Istanbul's Disneyfication
Being a no-go zone for middle- and upper-class Turks, Tarlabasi has welcomed international students, scholars, journalists and artists. When you walk along a narrow hill of Tarlabasi, you will most likely see freshly laundered clothing hung to dry. Aybek told Al-Monitor, “Those clothes lines are rolling strings from one window to the other across the street. One day one neighbor hangs their laundry; next day is the other’s turn. What was destroyed in Tarlabasi was not just centuries-old buildings, but human relations. People who had nowhere else to go found a way to live and establish social bonds here.”
Source: Al Monitor
Tehran undercover
I recheck the building number and the unit by referring to the text message saved on my mobile. I am at the right place. I ring the bell, the door opens and I climb the stairs. I am curious and rather slow, like somebody who has stepped into an unfamiliar building. After I close the door I am no longer that somebody who has come to pay a visit to her friend in her home. Now, I am a first-time customer. I ring the bell for unit number 2. The door opens and the smiling landlady asks if I am there for the dress show. No, I say, I’ve come for the café.
Source: IranWire
Transgender to transsexual: hope and despair in Egypt's medical system
“I used to tell my dad I’m a boy… this is the first thing I ever remember,” said Bassem recounting his childhood. “I was an angry child back then, I didn’t understand why I was different.”
Bassem’s skin is smooth, but hair has recently begun sprouting out of his chin. In actuality, he is older than he looks. He is 24 years old and the new facial hair, which he is delighted about, is the result of hormone therapy recently started. Bassem is transgender. He identifies as a male, but was gendered female at birth.
Source: Egyptian Streets
