Transgender people, like gay and lesbian people in
Istanbul, are more visible in the most liberal districts
of Istanbul, such as Şişli, Beyoglu and Taksim. Many of
them live in nearby neighborhoods, such as Cihangir,
Tarlabasi, Elmadag, Harbiye, Nisantasi and Kurtulus. Majority of the Turkish transgender
individuals in Turkey are shemales who do not have sex-change surgeries, but they take
female hormones, have silicone breasts, get cosmetic
procedures, epilate, etc. and they look like transsexual
women from the outside. Sometimes, some queer gay men
also dress up as crossdressers and go to various gay or
trans clubs on weekend nights, especially on Saturday
nights.
There are several trans-friendly
nightclubs around Taksim. Before you visit a shemale-club in
Istanbul, you should be aware of the customs. Every club
has regular transvestites and transsexuals who work with
the management. The trans-girls are not
officially employed, but their role is to get the
customers to buy them drinks. This means that if a
trans-girl sits and chats with you at the bar or your
table, you are expected to buy and pay for her drinks as
well. The club girls can also go out with
customers, but you need to negotiate the terms
beforehand.
Sahra Club (24:00-05:00)
Sadri Alisik Sokak,
No: 42 Beyoglu Istanbul.
Click here for reviews, location map and more
Sahra, a prime example of Istanbul’s underground LGBT
culture, is perhaps the most audacious among gay and
transgender nightclubs. There might be hustlers here as
there could be in any transgender hang-out place, so
you'd better not go there with a lot of cash money and
watch your wallet well.
Super Fabric (23:00 - 04:00)
Cumhuriyet Cad.i
No: 42 Elmadag,
Istanbul
Click here for reviews, location map and more
Even though the majority of the clients are gay men,
Superfabric is also a very transgender friendly venue,
where you can see many trans people. It is located some
10 minutes walking distance to the north of Taksim
Square somewhere on Cumhuriyet Caddesi avenue that goes
towards Harbiye / Sisli districts, roughly across from
Konak Hotel.
Trans bars and clubs which have been closed down.
The trans clubs are no more as popular as they used to
be after the internet became widespread. Consequently,
most of the venues closed down or changed their concept
in recent years.
Bahriyeli Pub
- This venue has been closed for good in 2022
Club 17 - Closed during Covid 19 period
No Name Club - Closed down in 2018.
Unfortunately, most transvestites and transsexuals
resort to prostitution, because they face difficulties
in finding regular jobs outside of nightlife,
entertainment and music industries.
There are certain streets and highways in Istanbul where
transvestites and transsexuals frequently gather at
night. They engage in sex work, often cruising around
Tarlabasi Boulevard and the main street between Taksim
and Şişli, especially after midnight. These cruising
areas are generally unsafe, so it’s advisable not to
carry large amounts of money that you wouldn’t mind
losing. Additionally, there are some backstreets in the
Beyoglu and Sisli districts where they reside
collectively in various buildings, such as
Kucuk Bayram Sokak,
Ulker Sokak. Many of them also live scattered across
liberal, middle-class neighborhoods like Harbiye,
Elmadag, Nisantasi, and the notorious Tarlabasi quarter
in Beyoglu
As a direct result of being unavoidably visible, the
Turkish transgender community faces more challenges.
Probably for this reason they struggle for their rights
and support each other more militantly compared to the
local gay and lesbian individuals. However, they are
often portrayed negatively by the mainstream media due
to their determined resistance against the law
enforcement forces.
There are no specific laws against LGBT people in
Turkey, but transgender people face a lot of public
pressure and discrimination. Transsexuals can get
women’s ID cards officially after gender affirmation
surgery, based on a report from a panel of doctors, and
they have the same rights as women, including marriage
since the early 80's. Transsexuals are represented by
the city’s main gay & lesbian organizations,
Lambda Istanbul
and
SPoD.
There is also another group called
Pembe Hayat (Pink Life)
that focuses more on Transgender rights, but it is
located in Ankara.
Click here
to read more detailed article on LGBTQ life in Turkiye
Click here for a complete list of gay LGBT friendly
shopping guide of Istanbul.
There are several well-known Turkish transgender
celebrities and social media figures, and Bülent
Ersoy is among them. In 1981, she underwent her
sexual transition operation when she was already a
prominent figure. Despite facing challenges, she
persevered and successfully obtained legal recognition
as a woman in the late 1980s. Interestingly, she chose
to retain her birth name, Bülent, which is traditionally
associated with men. Bülent Ersoy is highly respected
for her music career and has hosted numerous popular TV
shows on national channels. However, some Turkish LGBT
solidarity groups have criticized her for not publicly
advocating for LGBT rights, despite her widespread
popularity and acceptance. There are also many
transgender social media influencers and some of the
most popular ones have
millions of
followers.
Click here for a full list of famous
Turkish LGBTQ
celebrities.
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