Trans Remembrance Day

Pink Life marked TDoR: Trans murders are political!

Pink Life Association in Ankara organized a series of events in memory of transphobic hate crime victims. Commemorating their late friends for the 7th time in Turkey, trans activists gave speeches at the Turkish Parliament.  

Source: Ömer Akpınar, “Pink Life marked TDoR: Trans murders are political!”, kaosGL.org, 27 November 2014, http://kaosgl.org/page.php?id=18079

Pink Life started organizing events in 9 cities to mark Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) on November 20 early this month. Panels and workshops took place in Adana, Ankara, Antakya, Bursa, Edirne, Eskisehir, Istanbul, Izmir and Mersin on issues ranging from education and jurisdiction to media and medicine.

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“Writing in a newspaper makes me a ‘good trans’”

The main events that took place in Ankara at the weekend focused on the media. Trans activist and performer Esmeray, who writes a weekly column in the daily newspaper Taraf, questioned whether a sex worker trans woman would be able to write in the same paper:

“Writing in a newspaper makes me a ‘good trans’ but I am not sure if Taraf would let a sex worker trans woman write columns as well.”

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Trans activists at the Turkish Parliament: All parties should consider LGBTI rights

Source: Ömer Akpınar, “Trans activists at the Turkish Parliament: All parties should consider LGBTI rights,” kaosGL.org, 27 November 2014, http://kaosgl.org/page.php?id=18069

Binnaz Toprak, an LGBTI ally from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), made a press statement at the Turkish Parliament yesterday to draw attention to trans murders. The demand for “Constitutional equality” was repeated in the statement joined by trans activists.

 CHP MP Toprak together with trans activists at the Turkish Parliament

CHP MP Binnaz Toprak, made a press statement at the Turkish Parliament on the occasion of Trans Remembrance Day on November 20, speaking up against discrimination, marginalization and violence.

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Mayor Hazinedar: Message to the victims of hate crimes on the occasion of the 20 November Trans Day of Remembrance

Source: Av. Murat Hazinedar, “Nefrete Inat, Yaşasın Hayat!”, (“In Spite of Hate, Yes to Life!”), 20 November 2014, http://besiktas.bel.tr/Sayfa/7138/nefrete-inat-yasasin-hayat

“Discrimination”, “hate speech”, “hate crimes”, “honor killings of homosexuals/transexuals”… How truly aware are we of these phrases that we have heard for a long time now? How seriously do we take these chilling images that we encounter every day in newspapers and TV news bulletins? Are we prepared to answer these questions with a clear conscience? Unfortunately, no! We must confront a painful truth. Official figures state that 36 trans individuals have been murdered over the past ten years. Experts, however, contend that without “transphobia” being delineated amongst other hate crimes, the real figures are likely to be several times higher.

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