Pembe Hayat Derneği

Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Solidarity Association, the first transgender rights association in Turkey, was founded in Ankara on June 30, 2006.

Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Solidarity Association received its name from the 1997 Alain Berliner film Pembe Hayat (Ma vie en rose), which tells the story of a girl born in a man’s body.

Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Solidarity Association maintains its advocacy service on a national and international level by developing projects on topics including discrimination against transgender persons, hate crimes, violence, and social exclusion and offering direct support to LGBTI+ people.

The Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Solidarity Association keeps up its advocacy efforts in the legislature on a global scale. It also makes sure that the essential documents are delivered to Turkish legislators in order to stop discrimination against LGBTI+ people and include gender identity and sexual orientation expressions in the Constitution.

Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association provides free consultations on law, education, health and gender reassignment surgery processes.

The association stands in solidarity with activists and rights-based organizations working in each of these areas.

The "Trans Camp," which is organized by Pembe Hayat, brings together trans people from Turkey to discuss their issues and find solutions.

A clothing bank has also been established by Pembe Hayat in honor of Dilek Ince, a trans woman who was murdered by gangs while putting up a fight with them in Eryaman.

Dilek Ince Clothing Bank sends clothing to LGBTI+ people in need, including those who are in prison, every three months.

In addition, Pembe Hayat Kuirfest, the first LGBTI+ film festival in Turkey, is organized by Pembe Hayat.

The festival raises awareness to the discrimination against LGBTI+ people and the violence against them, but it also allows people to talk and argue about queer theory and art in Turkey.

Pembe Hayat Art Team, a group of artists affiliated with the Pembe Hayat LGBTI+ Solidarity Association, strives to provide artistic platforms for the LGBTI+ community’s rights movement to express themselves.