Bulent Ersoy is Facing Chrages in Turkey for criticizing the Military

Turkish singer on trial for criticizing army service

Bulent Ersoy faces more than 2 years in prison for saying during a live television show that if she had children, she would not send them to the army to fight Kurdish rebels. [MORE]

I know this is not on everyone's radar, but Bulent Ersoy is something of a phenomenon in Turkey, and this is a big deal there. 

Ersoy  began her career as a male singer, became something of a heart throb, and then in 1981 made headlines when she transitioned, one of the first public figures in Turkey to do so. 

In the eighties, she had significant problems with the Evran regime especially during Turkey's military coup-- In a crackdown on "social deviance," Ersoy's public performances were banned along with those of other transsexual and transgendered people.

You can visit her website at Diva Bulent Ersoy, where there are a lot of clips of her performances (can't watch them myself right now since I am supposed to be working...)

Speaking of Turkish Heart Throbs....

Here is the one and only Tarkan, the one who made all my students go "Sqqqqqueeeeee!" back when I was living in Turkey:

I'd say "yum yum" but I learned the hard way that that has a very different meaning in Turkish. :-) Heheh.