16/03/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
On Saturday, March 14, the Hormone Rights Collective drew attention to the barriers trans people face in accessing hormones during a press statement held in five cities across Turkey, saying, “Health services are public services that must be carried out on the basis of human rights.”
My Right to Hormones Collective (Hormon Hakkım Kolektifi) which fights against the violations of trans people’s rights in Turkey, issued a press statement on Saturday, March 14, in five cities regarding restrictions on trans people’s access to hormones. In statements held in Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Mersin and Çanakkale, the collective announced its demands, saying: “Access to hormones is a right; we will not allow the violation of trans people’s right to health.” The statement was signed by 158 organizations.
Ankara
The statement in Ankara was held at the Human Rights Association (IHD) Ankara Branch. After the press statement, activists chanted: “Hormone rights are our rights; we will take them by force.”
The statement said:
“Health services are public services that must be carried out on the basis of scientific principles, medical ethics and human rights. However, today health policies have been turned into instruments of ideological interventions by the government that threaten trans people’s lives and conditions of survival.”
İstanbul
The statement in İstanbul was held at the IHD İstanbul Branch.
The statement read:
“While the aim of health policies should be to guarantee access to healthcare, the discourse of ‘protection’ here has been turned into a tool to control, profile and, when necessary, cut off access. However, the hormone support process is a healthcare service that requires regular monitoring and continuity. Fragmenting access through quotas, system barriers and technical obstacles is not merely a bureaucratic regulation; it is an intervention that directly increases health risks.”
İzmir
The statement in İzmir was held at the Kara Kedi Culture Center.
The statement said:
“We call on national and international human rights mechanisms, health professional organizations, women’s organizations, feminists and human rights defenders to defend this process and show solidarity. We will not allow you to restrict our lives, place our bodies under control, or seize our rights.”
Mersin
The statement in Mersin was held at the IHD Mersin Branch.
The statement said:
“The hormone support process is not an ‘optional practice’ for trans people. This support is a fundamental part of physical, mental and social well-being. The state’s politics of hatred, bans and restrictions target not only access to hormones but trans people’s lives themselves. These policies drive trans people toward mental collapse, physical health problems caused by the inability to access hormones, and the suicide that may follow.”
Çanakkale
The statement in Çanakkale was held at the IHD Çanakkale Branch.
The statement said:
“For us as trans people, the hormone support process is not an arbitrary choice; it is a fundamental part of our physical, mental and social well-being. Preventing access to hormones is not only the obstruction of the right to health; it is also a form of political control imposed over our bodies, our lives and our futures.”
Tags: human rights, women, media, life, family, health, trans, lgbti
