Şevval Kılıç is a Turkish transgender activist who has been at the heart of the country's LGBT movement and the struggle for transgender rights. At the time of this interview, she was working with Trans-Blok after previously being involved with Istanbul LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği, and she was one of the co-organizers of the Istanbul Trans Pride parade. Her activism focused particularly on combating violence against trans people, increasing visibility, and demanding that the Turkish government recognize the existence and human rights of LGBT people. Şevval's story also reflects some of the difficult realities faced by transgender women in Turkey. She spoke openly about coming out, her father's rejection, and the twenty years it took for them to eventually make peace with one another. She also recalled her experiences on Ülker Street in Istanbul, where she found herself among a large community of transgender women in the 1990s.
Her reflections on sex work, media representation, and violence reveal how limited and often damaging the public images of trans women in Turkey had been. At the same time, Şevval rejects the idea that Turkey could simply be dismissed as a country where transgender women have no place. She emphasizes that transphobia exists across the world, while arguing that Turkey has its own particular form of gender-based hypocrisy. She sees strength in the growing organization of the Turkish trans community, the increasing visibility of Trans Pride, and the emergence of trans candidates in mainstream political parties. This conversation captures Şevval at a significant moment in the Turkish transgender rights movement: outspoken, politically engaged, determined to challenge stereotypes, and convinced that trans people could change society rather than simply ask to be accepted by it.
Monika: Şevval, it is such an honor to sit down with you. Thank you so much for joining me today.
Şevval: Hi Monika!
Monika: Your home country carries a heavy reputation for transphobic violence, think of the murders of Neşe Dilşeker in 2012 and Dora Özer in 2013. Does that mean Turkey simply is not a country for transgender women?
Şevval: I wouldn't say it that way, but at the same time, yes, the number of trans hate crimes is rising like never before. However, transphobia exists everywhere at different levels, of course, from Japan to the USA; maybe Turkey is simply more gender-based hypocritical.
Monika: Turning to your organizations, what is currently on the agenda for Trans-Blok and Istanbul LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği?
Şevval: I've recently resigned from Istanbul LGBT, and now I am working for Trans-Blok. Our first issue is to stop hate crimes against trans people. Our government is still resisting and ignoring the fact that we are living in a different age. It still ignores the existence of the LGBT movement, it doesn't even use the term "LGBT," because if you do not exist, your human rights do not exist either.
However, all Turkish LGBT organizations are working hard right now to gain more power every day, and we know we will have our democratic rights eventually.
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| Vienna 1999. |
Monika: Turkey's transgender community has produced many remarkable women, past and present: Emel Aydan, Demet Demir, Bülent Ersoy, Seyhan Soylu, Michelle Demishevich, Öykü Özen, and yourself among them. Would you say there is one single leader or role model for the whole community?
Şevval: Our trans community is a heterogeneous group. In the past, we had some leaders who represented different ideas and policies, but today we are organized in different political and lobbying groups. For example, some of us focus on street activism. Now we have many role models on different issues.
Monika: As one of the co-organizers of the Istanbul Trans Pride parade, could you tell me more about it, and perhaps encourage transgender people from other countries to join in?
Şevval: We felt we needed to focus more on trans issues. We wanted to speak on our own behalf, that's why we decided to organize "Trans Pride." Every year the audience doubles, it keeps surprisingly getting bigger, and the Taksim Gezi resistance also helped us gain more allies this year.
Inevitably, the LGBT movement has become more and more mainstream. This is good for visibility, but at the same time, we need more public awareness and to draw the government's attention to trans hate crimes. Then, maybe, we can dance together.
Monika: Looking back at your own transition, did you have transgender role models to guide you?
Şevval: I was on Ülker Street back in 1996, surrounded by almost a hundred girls. I think I picked up a little bit from everyone I admired.
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| Preparing for the Trans Pride March in 2011. |
Monika: What was the hardest part of coming out for you?
Şevval: My dad didn't accept me. It took him twenty years before he was ready to speak to me and make peace.
Monika: By your early twenties, you found yourself doing sex work on Ülker Street in Cihangir, the main sanctuary for Istanbul's transgender community at the time. What advice would you give transgender girls who are considering sex work as a way to survive?
Şevval: That's a big question, I'd need at least ten pages to answer it!
Monika: How do you feel about the way transgender stories and characters have been portrayed so far in Turkish films, newspapers, and books?
Şevval: It's always been either a trans sex worker covered in blood on the highway, or the famous, glamorous, and wealthy Bülent Ersoy. There hasn't been a single ordinary, middle-class transgender person in the media for twenty years. It's practically an embargo on our community.
We try to present ourselves as a new generation, doctors, teachers, workers, and so on, but we still end up being killed off by the end of the movie. I'm exhausted by it, because it plants a kind of visual memory in people's minds. Nobody is shocked anymore when they see a crime committed against a trans person, and they should be. Personally, I will never see any value in a film where the trans character dies at the end.
Monika: Are you politically active yourself, perhaps involved in lobbying? Do you believe transgender women can truly make a difference in politics?
Şevval: Today, two major political parties in Turkey have trans candidates, myself included. We are more visible than ever, and I truly believe trans people carry a revolutionary spirit capable of making real change.
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| India 2012. |
Monika: What role does love play in your life these days?
Şevval: I'm 42 now, and I believe this whole "love" thing is super overrated, but regular sex is awesome. :)
Monika: Do you enjoy fashion? What do you usually like to wear, any particular designs, colors, or trends you gravitate toward?
Şevval: I usually look like a super butch lesbian, cargo pants, sneakers, and t-shirts. When I was nineteen or twenty, I used to look like Pamela Anderson, but today I prefer comfortable, easy outfits, and honestly, I'd rather people not recognize me as a transgender woman on the street.
Monika: Having gone through your own transition, what would you say to transgender women who are struggling with gender dysphoria?
Şevval: You are not alone, and you are not doing anything wrong. Unfortunately, yes, you will need to be one of the strongest people in the world, just like the rest of your trans sisters.
Monika: Is there a new project you are currently working on?
Şevval: Actually, I'm looking for funding for our trans social center called "transhane" (transhouse). Any help is greatly appreciated!
Monika: Being a transgender activist in a conservative country is incredibly difficult. The fight for our rights, dignity, and safety is never-ending, but we must keep going, not just for ourselves, but for our sisters who need us. Şevval, thank you so much for sharing your story, insights, and passion. Your strength and dedication are truly inspiring, and I deeply appreciate the work you do for our community.
All the photos: courtesy of Şevval Kılıç.
© 2013 - Monika Kowalska
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