Iranian-born former crossdresser in California's Big Sur
Monterey County Weekly reports of an avid Iranian-born athlete and backpacker from Pacific Grove who plans to take part in this week's Big Sur Marathon in California but in Iran, she wore boy's outfit and cut her hair short when walking her pet dog so she did not have to wear Hijab.
“It was a mixture of excitement and fear when I went out like a boy in Iran,” says Sanaz Tofighrad. “If I were caught by the religious police that enforce Islamic code, I could have been jailed, whipped or a combination of both. In jail who knows what could have happened.”
It was unusual to have a dog as a pet, and it drew attention from neighborhood children. A couple of times the police stopped her, curious about the animal.
Now a 33-year-old Defense Language Institute teacher - A Persian/Farsi teacher for US Army officers), Tofighrad started running seriously a few years ago, at the encouragement of a friend. The Big Sur International Marathon on April 27 will be her second full marathon.
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