A transsexual CHP candidate nominee with a heart in politics
11/04/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/...o-has-a-heart-in-politics-2011-04-06
Öykü Özen, a transsexual from the northwestern province of Bursa, has filed to be a candidate for deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
The CHP’s candidate-to-be Özen said she has been following political agenda for years and has a heart in politics. “That’s why I want to be a candidate. But the Supreme Election Board, or YSK, has increased the price of application for independent candidates to 7,000 Turkish Liras. This is something negative,” Özen said.
The main reason Özen applied to the CHP was the party’s stand against the discriminative rhetoric used for homosexuality.
“CHP deputy Mehmet Sevigen stood firm against State Minister for Women and Family Aliye Kavaf, who said ‘Homosexuality is a disease’. When CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited Bursa, two of our friends in the Gökkuşağı Derneği [Rainbow Association] headed off Kılıçdaroğlu and asked, ‘What will you do for the freedom of homosexuals?’ Though he said nothing, his gestures were quite an answer, they added. And I was very happy to hear that. I have leftist tendencies anyway. I made up my mind after visiting the CHP’s webpage and reading the statement ‘the CHP for everyone,’” said Özen.
According to Özen, the CHP is undergoing serious changes with Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership and Özen thinks Kılıçdaroğlu will embrace everyone.
Özen noted that politicians have looked down on gays and transsexuals for some time. She asked: “Why can’t a transsexual woman be a candidate? Who will be the voice of sex workers in nightlife? They even don’t knock on our door to ask for our vote.”
“I want to be the voice of these people,” she said.
The number-one issue Özen is planning to address in Parliament if she is elected is the condition of a friend of hers who has AIDS.
“For instance, I have a friend with AIDS. We have been trying to raise some money in order to help my friend for the last three months. We are barely paid 100 Turkish Liras a month. Her job is prostitution and no matter how well protected, she is still dangerous. This is the state’s responsibility. Why is the condition of these people being ignored? While I was obtaining my green card [providing medical benefits for the poor], I went through so many troubles. None of the state officials asked how I was doing. They impose fines on transvestites and transsexuals for occupying sidewalks, but no one considers giving jobs to them. If you don’t create solutions for people, they will create their own solutions,” said Özen.
Gay and lesbian associations have reacted positively to her registration as a preliminary deputy candidate, Özen said.
“I’ve received 80 percent positive reactions. I’ve had experience with Kaos GL and Lambda, two gay and lesbian associations, in Istanbul in the past. Then we established the Gökkuşağı Derneği. We were able to obtain official permission for marching,” she added.
Özen said if elected, she would not only represent transsexuals in Bursa but all the homosexuals in society.
“Not everyone has to love me, but is it a bad thing to express the difficulties of different parts of the society under the CHP’s roof?” she asked.
Özen said she wanted to become a parliamentary deputy in order to defend the human rights of everyone whose rights have been violated in Turkey.
“We have set the road for writing history. In the next elections, there could be 10 gays, lesbians, and transsexuals amongst the candidates. Being a transsexual is my special condition. I believe I am more qualified than many others when it comes to information, accumulation and education,” Özen said.
She also added that the CHP officials at the party’s headquarters in Bursa were very helpful to her.
“They didn’t hesitate to pose for the cameras with me. This is an important step for them, too. It may not sound that important, but in fact for them to line up with a transsexual candidate nominee is indeed important. When we established the association, we visited many institutions. Eight out of 10 of them turned down our request to take a photograph together. People even did not want to appear in the same frame with us. So, their acknowledging us now is very important,” said Özen.
Özen said she has never met face to face with the leader of CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu.
“I attended a meeting held in Balgat with my partner. Most people didn’t know me but a few did. We were pre-occupied by questions like ‘Could they come up with some excuses or could they revoke my candidacy?’ But later, as I looked at their faces, I realized that they were sincere.”
Özen believed that she could be nominated in the first five on the list of the candidates. But even if she ranked 18th, she believed it was still quite important for her to have applied to run.
“With my culture of politics and accumulation, I think, I deserve to be in the first five. I believe I can bring a serious potential of votes to CHP because there are so many hidden homosexuals in the society.”
