NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Bülent Ersoy

Bülent Ersoy is a Turkish celebrity, born in 1950. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized in a society. ... Events January January 5 - US Senator Estes Kefauver introduces a resolution calling for examination of organized crime in the USA January 6 - The United Kingdom recognizes the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Career

Began her career as a male singer, in the genre of Turkish Classical Music, and became an actor early on. In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Setbacks

Already one of Turkey's most popular male singers and actors, Bulent Ersoy gained international notoriety in 1981 when she travelled to Great Britain for a sex change operation, a procedure unavailable in his native country. In a further defiance of convention, Ersoy kept the traditionally male name of "Bulent," rather than exchanging it for a female one, as is usual with male-to-female transsexuals. The Republic of Turkey is a country located in Southwest Asia with a small part of its territory (3%) in southeastern Europe. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Great Britain - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) includes the surgical procedures by which a persons physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are changed to that of the other sex. ... A transsexual (sometimes transexual) person establishes a permanent identity with the opposite gender to their assigned (usually at birth) sex. ...

Returning to Turkey, Bulent found herself in opposition to the extremely homophobic and transphobic regime of Kenan Evren. In a crackdown on "social deviance," Ersoy's public performances were banned along with those of other transsexual and transgendered people. This move actually went against a centuries-old tradition of tolerance for the transgendered in Turkish society, dating back to the days when the Ottoman sultans kept young male concubines, or celtikci, who were often dressed as women. Performances by male entertainers in drag are also a time-honored and cherished tradition in Turkish culture. Homophobia is a term used to describe: A culturally determined phobia manifesting as fear, revulsion, or contempt for homosexuality. ... Transphobia (by analogy with homophobia) can entail any of an irrational fear, hatred of, discrimination against, or disapproval and refusal to accept transsexual and transgender people. ... Kenan Evren, born in Alaşehir, Manisa in 1918, was a Turkish general and the 7th president of Turkey. ... Transgender is generally used as a catch-all umbrella term for a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups centered around the full or partial reversal of gender roles; however, compare other definitions below. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29, 1923...

From Ersoy's standpoint, the ban should not have even applied to her, as she was an actual woman and not simply a man dressed as one. To circumvent the ban, she petitioned the Turkish courts to legally recognize her as a woman. The petition was rejected in January of 1982. Days later, Ersoy attempted suicide. In 1983 she left the entertainment industry in protest of the Evren regime's repressive policies. Later that same year, Evren left office and many of his policies were rescinded. January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January-February January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally ending ones own life. ... 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Finally, in 1988, the Turkish Civil Code was revised so that those who completed sex reassignment surgery could apply for a pink or blue (pink for female, blue for male) identity card by which they were legally recognized in their new sex. Ersoy soon returned to singing and acting, quickly becoming even more popular as a woman than she had been as a man. Her public even took to calling her "Abla," or "big sister," an affectionate sign of their total acceptance of her gender. 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Despite her personal victory and the love and acceptance of her fans, Bulent Ersoy has continued to court controversy. Critics noted that in a film in which Bulent plays a cancer patient who falls in love, she never kisses her leading man, though this probably had to do with her being highly germ phobic. On her 1995 album, Alaturka, she sang the traditional call to prayer as part of the piece, "Aziz Istanbul," an act which, because of her transsexual status, angered many Muslim clerics. In 1998, a further storm of controversy was created when Bulent married her companion, Cem Adler. Interestingly, the public outrage that resulted had nothing to do with Bulent's transsexual status and everything to do with the fact her husband was over twenty years younger than she was. When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Bulent Ersoy was badly injured in January of 1999 in an auto accident while driving with her husband, but recovered after surgery. Later that year, she divorced Adler after learning of his tryst with a call girl. Now semi-retired, she continues to enjoy the love and adoration of her many fans. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

References

Note: This article first appeared on the Outcyclopedia (http://outcyclopedia.0catch.com/) website and was first suggested by Mr. Serkan Altan for whose assistance much thanks is given.

External links

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Setbacks

References

External links

See also

Career