The governor of İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district has ordered the eviction of a group of trans women from their apartments on the grounds that they were “leaning out of their windows,” the Dokuz8 Haber website reported on Monday.
The evictions were carried out by police and municipal employees, who sealed the apartments off after forcing the trans women out.
“They seal off our homes every three months,” one victim said. “We can’t find other places to live because landlords don’t rent to trans women.”
“We’ve been living on this street since 1947, and we’ll continue to do so,” said another.
Human rights defender Eren Keskin criticized the evictions.
“There are old and sick people among them,” she said on social media. “Your imposition of ‘normal’ morality on others is producing oppression.”
While Turkey does not explicitly outlaw sexual orientations and gender identities, the country’s LGBT communities frequently face discrimination and hate crimes.
Hate speech against the group particularly intensifies during electoral campaigns where ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials adopt a rhetoric that demonizes them in an attempt to consolidate its voters or secure the endorsement of smaller conservative factions.
