The beginning of the 6th Trans Pride Week, which will conclude with a rally in Taksim on June 21 was announced yesterday at a press conference. Speaking at the press conference, Istanbul LGBTI activists said, “We need a law against hate and violence”. The 23rd Istanbul LGBTI Pride Week will begin next Monday.
According to the report of Kaos GL, the 6th Trans Pride Week, organized by the Istanbul LGBTI Solidarity Association, began with a press conference held at the Human Rights Association.
Attended by trans women residing at the Trans Guesthouse and Istanbul LGBTI activists, this year’s slogan was announced as “We Need a Law (against transphobic hatred)!” at the press conference.
Speaking at the press conference, Ebru Kırancı stated that there had been a great increase in the number of hate-crime incidents targeting transgender people in recent years, adding, “the abatement for “unjust provocation” as stipulated in the Penal Code prevents criminals receiving adequate penalization even if they are caught. This presents a practice to the benefit of the alleged criminals. The state must guarantee the right to life of the trans community.”
Internal Security Package Panel on June 19
Kırancı also issued an invitation to the panel titled ‘The Internal Security Package and LGBTI’ to be held on June 19, saying, “The new Internal Security Package will severely affect trans women who work as sex workers. We believe that this package will trigger an increase in hate crimes and murders, and that State violence will more systematically target trans women. This is why we say “We Need a Law”, but that law is certainly not the Internal Security Package”.
Also speaking at the press conference, Kıvılcım Arat announced another highly important panel within the scope of Trans Pride Week, which will focus on the problems of refugee trans individuals.
