17/07/2012 | Writer: Kaos GL
Security General Directorate interdicted a police officer F.B., 28, of his job after investigations on his gender identity. With a request of 4 years of prison, he was taken to court with the argument of ‘prostitution’ due to his transvestite identity and was acquitted in the end.
Security General Directorate interdicted a police officer F.B., 28, of his job after investigations on his gender identity. With a request of 4 years of prison, he was taken to court with the argument of “prostitution” due to his transvestite identity and was acquitted in the end.
Security General Directorate did not stop pestering the fired officer while it backed itself with the existing legislations which do not provide any protection on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.
A court case had been opened by Bakırköy Criminal Court against the officer with the accusations of “providing place for prostitution and mediating it” due to his transvestite identity, and later he was acquitted.
Based on Burcu Purtul’s article on Vatan Newspaper under the title “A police during the day, a transvestite during the night”, police officer F. B. who was working at Güngören Police Station was denounced with the accusations of “involving in prostitution with women’s clothing”. Amid the denouncing, Istanbul Morality and Gambling Bureau Office took F.B. into custody by breaking into his house.
Police officer F. B., who was using the name “Ceyda” as his trans identity, has expressed that he was involved with his male friends due to his sexual identity: “I was like this when I started this job. I do this work more for joy than money.”
“I tried very hard but was unable to correct myself due to the identity I was born with”
After graduating in 2009, the police officer has come to Istanbul as his first city of service and expressed the below statements in regard to his gender identity:
“I had been always been feeling like a woman due to my feminine tendencies. I forced myself into living like a normal man, however I was not able to correct myself probably due to being born with these tendencies. I went to a few sessions but it did not work out.”
“I was like this when I started this job”
F. B., who said he had to cover up his identity due to being a police officer, expressed that he did not do prostitution but only lived his identity:
“I did it always secret to not harm the responsibility that comes with being a police officer. I kept my identity back however I was still being with my male friends. I was like this when I started this job. I do this work more for joy than money.”
Labor Code does not conform to its own equality policy!
Although there is a decision ruled by the Top Court (Yargıtay) that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation, the related 5th article of the Labor Code which regulates “equality policy” does not guarantee protection on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identiy. There are indeed discriminatory regulations against military officers, captains, teachers and police officers.
On the other hand, the European Union demands necessary steps to be taken for the banning of discrimination in labor life. Although the EU has demanded the revisions of the existing laws to be conformed with EU standards, Turkey is not bringing the last 10 articles to its agenda. However each and every full and associate member country of EU has to follow laws that bands discrimination based on sexual orientation, based on the Amsterdam Agreement signed in 1997.
Tags: human rights, labour
