Trans Student in Kocaeli Turkey Threatened with Expulsion from State Dormitory

Trans Student in Kocaeli Turkey Threatened with Expulsion from State Dormitory

• 01/04/2026
• Behzat Ali Tatar

A trans student in a state dormitory in Kocaeli was threatened with expulsion, harassed, and outed to their family by administrators.

A trans student living in the Gazi Süleyman Paşa Men’s State Dormitory was threatened with expulsion by the dormitory administration for “dressing like a woman.”

The student, who studies at Kocaeli University and lives in the Gazi Süleyman Paşa Men’s state dormitory, was threatened with expulsion by the dormitory administration on the grounds that they were “dressing like a woman.” The administration claimed that the student’s clothing and “wearing makeup” were against dormitory rules, and told the student that they could not stay in the dormitory under those conditions and that they “should rent a separate house instead.” By subjecting trans people to systematic pressure, the dormitory administration is openly excluding and isolating them. This is yet another example of the transphobic and homophobic practices that have been reported in many student dormitories.

The dormitory administration repeatedly warned the trans student, identified as K.A.Ö., about their appearance and subjected them to persistent harassment. As the pressure continued from January 29, 2026 onward, K.A.Ö. went to the dormitory administration in March with documents containing the relevant regulations and explicitly stated that their rights were being violated. The administration, however, ignored all objections.

A few days later, the dormitory administration called K.A.Ö.’s family without consent and disclosed private information, including details about the student’s gender transition process. In doing so, the administration disregarded the student’s personal rights and right to privacy, treating their identity as if it were something criminal and effectively criminalizing the student’s trans identity in front of their family.

In a statement shared on social media, Kuir Kozgun, the queer community at Kocaeli University, said that K.A.Ö. was never given any written notice at any stage of this process. The statement also said that after K.A.Ö. had an accident and was resting in their room, dormitory management entered the room and later repeatedly questioned the student on baseless grounds, claiming they had found them in an “inappropriate state.” Kuir Kozgun states that the case involves multiple rights violations and that the dormitory administration is clearly pursuing transphobic and repressive policies.