Celebrity Sex Change Operation Puts Turkey's Tolerance to the Test
Oray Egin
March 8, 2013http://www.policymic.com/mobile/articles/29167/ruezgar-erkoclar-sex-change-operation-tests-turkey-s-limits-of-tolerance
The most-talked about celebrity in Turkey these days is a 26-year-old actor named Rüzgar Erkoçlar. The actor's career had started at age 10, followed by a popular sanitary pad commercial at 15 that lead the way to stardom. But what has made Erkoçlar the center of attention these days has nothing to do with the screen, but a sex-change operation.
"I've always wanted to get rid of that body given to me by birth," the now-male Erkoçlar said. "I felt trapped and wanted to break free." She also changed her first name from Nil, meaning "the Nile," to Rüzgar, meaning the "wind."
It took Erkoçlar two years of extensive therapy before the operation. She was under hormone injections for seven months and finally approved by a team of doctors that "she is ready to move from a female body to a male body."
She reveals that her breasts were removed and the doctors implemented an appendage to act as penis made from a bone in her legs.
Surprisingly the public reaction against Erkoçlar's new identity was mostly supportive even amongst the Islamist TV talking heads.
Despite his recent popularity it will not be easy for Erkoçlar to adapt to his new life. The news broke out that he will be called to serve in the army. All Turkish males have mandatory military service unless they are psychically handicapped or medically unfit.
