Ankara: Cayan essence cut their nails and rubbing Poland last week to take the entrance examination of the University of Turkey without being disturbed, because the advocacy group said transgender people faced increasingly open discrimination.
“I don’t want problems at the entrance,” essence, 23, who born men but identify as trans or strange, to Reuters at home in the capital Ankara.
“We are subject to all types of violence since we started as LGBTI + people, both from people on the road, government or police.” Advocates said the crackdown on the events of pride and other restrictions on free speech and assembly reflecting heavier hands the government including open complaints recently from the LGBTI community.
President of President Tayyip Erdogan has rejected the claims of the discrimination and said the police enforced laws against protests “violating law”.
In other cases, the government has denied the existence of LGBTI individuals or said this concept was imported from the West and pose a threat to family values.
European transgender, network organizations that advocate for rights, said 54 transgender people were killed in Turkey from 2008 to September 2020, the highest level in Europe.
Cases that are not reported means the number of higher possibilities, said, adding that transgender people face discrimination including job rejection, housing, health care and education.
Last week, when the international pride ended, Turkish authorities including police in Riot Gear held around 100 people who took part in the parade and demonstrations throughout the country.
The police used tear gas to dissolve several hundreds who had gathered and the government said they responded in part to Vandalism.
Such events have been banned in recent years, although on the past thousands of people took part in the main Istanbul Parade Pride.
Asked to comment on the claim that government rhetoric and policies increase personal risk for transgender people, the Interior Ministry and the Palace did not immediately comment.
The European Union’s concern for human rights has hampered the Turkish accession process, which has been languishing for years after the block of membership talks are suspended informally.
For the third consecutive year in 2020, Turkey was ranked second lowest in the “rainbow index” which measured respect for LGBTI human rights in 49 European countries, according to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex International Association (ILGA -Europe).
Advocates ‘LGBT Deviants’ is like essential, which is part of the Transgender Awareness Group Pink Life Transgender based in Ankara, said examples of multiple multiple discrimination.
In February, in the midst of protests of students and faculties on the naming Chancellor of the University of Istanbul, Erdogan and other officials were confiscated on display on campus images that combined the image of Islam and the rainbow flag.
The Minister of Home Affairs Suleyman Soylu gave the label of the students “LGBT Deviants” and Erdogan praised the AK Party’s youth wings rooted in Islam because they did not become “LGBT Youth”.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Palace also did not immediately comment on the claim that government rhetoric amounted to discrimination against transgender and other LGBTI people.
Last month, the European Board of Commissioners for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic sent a letter to Turkish interior and justice ministers who expressed concern about the increase in homophobic narratives by several officials and requested LGBTI rights.
“I want to live in this country and continue our struggle for rights,” said the essence, who completed the entrance examination and aimed to study the management of performing arts in Istanbul.
Their essential jokes prefer the word “B for Barbie”, but accept using “them / they”.
“If there will be changes in this country, it will be led by the LGBTI + movement.
It is a government that is afraid of this movement, and not vice versa,” they said.