Demet Demir (born March 12, 1961) is a Turkish

LGBT activist A list of notable LGBTQ social movements, LGBTQ rights activists who have worked to advance LGBTQ rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically. Albania * Xheni Karaj, founder of Aleanca LGBT org ...

. She was awarded the

Felipa de Souza Award Outright International (Outright) is an LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. OutRight International documents human ri ...

in 1997 for her activism.

Biography

Demir was born in

Yalova Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. It is the seat of Yalova Province and Yalova District. After her parents divorced, she and her sister moved to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

when Demir was five. Demir was

assigned male at birth Sex assignment (also known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex, typically made at birth based on an examination of the baby's external genitalia by a healthcare provider such as a midwife, nurse, or physician. In the v ...

, but discovered her

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Sociology * Trans, a sociological term which may refer to: ** Transgender, people who identify themselves with a gender that di ...

identity around the age of 17, on reading about

Bülent Ersoy Bülent Ersoy (; born Erkoç 9 June 1952) is a Turkish singer and actress. She is known as one of the most popular singers of Turkish music, nicknamed Diva by her fans. Ersoy has many famous hits such as "Ümit Hırsızı" ''(Hope Thief)'', "Gec ...

. Her subsequent meetings with similar people at

Taksim Gezi Park Gezi Park is an urban park next to Taksim Square, in Istanbul's Beyoğlu district (historically known as Pera). It is one of the last green spaces in Beyoğlu and one of the smallest parks of Istanbul. In May 2013, plans to replace the park with ...

and nearby nightclubs, which were attended LGBT people, reinforced her preferences. In 1979, she became involved with Turkey's leftist movement and was arrested on 1 May 1980 during a demonstration for

Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...

. All throughout, she used to hide her trans-sexuality to gain acceptance within the political movement. Post her arrest, she was allegedly tortured by police, before being sent to hospitals dealing with sexual diseases in a bid to ''cure'' her of homosexuality. After the 1980 coup in Turkey, Demir was sentenced to 15 months in prison for her political work, beginning 1982, but was released after 8 months. During her imprisonment, fellow prisoners came to know of her non-hetero-normative identity and she was subject to isolation. After coming out of prison, she began to assert her sexual identity but did not immediately engage in

LGBT activism Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their ...

. According to Demir, the spans were oppressive for queer people; they were often subject to illegal detentions,

physical abuse Physical abuse is any intentional act causing injury or trauma to another person or animal by way of bodily contact. In most cases, children are the victims of physical abuse, but adults can also be victims, as in cases of domestic violence or ...

, active discrimination,

forced displacement Forced displacement (also forced migration or forced relocation) is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. The UNHCR defines 'forced displacement' as follows: displaced "as a result of perse ...

and

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

. She was allegedly tortured in illegal government custody, three times in 1983 and witnessing raids by military police in nightclubs of

Beyoğlu Beyoğlu (; ) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 9 km2, and its population is 225,920 (2022). It is on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey, separated from the o ...

and ghettos of

Cihangir Cihangir is an affluent neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beyoğlu, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 3,739 (2022). It is located between Taksim Square and Kabataş. It has many narrow streets, two parks, and many st ...

, to rape homosexuals. She received little support from the leftist parties during these spans who considered trans-sexuality as a bourgeois disease and gradually grew disillusioned. Thereafter, she joined the Radikal Demokratik Birlik, which was responsible for initiating the first movement in Turkey to eliminate

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

and violence against LGBT people and other minorities. She grew more aware of the perpetuation of systemic violence by the state against minorities and learned about the concepts of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecolog ...

and

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

. In 1989, Demir joined the Human Rights Association (HRA), where she contributed in the setting up of the ''Sexual Minorities Commission'' and other similar platforms with fellow feminists Ayşe Düzkan, Filiz Karakuş et al. and eventually became HRA's first

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

delegate. Her efforts were mostly unsuccessful due to exclusion by the socialist majority. In the same year, she was subject to active discrimination (and subsequent torture), while attending a court trial on behalf of HRA, since her physical features did not align with her self-declared gender over the ID card. In 1991, Demir was again imprisoned for two months and tortured by Süleyman the “Hose” Ulusoy, the then police chief of Beyoğlu, who had a fearsome reputation for his acts of violence against transvestites. She thus became the first person to qualify as an Amnesty

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

and thereafter,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

included homosexuality on their list of political crimes. Whilst she tried to take legal action, she was unsuccessful. Demir stood up for the rights of

transsexual A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (incl ...

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

s in 1995, when they were being arrested (and evicted) in order to "clean up" the neighborhood to organise the United Nations Habitat Conference, thus bringing greater visibility to transgender rights in Turkey. In 1996, she underwent a

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associat ...

to get a woman identity card and subsequently freelanced at workshops and press studios, before joining a company to avail of future retirement benefits. In 1997,

OutRight Action International Outright International (Outright) is an LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. OutRight International documents human ...

(formerly ''International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission'') gave Demir the

. Demir was arrested and physically abused on 12 July 1997, when she tried to stop police from beating up a girl who was selling handkerchiefs made by transgender people to earn a livelihood outside of prostitution. She was coming out of a workshop, organized to promote employment skills for the transvestite and transsexual community. Demir had enough of being harassed for her activism and subsequently sued the Beyoğlu District Police Bureau. The case was repeatedly postponed before the court ruled in her favor in 2003 and awarded a 21-year sentence against Ulusoy, which was immediately vacated by the government under an amnesty provision. In 1999, Demir became a candidate at the Beyoğlu City Council elections for the

Freedom and Solidarity Party The Left Party (, often written as SOL Parti) is a secular, socialist political party in Turkey. The Party was founded after the Freedom and Solidarity Party () decided to change its name to the Left Party at the 8th Extraordinary Congress held ...

(ÖDP), thus becoming the first

candidate to run in any general election in Turkey. She was unsuccessful. In 2007, she unsuccessfully ran for the position of deputy in

Isparta Isparta is a city in western Turkey. It is the seat of Isparta Province and Isparta District.İl ...

. In 2008, Demir and other transgender activists created LGBTT Istanbul. She has been vocal about the discriminatory and harsh attitude of police towards the transgender community and of the community being often compelled to embrace

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

for earning a livelihood. She has also criticized about the lack of media-space allotted to individuals from the queer spectrum. She was responsible for printing and distributing the first pink triangle badges in Turkey and had successfully campaigned for repealing of gender discriminatory laws. Demir has been the subject of a video-exhibition by noted artist

Kutluğ Ataman Kutluğ Ataman (born 1961 in Istanbul Turkey) is an acclaimed Turkish-American contemporary artist and feature filmmaker. Ataman's films are known for their strong characterization and humanity. His early art works examine the ways in which peo ...

References

External links

AI Turkey - a history of trans Istanbul
(In Turkish with English subtitles) {{DEFAULTSORT:Demir, Demet 1961 births Turkish LGBTQ rights activists People from Istanbul People from Yalova Transgender women politicians Turkish transgender women Living people Felipa de Souza Award 21st-century Turkish LGBTQ people