Revenge of the oppressed sexual identity!

Turkish society is quite “macho;” it is very masculine. Feminine behaviors in men are not welcomed at all. Homosexuality and all visible signs belonging to sexual minorities are taboos and forbidden. Transsexuals and transvestites are condemned to work as prostitutes since there is no other option available for them to survive. It is obvious, something is repressed quite strongly, is not it?

I always find Turkish society quite hypocritical in this respect. I was at university when I first realized how deeply Turkish society was in self denial when it comes to homosexuality and other kind of “feminine attitudes” in men. Toward the end of my university education, I decided to make some money to support my education expenses. A friend of mine and I bought a stroller and turned it into workbench on which we were selling “kokoreç” (roasted sheep’s intestines).

However, we were not successful in this business and we were waiting until morning to sell our staff. Through this business, I became aware “the night life” in the streets of Ankara. It was unbelievable and shocking to see these long queues of the cars to pick up one of the transsexuals or transvestites in the streets. If there were a woman prostitute and transgender in competition, the latter had always become the winner. “Normal guys,” “married men” had turned into something different at night. Most probably these guys were the ones who condemned homosexuals and other sexual minorities as perverts in their daily lives. And I think they did not see themselves as homosexual.

Homosexual as an entertainment tool

I said there is no alternative but prostitution for transsexuals and transvestites. I also indicated that Turkish society do not allow physical appearance of homosexuality in public. There is, however, an interesting exception to this rule and it is the entertainment sector. You can see LGBTs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transvestite) on television or in any night club as singer; performer, artists and they become a quite usual part of our entertainment sector. People who do not have any tolerance toward LGBT are delighted to see this people as part of their “entertainment life.” If Freud were alive right now, I am sure, he would do a lengthy analysis of this peculiar situation. However, even people who are not therapist in profession can easily understand that this macho appearance hides something behind it in Turkish society.

From Zeki Muren to Bülent Ersoy

In 1990s we had Zeki Muren, who was known “sun of art” and in 2000’s we have Bülent Ersoy. Zeki Muren was homosexual and he did not hide it. Bülent Ersoy is a well known transvestite. There is no doubt that these “marginal” artists are really talented but I also believe that “their colorful appearances” helped them a lot in their journey of becoming “super stars” in Turkey. It is strange that an obvious disadvantage, an identity which is stigmatized in “normal” life can become a serious advantage when it comes to singing, showmanship and so on. Maybe they represent the dark shadow or Jungian archetype to put it more correctly. The way the Turkish societey relates itself with sexual minorities deserves much deeper analysis and I think it may help us to have a clearer picture of modern Turkish pop culture. This subject comes to my agenda agenda once again with Bülent Ersoy’s remarks about the current incursion carried by Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq. Her comments about this military operation provoked a quite harsh reaction from the media and some sections of the society and Bulent Ersoy become the center of the critisism.

Bülent Ersoy as anti war activist

Her remarks will probably being discussed for a long time. On a television program she said: “I cannot know exactly what it means to have a child. I am not a mother and will never be able to be one. But I am a human being; and as a human being, to bury them… I may not know how these mother’s hearts are breaking, but mothers understand. This is not a war under normal conditions. It is written down and people are forced to play along. There is intrigue, and that is hard to cope with."

She was attacked from many different angles after having spelled out these thoughts. Very recently she had a press conference and she declared that she is behind her words.

What Bulent Ersoy did suggest a shift in the relation of masses and LGBT in the so called entertainment sector. The contract between them was something like that: these LGBT people would appear in public without hiding their identity; masses would like it as it represents their repressed side. However, when the LGBT will appear, they will only assert their identities, but no criticism or confrontation will be suggested to the society. Bulent Ersoy however, attacked to the very roots of Turkish masculinity by objecting the military incursion and also reminded to Turkish mothers how they should perceive this war.

Will Turkey tolerate serious words of a member of sexual minority with whom they entertain themselves a lot ? We will see…