The e-mail letters below speak for themselves. I made only the slightest editing to assure clarity.
After brief consideration, I chose to provide the full text of these two letters, knowing not what else to do.
Date: Monday, 08-Dec-97 11:00 PM
From: Ipek Kiranci \ Internet: (kiranci@superonline.com)
Hello from Turkey,
My name is Beste Cengel. I'm a transgendered woman living in Istanbul. I was born in Giresun,1972. Because of my sexuality my family didn't want me and made problems. So I left my parents and came to Istanbul 5 years ago. For the 5 years I tried to find work but in my country, if you're a transgendered one you can't even walk in the streets alone. Since I couldn't find work, I began to work in prostitution although I didn't want. But working or living in my country is becoming very difficult from day to day. Because we have police problems here very much. Police took me a month ago, beat me and tortured; insulted me. And also our religious rules of our community our government don't give any job and even want to give permission to work like the other people. Last year during Habitat-2 police arrested all transgendered people and beat them. Every day still you can hear many death news about transgendered people. Last week in Istanbul two of my friends were killed because of their sexuality. On account of this I want to write this. And also I want to hear about the projects you have about the rights of transgendered people. Hope to hear from you........
Beste Cengel
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Date: Wednesday, 10-Dec-97 03:50 PM
From: Cybele \ Internet: (gallae@casagrande.com)
Hello Beste,
I am glad to hear from you, while sorry to hear of the suffering which you have known directly from the prejudice and misunderstanding of others. Well, it is true that transgendered people in America have been beaten or killed for simply being who they are, but the occurrence of such hate crimes is more an isolated happening and not the rule. Employment discrimination is another matter, ranging from subtle to serious problems.
I have read Phaedra Kelly's articles concerning some of the harassment by the police, as you experienced. Do you think it would help for me to write to the Ambassador? Sometimes it is not clear what would help or do harm. As Laura has mentioned to you, I converted to Islam when I was 14 but have in the years since become an athiest, having travelled a spiritual journey along many paths.
What is very sad is that your land, in ancient times, had transgendered people in high esteem and honor; they served as priestesses (the gallae and megabyzes) of the Goddess in the great temple of Ephesus and the shrines of Pessinus and Pergamum, and all the great cities of ancient times. That is why I took the name of Cybele as my own in 1991, to honor the great myth sacred to our sisters centuries ago.
We are not really an "organization" but a family of "gender variant" people who are dedicated to each other and to the efforts of telling our special history on the Internet, so that those who are like us can know that they are not "freaks" but a normal variant of humanity who have existed as long as humanity has existed.
As to myself, I was born in 1952, and after many years of emotional repression, finally began living full-time as a woman in 1991... and I chose to have sex reassignment surgery at the end of 1992. I am happy, even though I found it necessary to resign from my career, which was with the local government. Many people do not understand us because they do not know us, having only prejudice and imagination as a guide. Unfortunately, religion has generally been the source of these prejudices, though it's my understanding that Islam, for the most part, has been more tolerant than Judaism or Christianity. The authorities at Al-Azhar have recently endorsed transsexuality as *not* in conflict with the Qur'an. This may help in the long run, but it does not remove the existing prejudices which people may have.
It is so tragic that Turkey has in other respects been so advanced over other nations of the Near East in improving the status of women, while it seems that the rights of sexual- and gender- variant people may have gone backwards since the reforms of Ataturk. Surely it *should* be better. Only your courage can make it so! I am honored to hear from you, and am glad to enjoy your friendship and contact... and earnestly send you all good wishes for finding tranquillity, justice, and happiness!
* Julia Cybele Cachia *
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Date: Monday, 15-Dec-97 11:26 PM
From: Ipek Kiranci \ Internet: (kiranci@superonline.com)
DATE:15.12.1997 ISTANBUL/TURKEY
Transsexuals are arrested by police in Istanbul, TURKEY!!!!!!! The transsexuals living in Ulker sok have to live under the pressure of Turkish Police. For the week police are standing outside their homes. They have to be in their homes, and if they try to go out of home, they are arrested by police. anyone going to Ulker sok, where transsexuals live is also arrested by police. One of the transsexuals has been arrested today morning and still is there since she was out of home. When she went out police arrested her. They said to her, "we don't want you, and we will arrest you if you remain here. And we won't give permission to earn money or to take things to eat." They can not even go out to buy something to eat ! Our friends name who was arrested today is Ipek Kiranci. We sent a lawyer there but they didn't release her. And also if they catch transsexuals in the streets, police take us to the forests so far from the city and beat us and take all our money and clothes. Living in Istanbul, in Ulker Street is very impossible day by day. We haven't nearly enough money to buy food. And this is the last month we're on the Internet. We feel that this is our last chance.
Help us! We're waiting from you...
our telephone number 0090-0212-2275924
The address of their homes: Ulker Sokak, Istanbul, TURKEY.
The police branch which arrests them is Beyoglu Ekipler Amirligi.
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