Ceren Karlıdağ/JINHA

IZMIR –Today, Trans Angels officially opened the door of a new shelter for trans women in Izmir to provide a place of safety for trans women with nowhere to do.

The shelter will be named after Defne Hande Öncü, the Izmir-native transwoman killed in a transphobic attack in Vienna in January, explained Trans Angels activist İlkin Tanyeli. The activists gathered donations at Defne's Izmir funeral, deciding to dedicate it to a shelter named in her honor.After the trans shelter in Istanbul, this will be the second trans shelter opened recently in Turkey.

"With these shelters, trans people will be able to breath a little more easily," explained İlkin. "A friend who is unemployed or homeless can stay here as long as needed. After they have the resources to live a safe life, they can leave." She says they are also hoping to open a cooperative jewelry studio to provide shelter residents with economic subsistence.

İlkin says the shelter has been built entirely with the donations and solidarity of trans people and allies in Izmir and abroad, but they will need volunteer assistance and donations to keep the doors open. The shelter will hold a solidarity night, with trans women performing, on Sunday April 5 with the goal of gaining enough donations to stay on their feet for the next six months.

(mg/cm)