“Migration” tells the journey of Yasamin, a 28-year-old trans woman from Shiraz, who counts the days in limbo as she waits for safe passage.
The situation for LGBTQ+ refugees in Turkey has become increasingly critical in recent years. Changes in Turkey’s policies, as well as those of other host countries, have made the asylum process more challenging than ever. Given the social, cultural, and legal climate in Turkey, LGBTQ+ refugees face heightened violence and discrimination.
Yasamin’s story is just one of countless stories shared by LGBTQ+ community members during their time as refugees in a country like Turkey. They endure an endless wait for safe and free countries while grappling with economic, social, and legal pressures that often make their situation unbearable.
Yasamin is a strong woman who constantly encourages others to fight for their desires. However, since she arrived in Turkey, the pressure has weakened her to the point where she admits to having contemplated suicide multiple times.
She began to understand herself at the age of 12. For years, she hid her identity and gender expression while living in a small, traditional, and binary-focused village near Shiraz.
She was even forced to serve in the military. It’s difficult to imagine the hardships Yasamin faced as a trans woman in such an environment. Determined to keep her trans identity a secret, she complied with the military service requirement.
Her family insisted on arranging a marriage for her. One day, she sat in a room with a girl after her family forced her to do so. The girl spoke of her expectations and dreams for her future husband, and Yasamin realized how similar her desires were to those of the girl. This shared feeling surprised Yasamin, but she remained silent out of fear.
The first time she heard from a psychologist that she was a trans woman, she felt overjoyed. The psychologist spoke about her true self, something Yasamin had been trying to escape for years. She went to her brother for support, but that only worsened the situation. Her brother and father threatened her life, forcing her to flee to Turkey with just a backpack and a little money.
Yet, Turkey is neither safe nor free for Yasamin, and she joins countless others like her who hope for a better tomorrow while struggling to survive day by day. She has faced harassment and violence multiple times in Turkey. People in the streets attack those like her with mockery and aggression. Due to her appearance, she has been beaten on several occasions, with no one to turn to for legal support or to file a complaint.
Life is incredibly difficult for her these days - she struggles to leave her home, often wearing a mask to avoid being noticed. Sometimes, she is so terrified that she hesitates to step outside. She feels as though she has fallen from the pit of Iran into the well of Turkey.
She never experienced such hardship even in Iran, and she says that these dark days are far darker than any she faced back home.
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