Project: Capacity Building of Civil Society in the IPA countries and Territories (Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Kosovo under UNSCR 1249/99,
Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey); EuropeAid/127427/C/SER/Multi;
TACSO Turkey Office
REPORT
Submitted to: TACSO Turkey Resident Advisor
Gönderilen kişi: TACSO Türkiye Ülke Koordinatörü
Submitted by: Kemal Ordek / Pembe Hayat LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği
Activity and subject: The activities financially supported by TACSO are; a) Conference
on Combatting Transphobic Hatred, and b) National Trans Network Meeting.
The subject of the first activity – the Conference – was about the ongoing intensive hate
crimes against transgender community of Turkey. The subject included discussions on
data on hate crimes in Turkey, hate crimes legislation, strategies for the transgender
community for future advocacy works, hate speech and relations with the mainstream
media, etc.
The subject of the National Network Meeting was on discussing the needs for
campaigning on several issues related to hate crimes targeting the transgender community
in the near future. A plan for producing a final document on the previous activities of the
network was discussed on.
Place and date of performed activity/training/event: Ankara, 17 November 2011
[National Trans Network Meeting] and 18 – 19 November 2011 [Conference on
Combatting Transphobic Hatred]
Data on participants: In total, 200 people approximately attended the event. The
participants were both from Turkey and abroad. 25 participants from different countries
of Europe [such as Albania, Montenegro, Armenia, Croatia, Germany, Sweden, UK,
Switzerland, Serbia, Greece, Poland, Belgium] attended the event for observation. In
total, 20 speakers took the stage, again both from Turkey and abroad. There were 30
transgender rights defenders from 7 different cities of Turkey [such as Istanbul, Izmir,
Eskisehir, Diyarbakır, Antalya, etc.] and 15 legal experts who work on gender identity
issues from 6 different cities of Turkey. Several media representatives were also present
during the events together with several academics.
Objectives of performed activity/training/event:
The objectives of the events are as follows:
a) To inform general public about the ongoing intensive levels of hate crimes against
transgenders.
b) To attract attention of the media on the previous cases and to create awareness.
c) To attract the attention of politicians about transphobic hate crimes and to put
pressure on them about a hate crimes legislation aiming to prevent and to prohibit
such actions towards gender identity groups.
d) To bring the representatives of different sections of the society together; including
academics, human rights NGO representatives, media representatives, politicians,
legal experts, human rights defenders from different countries, etc. to create a
space for them to focus on alternative strategies on combatting hate crimes and
hate speech.
e) To bring transgender rights activists from different cities of Turkey together and
to discuss about future action plans on several important trans rights related
issues.
Short description of agenda / flow of the performed activity:
The detailed agenda of the Conference is copied below:
18 November 2011
 12.30 – 13.00
Opening: “We Are Together Against Hatred…”
Buse Kılıçkaya, Board Chair of Pembe Hayat
“Hate Crimes Are Crimes Against Humanity!”
Murat Çekiç, Director of Amnesty Turkey
“Neither Illness Nor A Crime…”
Aykan Erdemir, MP of Republican People’s Party
“We Need A Hate Crimes Legislation”
 13.15 – 15.15
Violence Against Trans and Legislative Demands
INFORMATION: This panel focuses on the examples of hate crimes and hate
speech which have been reported through the information gathered via local trans
groups, media monitoring and face-to-face interviews with the victims of hate
crimes in 2011. In addition, the panel provides information as regards to the
access of trans people to justice, discriminatory and prejudiced attitudes of the
judicial authorities and the obligations of the Turkish Government according to
the national and international legislations.
