Transsexuality in Turkey: The Representation of Transsexual Identities in Contemporary Turkish Films (Paperback)

LGBT issues in Turkey are often ignored by the government entities and mostly misrepresented in the Turkish mass media. This book aims to review the background of transsexual issues in the Turkish history and analyze the approach of the Turkish media in their treatment of transsexual subjects, as well as to establish the extent in which the media could be the cause of the re/creation and re/production of the transsexual image, gender roles and violence within the heterosexist and transphobic social structure in Turkey.
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Abstract:
LGBT issues in Turkey are often ignored by the government entities and mostly misrepresented in the Turkish mass media. Transsexual subjects, often erroneously identified as transvestites, yet have been subjected to various types of violence and stereotyping throughout the history of the modern Turkish Republic. The mass media undoubtedly played a part in enforcing many negative and/or erroneous stereotypes in the minds of the audience. Yet, there are some Turkish films that on the surface aim to bring to light the hard conditions transsexual subjects face in their daily lives. Apart from reviewing the background of transsexual issues in the Turkish history and analyzing the approach of the Turkish media in their treatment of transsexual subjects, I also aimed to establish the extent in which the media could be the cause of the re/creation and re/production of the transsexual image, gender roles and violence within the heterosexist and transphobic social structure in Turkey.
To do so, I analyzed the representation of transsexual struggle as presented in three Turkish films, produced in the 2000's, with transsexual characters in them. I concluded that, despite the positive intention to highlight the transsexual members of society and portray them in a sympathetic way, these films still succumbed to the same stereotypes present in the heteronormative discourse treating prostitution, alienation, psychological and physical violence. The films portray the worst-case scenarios transsexual subjects may face, while failing to empower the transsexual characters or punish violent actions aimed against them. Therefore, the Turkish media and film industry seem to contribute to the prevalence of stereotypes about transsexual subjects, who also may reproduce and reinforce these stereotypes, even though unwillingly.