Bülent Ersoy
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Bulent was already a popular singer in Turkey when he travelled to
England to have a sex change in 1981, becoming a woman yet retaining
the traditionally male birth name of Bulent. Under a crackdown on
"social deviance" by then Turkish leader Kenan Evren, Bulent was banned
from public performances and was also refused a court petition to have
her sex re-classfied as female. Ersoy left entertainment in protest
until 1988, when changes in the Turkish legal code allowed for MtoF
transsexuals to be legally classfied as women. Bulent returned to
recording, and actually became even more popular as a female vocalist
than she had been as a man.
In 1998, Bulent caused controversy again when she married her 27-year-old companion, Cem Adler - yet the controversy was over the 20+ age difference between them, not the fact that Bulent had once been a man. The couple divorced a year later after Bulent caught Cem with a call girl. In January of 1999, Bulent was involved in a serious car accident which required surgery. She recovered and continues to record albums.
In 1998, Bulent caused controversy again when she married her 27-year-old companion, Cem Adler - yet the controversy was over the 20+ age difference between them, not the fact that Bulent had once been a man. The couple divorced a year later after Bulent caught Cem with a call girl. In January of 1999, Bulent was involved in a serious car accident which required surgery. She recovered and continues to record albums.