Moderator: Attr. Sinem Hun – Pembe Hayat Association
Kemal Ördek, Secretary General of Pembe Hayat
“Transphobic Hate Crimes in 2011 in Turkey: Hate Operations Have
Continued”
Deniz Solmaz, Activist of Black Pink Triangle LGBTT Association
“Violence in Izmir Surrounding Trans Persons”
Attr. Vildan Yirmibeşoğlu, Secretary General of Association for Support and
Training of Women Candidates
“Violence That Targets Trans People, Opportunities and Insufficiencies As
Regards to Legal and De Facto Protection”
 15.30 – 17.30
Transphobic Hate Speech in Media and Strategies for Struggle
INFORMATION: This panel, while discussing the language used in the media which
triggers hatred, demonstrates the examples of media coverages in the local and national
media in 2011 in Turkey. The Panel, which will also focus on the media understanding in
the UK, will provide us with the information on how the trans community fights against
the media news that have a transphobic character.
Moderator: Göksun Yazıcı, Magazine Express
Barış Sulu, Kaos GL Association
“Examples of Hate Speech in National Media Through 2011”
Paris Scarlet Lees, Trans Media Watch
“Strategies Employed by Trans Media Watch Against Hate Speech in the
UK”
19 November 2011
 13.00 – 15.00
Examples of Legal Changes in Europe Against Hate Crimes Towards
Trans and Strategies for Struggle
INFORMATION: This panel, brings human rights defenders from Europe who have been
carrying out advocacy work towards their Governments for a trans-inclusive hate crimes
legislation together. While OSCE-OIDHR and Transgender Europe will focus on reporting
and advocacy work on hate crimes and hate speech Europe-wide, activists from Croatia
and Scotland will highlight their experiences and successes of advocacy towards their
Governments.
Moderator: Kemal Ördek, Secretary General of Pembe Hayat Association
Mathilde Fruncillo, Advisor to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights
“Transphobic Hate Crimes Examples from Europe in OSCE Annual Reports”
Richard Köhler, Transgender Europe Co-Chair
“Transphobic Violence in Europe and International Advocacy Work of
Transgender Europe for Effective Legal Protection of Trans”
James Morton, Coordinator – Scottish Transgender Alliance
“Scottish Hate Crimes Legislation and Legal Gains of the Trans Community”
Sanja Juras, ILGA-Europe Board Member / Founder of Lesbian Group Kontra
“Transphobic Hate Crimes in Croatia and Advocacy Work Carried out Towards
the Croatian Government for a Trans-Inclusive Hate Crimes Legislation”
 15.15 – 17.15
What Have Politicians Done Against Transphobic Hatred?
INFORMATION: This panel brings parliamentarians both from Turkey and abroad
together. During the panel, the works that have been carried out by the
parliamentarians in Turkey upon the requests of several NGOs for a hate crimes
legislation. At the same time, Hakan Tas – who has been elected to the Berlin Federal
Parliament as the openly gay Turkish origined MP – and Anna Grodzka – who has been
elected as the first transsexual MP to the Polish Parliament weeks ago, will highlight
their works in their countries as regards to trans rights.
Moderator: Feray Salman, General Coordinator of Human Rights Joint Platform
Aylin Nazlıaka, MP of Republican People’s Party
Michael Cashman, Member of the European Parliament
Hakan Taş, MP of Berlin Federal Parliament, Die Linke
Wiktor Dynarski, Representative of Anna Grodzka – Polish Parliamentarian; CoChair of Trans-Fuzja NGO Poland
Evaluation of the activity:
The activity attracted a good level of attention by the trans and LGB community in
Turkey. Women's groups and mainstream human rights NGOs expressed their positive
feedback on the event and also several media groups mentioned about the events. A
feedback form was distributed among the network meeting participants which proved that
the events were successful in the sense that the participants were happy to get the updated
information on hate crimes and the activities of Pembe Hayat. Observers from different
countries expressed their support for Pembe Hayat and the transgender community in
Turkey as they pointed out that the level of organisation of the event together with
regular activities of Pembe Hayat were successful.
List of materials/ handouts delivered to participants:
The participants were provided with brochures which included the detailed agenda of the
events [including the information on speakers, dates, time and location], posters and
some groups such as the legal experts and trans network participants were provided with
a pack of relevant information on legal cases concerning the trans community in Turkish
courts and ECtHR, future strategies, etc. Apart from this, several publication materials such as published books, reports, manuals, etc. – were presented and distributed to every
participant of the events.