Bülent Ersoy is a popular recording artist born in 1952 in Turkey. She is affectionately referred to as "Abla'' or big sister in a show of the support for her gender change.

click these Bülent and Gülsen Bubikoglu photos for larger view

During the military rule of the early '80s, Bülent was barred from performing on stage because of her "effeminate" ways. She had to go to Britain in 1981 for SRS because they were illegal in Turkey at that time.

This created a conflict with the authorities who refused to accept the sex change and alter her birth certificate. As a highly visible protest, the singer refused to sing any longer unless the laws were changed. There was public anger at this and the Ministry of Justice succeeded to draft and pass a piece of legislation in a record time of four months enabling Bülent and all other transsexuals who had undergone gender reassignment surgery to change their names and birth certificates.

In April 14, 1998 there was quite a controversy over her marriage to 21 year old Cem Adler. Newspapers and television stations attacked her morality and quickly whipped up what the news agency describes as "public outrage."

click these Bülent's Wedding photos for larger view

In 1999 Bülent was in intensive care after a traffic accident near Canakkale in Western Turkey. She had been travelling with her husband who was on his way to Germany to begin his military service. After three serious operations she made a full recovery.

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