Just like gays and lesbians, transgender people are more
visible in Istanbul's most liberal districts such as
Beyoglu and Taksim. Most of them live in the near-by
quarters such as Cihangir, Harbiye and Kurtulus. Most of
the trans-clubs are also located around Taksim. It is
also possible to contact them in several cruising areas
and on the internet. No surprisingly, almost all
transvestites and transsexuals earn their living from
prostitution, and actually there is a considerable
demand for them as a result of 'bisexual' culture of the
country. Most of the trans people living in Istanbul are
transvestites. Although they do not have sex-change
operations, majority of transvestites/shemales use woman
hormones, have silicon tits, undergo esthetic
operations, epilating etc. and they look completely as
transsexuals from outside. Rarely, some queers/gay men
can also go to several gay or trans clubs as drag-queens
/cross dressers on weekend nights, especially on
Saturdays.
Before
going into a trans-club in Istanbul you should know the
rituals. There are regular transvestites and
transsexuals in every club, who are associated with the
management as b-girls/hostesses. The major patrons of
trans-clubs are middle aged bi-sexual men. Although they
are not officially employed the duty of the regular
"girls" is to make these clients buy them drink. That
is, if any one of them sits and talks with you at the
bar or at your table, this means you should buy and pay
for her drinks too. In this case the drinks you offer
them are roughly double priced, which is also known by
the loyal clients. The trans-girls take their commission
from the extra drinks offered to them individually. If
you are avoiding this make sure to explain the bar-staff
that you are not paying their drinks. The trans-girls
can go out with clients, for which the bargain should be
done in advance and clearly. Club girls may cost you
more, but ultimately they are more trustable than the
ones you meet in the outdoor cruising places .
Sahra Club (24:00-04:00)
Address: Istiklal Cad. Sadri Alisik Sokak,
No: 42 Beyoglu Istanbul.
Web:
Sahra
(Click for guest reviews, videos, pictures and more)
It is located on the right hand side of Sadri Alisik,
across the small mosque (Huseyin Aga Camii) on Istiklal
Avenue. It is comparatively cheaper than other
transvestite clubs and mostly patronized by young ghetto
boys who like Tgirls and she-males, as well as some
gay men and flamboyant queers on weekend nights who like this type
of boys. Besides regular transvestites, this is where
you can see cross-dressers usually on
Saturday nights. Do not go here with a lot of money and
watch your wallet.
Super Fabric (23:00 - 04:00)
Address: Cumhuriyet Caddesi
No: 42 Elmadag / Sisli,
Istanbul, Turkey
Web:Super Fabric
(Click for guest reviews, videos, pictures and more)
Even though the majority of the clients are gay men,
Superfabric is also a very transgender friendly venue,
where you can see many trans people. It is located some
10 minutes walking distance to the north of Taksim
Square somewhere on Cumhuriyet Caddesi avenue that goes
towards Harbiye / Sisli districts, roughly across from
Konak Hotel.
Following venues have been closed down
The trans clubs are no more as popular as they used to
be after the internet become widespread. Consequently,
some of the venues closed down or changed their concept
in recent years.
Bahriyeli Pub
- This venue has been closed for good in 2022
Club 17 - Closed during Covid 19 period
No Name / Prive Club - Closed down in 2018.
Club 1001 - Closed down as trans club, Re-opened with a
different name with a completely different concept.
Hengame - Closed down in 2012
Ege 97 Closed down completely.
Cabare 33 The venue is open but it is no more a trans
club.
Pink Club The venue is open but it is no more a trans
club.
There are some streets known for cruising transvestites
and transsexuals who are out there for making prostitution
in most cases. They do
"hitchhiking" on the high-ways outside of the city. They
also hang around on the main street between Taksim and
Şişli visibly, mostly with their cars and after
midnight. This kind of cruising places are not
safe in general, and you should not be carrying a lot of
money on you, more than you do not mind to loose. There
are also a few back-streets in Beyoglu and Sisli
Districts where they live
in several buildings collectively, such as
Kucuk Bayram Sokak and
Ulker Sokak
Trans-people fight for their rights and support each
other more than the local gay-people in Istanbul.
Unfortunately they are introduced to the society
negatively as aggressive people by the mass media,
mostly screening their fierce reaction to police
pressure. The news about them is mostly headlined in the
newspapers as "Travesti Teroru" (transvestite terror).
Transsexuals are welcomed and represented in city's
major gay & lesbian association called Lambda Istanbul.
Whereas, some of them has separated from Lambda in 2009
to form a new solidarity group, called
Istanbul LGBTI to
concentrate more intensively on the problems and rights
of transvestite & transsexual people living in Istanbul.
There is another solidarity group called
Pembe Hayat (Pink Life) which is more concentrated
on Transgender rights, but it is based in Ankara
There are no specific laws against trans-people, but the
public pressure and discrimination is very common.
Despite this, some irreverent laws and regulations have
been used against them in many cases. Sometimes, they are fined for making
prostitution, which is actually illegal in Turkey.
Transsexuals can obtain a have women ID officially,
based on a report given by a committee of doctors and
have equal rights with women, including marriage.
Yasmin Estetik
Address:
Barbaros Bulvarı No:36 / 5 Balmumcu, Beşiktaş.(ATV
Binası karşısı)
Web:
Facebook.com
Owned by a lovely and very LGBT friendly lady, Yasmin
Estetik is a beauty parlor offering almost all services
you can get from a beauty parlor including botoks, skin
care treatments, laser depilation etc.
NeoBod
Address: Rumeli Cad. Baytar Ahmet Sok.
No:2 Kat:4
Nişantasi
– Istanbul
Web:
Facebook.com/
A very gay & LGBT friendly beauty parlor located very
centrally in upscale Nisantasi district. They offer
typical services you could find in beauty saloons such
as such as laser hair removal, skin care, botox
treatment, hair transplantation, manicure, pedicure and
other similar beauty care services . Their prices
are very reasonable.
Click here for a complete list of gay LGBT friendly
shopping guide of Istanbul.
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