Öykü Özen, a transsexual from the northwestern province of Bursa, has filed to be a candidate for deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP.
The CHP’s candidate-to-be Özen said she has been following political agenda for years and has a heart in politics. “That’s why I want to be a candidate. But the Supreme Election Board, or YSK, has increased the price of application for independent candidates to 7,000 Turkish Liras. This is something negative,” Özen said.
The main reason Özen applied to the CHP was the party’s stand against the discriminative rhetoric used for homosexuality.
“CHP deputy Mehmet Sevigen stood firm against State Minister for Women and Family Aliye Kavaf, who said ‘Homosexuality is a disease’. When CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu visited Bursa, two of our friends in the Gökkuşağı Derneği [Rainbow Association] headed off Kılıçdaroğlu and asked, ‘What will you do for the freedom of homosexuals?’ Though he said nothing, his gestures were quite an answer, they added. And I was very happy to hear that. I have leftist tendencies anyway. I made up my mind after visiting the CHP’s webpage and reading the statement ‘the CHP for everyone,’” said Özen.
According to Özen, the CHP is undergoing serious changes with Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership and Özen thinks Kılıçdaroğlu will embrace everyone.
Özen noted that politicians have looked down on gays and transsexuals for some time. She asked: “Why can’t a transsexual woman be a candidate? Who will be the voice of sex workers in nightlife? They even don’t knock on our door to ask for our vote.”
“I want to be the voice of these people,” she said.
The number-one issue Özen is planning to address in Parliament if she is elected is the condition of a friend of hers who has AIDS.
“For instance, I have a friend with AIDS. We have been trying to raise some money in order to help my friend for the last three months. We are barely paid 100 Turkish Liras a month. Her job is prostitution and no matter how well protected, she is still dangerous. This is the state’s responsibility. Why is the condition of these people being ignored? While I was obtaining my green card [providing medical benefits for the poor], I went through so many troubles. None of the state officials asked how I was doing. They impose fines on transvestites and transsexuals for occupying sidewalks, but no one considers giving jobs to them. If you don’t create solutions for people, they will create their own solutions,” said Özen.
Gay and lesbian associations have reacted positively to her registration as a preliminary deputy candidate, Özen said.
“I’ve received 80 percent positive reactions. I’ve had experience with Kaos GL and Lambda, two gay and lesbian associations, in Istanbul in the past. Then we established the Gökkuşağı Derneği. We were able to obtain official permission for marching,” she added.
Özen said if elected, she would not only represent transsexuals in Bursa but all the homosexuals in society.
“Not everyone has to love me, but is it a bad thing to express the difficulties of different parts of the society under the CHP’s roof?” she asked.
Özen said she wanted to become a parliamentary deputy in order to defend the human rights of everyone whose rights have been violated in Turkey.
“We have set the road for writing history. In the next elections, there could be 10 gays, lesbians, and transsexuals amongst the candidates. Being a transsexual is my special condition. I believe I am more qualified than many others when it comes to information, accumulation and education,” Özen said.
She also added that the CHP officials at the party’s headquarters in Bursa were very helpful to her.
“They didn’t hesitate to pose for the cameras with me. This is an important step for them, too. It may not sound that important, but in fact for them to line up with a transsexual candidate nominee is indeed important. When we established the association, we visited many institutions. Eight out of 10 of them turned down our request to take a photograph together. People even did not want to appear in the same frame with us. So, their acknowledging us now is very important,” said Özen.
Özen said she has never met face to face with the leader of CHP, Kılıçdaroğlu.
“I attended a meeting held in Balgat with my partner. Most people didn’t know me but a few did. We were pre-occupied by questions like ‘Could they come up with some excuses or could they revoke my candidacy?’ But later, as I looked at their faces, I realized that they were sincere.”
Özen believed that she could be nominated in the first five on the list of the candidates. But even if she ranked 18th, she believed it was still quite important for her to have applied to run.
“With my culture of politics and accumulation, I think, I deserve to be in the first five. I believe I can bring a serious potential of votes to CHP because there are so many hidden homosexuals in the society.”
