Turkish actress now a ‘free man’ after a decision to change genders

[Shana A]

Turkish actress now a 'free man' after a decision to change genders

Ayşe Arman ISTANBUL / Hürriyet

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-actress-now-a-free-man-after-a-decision-to-change-genders.aspx?pageID=238&nID=41782&NewsCatID=381

Turkish actress Nil Erkoçlar has undergone life changing surgery to become a man. Now he is Rüzgar, and has spoken about his decision to have a sex change and the hard life that he experienced in the past

Turkey is currently a buzz with talk about Nil Erkoçlar, an actor who has graced the stage alongside famous names such as Berna Laçin and Kadir İnanır, and who recently underwent a sex change operation to become a man.

The 26-year-old actress-turned-actor said that throughout his life he never felt like a woman, but instead always identified as a male. Erkoçlar's mannerisms, the way he talks, the way he walks, and the way he sits all identify him as a man.

The story of how Erkoçlar came to change his gender is a long one, which began at the age of six. "I was not like other girls. I didn't play with Barbie dolls, but hung out with boys," he said, stressing that when he was born he was a girl "only physically."