Romani transgender woman murdered in Istanbul home

ISTANBUL

Many transgender people in Turkey live under constant threat of hate attacks and most of the murders targeting the LGBT community are left unsolved.

A transgender Romani woman has been found by police, killed at her home in the neighborhood of Kurtuluş on the European side of Istanbul, news website Bianet reported on Oct. 10.

The circumstances of the murder are unclear, with police officials saying they are unable to establish whether there had been a robbery at the address.

Relatives of the woman, known as “Gypsie Gül,” told Bianet that most murders of transgender people who earn their living through prostitution are usually committed by their clients. However, they also added that Gül did not bring her clients to her home but usually went to hotels.

Gül’s body was found by a friend who was concerned after not receiving news from her for two days.

Kurtuluş, in the central Şişli district of Istanbul, is one of the most tolerant neighborhoods in the city, where many transgender people have chosen to settle and live.

Many transgender people in Turkey live under constant threat of hate attacks and most of the murders targeting the LGBT community are left unsolved.  

A young transgender woman, Çağla Joker, was murdered last April following an attack by two young men.