Shocking video shows trans woman being attacked while police officer turns a blind eye
A video of a trans woman being assaulted while the police stood by and watched in Iran has gone viral.
In the video, which was originally posted to Facebook by Iranian feminist activists, the woman emits a bloodcurdling scream as she is attacked by a gang.
Although a policeman is sat in a car right next to the attack, he simply ignores the crime and attempts to drive across the square, reports Gay Star News.
In the video, a woman confronts the policeman about his lack of action, and asks if he is ignoring the attack because she is trans.
“Why aren’t you helping her?” the woman asks angrily in the clip.
“Is it because she’s transgender? You shouldn’t drive away. You should help them,” she adds, to which the policeman shrugs.
“But look at what they look like,” the police officer responded to the woman.
The video was posted by the group White Wednesdays, which is an Iranian movement that encourages women to wear white on Wednesday to protest the legal obligation for women to wear headscarves in the country.
Although it is illegal to be openly gay in the country, trans rights are recognised in Iran.
Men who have sex with other men face the death penalty in the Persian Gulf nation, while lesbian women caught participating in same-sex activity receive 100 lashes.
However, trans people can have gender-affirming surgery subsidised, and can have their gender legally recognised.
Gender confirmation is expensive for Iranians. It costs around $13,000 to undergo medical procedures and hormone replacement therapy costs $20-40 a month, and the average Iranian’s monthly income is about $400, reports Quartz.
However, if trans people do not have their gender legally changed, they can be considered to be queer by the government and face the death penalty.
As this video proves, however, discrimination and violence against trans people is still rife in Iran.
It is believed that around 150,000 people in Iran are trans, reports Gay Star News.
