Deniz Soydam
2 Jun 2026
Mersin, Akdeniz (Turkey)
Suicide
Deniz was a trans woman who felt transphobic pressure in every aspect of her life and struggled to survive despite all the difficulties she faced.
I first heard Deniz Soydam's name through a solidarity message that appeared in a WhatsApp group.
We now have various WhatsApp groups, big and small. We created them solely to share messages of solidarity and organize support for LGBTQ+ individuals in need. These needs can sometimes be a bed, sometimes a sofa, a refrigerator, money for hospital expenses, or support for those who have to move… None of us are wealthy. In short, we take from the poor and give to the poor. And almost every day we receive a new call for solidarity.
Deniz was someone whose name I heard after her house in Mersin was targeted in an arson attack. Thanks to our friends in Mersin, they organized us all very quickly. We showed solidarity, without hesitation. A new house was found. The move was organized. We were able to breathe a little easier, even if only for a short time.
Another journalist might have pursued that arson incident. But for a long time now, I've been guided by a different reflex than journalistic reflexes: solidarity, even if it means saving the moment. Prioritizing the safety of LGBTQ+ people over news and articles. There's a name for that in the literature, too. But frankly, I don't really care.
There was no follow-up, it couldn't be. It wasn't enough to bandage the wounds left by years of unemployment and violence. Deniz left us. She ended her life. Another case has been added to the already pressing issue of transgender suicides.
Umut Derin from Muamma LGBTI+ shared the news. I was stunned. No matter how many suicides I see or hear about, this feeling of being stunned never goes away. And it shouldn't. Because trans people aren't like water jugs that will break on the way to the well.
It shouldn't be like that.
Suicide and murder shouldn't be the fate of trans people. We know there's another way. To broaden that path, we need more than just a handful of LGBTQ+ people who can afford temporary fixes.
To prevent new Denizs, Aryas, and Esras from emerging, we need to return to their lives and give them the dignity they deserve. We need to move beyond treating dignity as merely an emotion and build a life lived with human dignity.
There is much to be done, and as long as there are only a handful of people willing to do it, this list will grow longer.
https://kaosgl1.org/gokkusagi-forumu-kose-yazisi/deniz-soydam-in-ardindan
https://umutgazetesi45.org/arsivler/146226
https://www.instagram.com/p/DZDZR4woLAM/
https://www.instagram.com/pembehayatlgbti/p/DZIMPrmDQUm/
