Bulent Ersoy

 Bülent Ersoy (Turkish pronunciation: [byˈlænt ˈæɾsoj]; born Bülent Erkoç on 9 June 1952) is a Turkish singer and actress. She is known as one of the most popular singers of Turkish music, nicknamed Diva by her fans.[2] Ersoy has many famous hits such as "Ümit Hırsızı" (Hope Thief), "Geceler" (Nights), "Beddua" (Curse), "Maazallah" (God Forbid), "Biz Ayrılamayız" (We Cannot Break Up), and "Sefam Olsun" (I Enjoy Myself). Ersoy has published more than thirty albums so far and has made a name for herself in Turkish music history. Bülent Ersoy was born in 1952 in Istanbul.[1] For the purposes of performance, Bülent changed her surname from Erkoç (brave ram) to Ersoy (brave lineage) following Müjdat Gezen's recommendation.[4] Ersoy began her career as a male singer, in the genre of Turkish classical music, and became an actor early on. Her grandparents played classical Turkish music and she first took private lessons and then studied at Istanbul Municipal Conservatory.[5] Already one of Turkey's most popular singers and actors, she gained international notoriety in April 1981 after having sex reassignment surgery in London by a British plastic surgeon.[6] She kept the name "Bülent" even though it is a typically masculine name. "Today I am very happy ... Nobody can make me angry. They're in the court right now. I tolerated 8 years of suffering. I'm very happy that justice is served. I won't get involved in the case. Now they are getting tried too. Not because after years their names are being mentioned, and not because they are there [in the court] later, but the fact that their names were mentioned under these conditions and circumstances turned my eight years of torment and anguish into happiness. I'm so happy, nobody can ruin my mood..." After the operation, Ersoy found herself in opposition to 1980 Turkish coup d'état of Kenan Evren. In a crackdown on "social deviance," Ersoy's public performances were banned along with those of other transgender people. To circumvent the ban, she petitioned the Turkish courts to legally recognize her as a woman. The petition was rejected in January 1982. Days later, she attempted suicide.[8] In 1983, she left Turkey in protest of the Evren regime's repressive policies and continued her career in West Germany. Along with her musical career, she made several Turkish movies there. Later on in the decade in 1989 Evren left office and many of his policies were reversed.