Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad drew at least one laugh during his recent talk at Columbia University. He claimed that "In Iran we don't have homosexuals, like in your country."

This may be a matter of semantics. Robert Tait reports that

Iran has between 15,000 and 20,000 transsexuals, according to official statistics, although unofficial estimates put the figure at up to 150,000. Iran carries out more gender change operations than any country in the world besides Thailand.

Sex changes have been legal since the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual leader of the 1979 Islamic revolution, passed a fatwa authorising them nearly 25 years ago. Whereas homosexuality is considered a sin, transsexuality is categorised as an illness subject to cure.

It's true that Ahmadinejad has done his best to exterminate anyone not willing to go under the knife. But there's video evidence that Iran has at least one gay person left. Could Ahmadinejad be a closet Republican?

Tags: * Iran gay humor