PHOTOS: Turkey's First Transgender Beauty Contest

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PHOTOS: Turkey's First Transgender Beauty Contest
In a country that has had at least 70 murders of transgender people since 2002, participation in a beauty contest is an act of defiance and courage.
 Advocate.com Editors
          
          Jul 02, 2014
          
        
Advocate.com Editors
 See Full Bio 
It isn't illegal to be LGBT in Turkey, but LGBTpeople still face regular violence and discrimination. A beauty pageant held in Istanbul formed part of a week-long celebration of LGBT events in June in defiance of that persecution, notes the Daily Mail. Thanks to Furkan Temir for these photos of some very brave ladies. The contest organized by HEVI LGBTT.

 Backstage, the magic happens -- with help from some friends.

Glamour gets a rise out of a spirited crowd.

Walking proudly in spite of current conditions in Istanbul.

Halfway there.

Poise and confidence matter.

A moment of exhaustion.

A range of gender presentation was welcome.

A quick moment backstage between numbers.

A moment of victory.

Careful on those dark steps in heels.

 Supportive friends make the night possible.

It takes a village.

 Romance in the audience.

Number 4 glides through the crowd.

The audience is tense in anticipation.

The winner of the  contest, Yanki Bayramoglu, glories in her moment.

        
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PHOTOS: Turkey's First Transgender Beauty Contest

In a country that has had at least 70 murders of transgender people since 2002, participation in a beauty contest is an act of defiance and courage.

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Stay informed on important LGBTQ+ news.

PHOTOS: Turkey's First Transgender Beauty Contest

In a country that has had at least 70 murders of transgender people since 2002, participation in a beauty contest is an act of defiance and courage.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

“We will take a stand for what’s right, and the chips will fall where they may,” says Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings.

Ellen Riggle revisits Mister Rogers through a queer lens, revealing how even radical empathy once came with conditions and how those conditions still echo today.

Some actors donned tributes to the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent — and as a reminder "to be good to one another."

Before opening the envelope, the Black queer comedian promised to thank the trans community for the absent transphobe if he won his category — and she made good on her word.

More For You

Most Popular

The man who shot Renee Nicole Good is a 43-year-old firearms instructor who appears to have defended white supremacists online.

Actor, writer, producer, director, and activist Doug Spearman is very comfortable on both sides of the camera.

John Fink's portrait series, Real Men Real Life, depicts natural men, perfectly imperfect, just the way we like them.

These celebrities brought the sex appeal in their steamy videos this year.

Ewoud Broeksma records athletes in and out of clothes while they sprint, kick, and exercise their superb bodies.

Remy and Dylan take us back to the garden in Verner Degray's beautiful Eden.