coming to Lebanon for these surgeries because the law does not forbid it and the medical sector is highly regarded,” Eid, who had no available statistics, told AFP.
“But we are very selective in who is a candidate for surgery, and psychiatric consultation for at least one year is a must before the decision is made.”
And in the tightly knit societies of the Arab world, Eid insists his patients secure their families’ support before embarking on the long, painful process.
But for Randa — who laughingly refuses to disclose her age but concedes she is “30-something” — family approval was out of the question.
“Even today, I cannot tell you how many times I want to call my sisters, but I always dial the number and hang up before it rings. I would ruin their lives,” she said, fighting back tears. “I lost everything. I have nothing more to lose.
“What have I got to lose if society rejects me?”
Lebanon is home to the Arab world’s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights group HELEM, and a number of gay and gay-friendly bars have flourished in the capital.
Even so, the brutal beating by police of two men for alleged gay behaviour last year did not deter HELEM supporters from taking to the streets to mark IDAHO this May, carrying banners that read “Ana shazz,” or “I am queer,” and “Barra!” or “Out!”
“Sometimes I want to give up and leave, but I know that if I leave, I’ll be back,” she said.
“Freedom is never given to you,” she added. “You have to reach out and take it, sometimes no matter the risks.
“And we can’t stop fighting now.”