JINHA

ADANA – When transwoman Ümran Aksoy found herself unable to find work due to discrimination in the Mediterranean city of Adana, she rejected the sexist division of labor and took up a job usually done by men: shining shoes.

Ümran, 46, says that in spite of the difficulties she faces from passersby, she won't give up the profession, which she has practiced for the last two years in the city's İnönü Park. She noted that as a trans person and a woman, she is doubly exposed to discrimination in the workplace. Unable to find work, she opted to learn to shine shoes.

Discrimination makes it nearly impossible for trans women to find work in the formal sector in Turkey.Despite being a signatory to EU agreements to secure employment equality for LGBTQI people, the government has vehemently resisted pressure from the LGBTQI movement to legally recognize sexual identity in the constitution and in labor law. Sexual orientation is notably absent from the categories of marginalized groups addressed in Ministry of Labor policies.

Ümran can be found at her traditional metal shoeshine stand in the parkfrom 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. Customers prefer her for her meticulous attention to detail. She says she has had to struggle with every imaginable kind of abuse and discrimination in her life, but she can't complain about shining shoes. Shesays she prefers this work to seeking employment from those who see her as less than nothing.

Photography: Filiz Zeybek

(fz/fk/cm)