Trans Lives Are Valuable!
Today, November 20, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, honoring victims of hate crimes.
Today, we mourn the lives lost to hate crimes targeting trans existences around the world. It is also a day to reaffirm our commitment to building a future through solidarity. In Turkey and across the globe, we as trans people face systematic discrimination, violence, and hate-driven policies simply because of our identities. Yet, every November 20 reminds us that while we keep the memory of those we have lost alive, we come together to fight for our rights and draw strength from our resilience.
We gather because, today, in a world where trans existence is systematically targeted and anti-LGBTİ+ sentiments are on the rise due to growing right-wing populism, we must raise our voices higher than ever.
The increasing hostility towards LGBTİ+ people, often used as a political tool in election campaigns and trending on social media, is fueled by right-wing policies globally, enabling an environment where transphobic rhetoric and policies escalate into hate crimes. These discourses not only target individuals but also tear at the fabric of society, fostering discrimination and violence. In Turkey and around the world, trans people are forced to fight every day for their right to exist.
We Are Being Targeted: Our Homes Are Sealed, Our Festivals Are Banned!
Last winter, trans women’s homes in Bayram Street were sealed. Deprived of our safe spaces and turned into targets, our solidarity efforts were also attacked. Our communal gatherings were raided, and we were detained with violence. While trying to recover from the devastating effects of the earthquakes, we were scapegoated, detained, and prosecuted. A refugee trans woman, whose HIV status was unlawfully disclosed by certain health professionals, was deported under the guise of voluntary return and later murdered due to her identity. This incident exposed the deadly consequences of prejudice against people living with HIV and the systemic vulnerabilities faced by trans refugees.
We, as trans people, face discrimination and inequality in employment, education, and all public spheres of life. Our ability to participate in the economy is systematically hindered. Trans women living in Bornova Street endure police harassment, hate crimes, and unlawful detentions. Yet today, we must not only address the incidents of violence but also the hate-driven policies and rhetoric that enable these acts. The discriminatory and hateful narratives perpetuated in the media amplify hostility toward us and perpetuate violence and exclusion in all layers of society.
Social Peace is Threatened!
The so-called “Great Family Gathering” events are another organized and systematic expression of this hatred. Under the guise of protecting family values, these gatherings specifically target LGBTİ+ and trans+ communities—denying our existence, spreading pseudoscientific claims, and inciting threats. Such events deepen existing prejudices, endanger our safety, and pave the way for more hate crimes.
These meetings, statements, and hate speech spread through the media shape not only thoughts but also actions. As a result, LGBTİ+ and trans people face increasing discrimination, violence, and harassment in the streets, workplaces, and public spaces.
Such movements are not just threats to individuals; they undermine public trust, harm societal peace, and affect society as a whole. We see this, we identify those responsible, and we expose them.
But what do we do in the face of this dark reality?
We, as trans people, travesties, and lubunyas, continue to fight courageously every day. Our struggle grows stronger with solidarity against all forms of oppression that deny our existence, ignore our rights, and attempt to silence us. Despite all the challenges we face, our solidarity and determination keep us standing. In defiance of hatred, we live life with all its beauty.
Because trans existence has not only taught us to resist but also to survive and make life beautiful.
One of the fundamental pillars of this struggle is our righteous rebellion and solidarity, which we build stitch by stitch, from the streets to parliaments. We reach out to one another, support each other, and heal together. In difficult times, we come together to create safe spaces and amplify each other’s voices.
The solidarity we teach one another gives us courage and strength. Our solidarity echoes like a cry, resounding in the streets, workplaces, our homes, and our hearts. This voice symbolizes our determination to defend our identity, dignity, and lives. We are here, we are here and we are stronger together.
The empowerment of the trans+ community is rooted in sharing our stories and guiding one another. By sharing our experiences, we realize we are not alone, and this understanding helps us resist. We work to make our trans+ existences visible through art, literature, media, and activism. Creativity is one of our most powerful tools against the violence and discrimination we face.
Even under pressure, the joy of life and the desire for change never fade within us. The friendships, alliances, and chosen families we build as trans people are the most meaningful and powerful parts of this journey.
Today, as we remember those we have lost, we carry with us the legacy of every loss, every story, and every moment. We are a community that has learned to hope while mourning, supporting one another, and persevering for a better future. By recalling our achievements and holding onto hope, we will continue turning challenges into victories.
Let us end our words by saying: “We are here, we exist, and we are stronger together.” Our existence cannot be erased; our struggle grows stronger with each new day, and our voices will rise, no matter the obstacles.
“Massacre, Lynch, Raid, Eryaman!”
Let us not forget that we have never backed down in the face of threats. Esat-Eryaman serves as a powerful example for all of us.
In Eryaman, trans women were subjected to displacement, threats, attempts on their lives, and numerous attacks by certain gangs, narrowing their lives and surrounding them in a circle of oppression. Similarly, in Esat, they faced the same assaults. Yet, despite the immense pressure, attacks, and bullying they endured, our friends did not give up.
The Esat-Eryaman trials lasted 16 years, and after this long struggle, gang members Şammas Taşdemir, Harun Çardak, Ayhan Günay, and Ahmet Günay were finally sentenced to a total of 62 years in prison—justice delivered 16 years late. The determination behind this quest for justice is a legacy we inherited from Dilek İnce, who stood against these gangs and inspired us with her resilience. A mother of two, Dilek İnce was assassinated in 2008 in Etlik, where she worked, with a shotgun. Despite witness testimonies, the investigation and prosecution into this hate crime were ineffective, and the gang members were released due to insufficient evidence. Trans friends who witnessed this loss describe it as a ‘silencing murder.’ But we did not and will not stay silent!
Our fight, passed down to us as a legacy, grows stronger every day, threading its way into every corner of the country and every aspect of life. Our associations, initiatives, platforms, and street movements continue to manifest their strength and determination day by day. We also extend our greetings to the recently established 20 November Association for Combating Hate Crimes, named after the Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Together, with solidarity and the power of truth, we have overcome—and continue to overcome—the darkness fueled by hate. From Istanbul to Ankara, Eskişehir to Muğla, Izmir to Aydın, Amed to Mersin, and Antakya, we are expanding our resistance, struggle, and rightful rebellion across the country.
The voice of our struggle, advocating for love, understanding, and inclusivity, will continue to stand tall against this hate. Even at moments when hatred reaches its peak, our voice will be a beacon, reminding and encouraging each other.
To all the injustices, inequalities, targeting, discriminatory policies, threats to our right to life, the denial of our existence by the patriarchal state, and the violence, oppression, and bans perpetuated by it—we have something to say:”
As the beloved Devran Çağlar once sang:
“I won’t bow to you,
I won’t beg for mercy, not even in death.
Do your worst!”
