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Transgender Killings Rise in Turkey

Glen Johnson reports from Istanbul on the increasingly common murder of transgender prostitutes in Turkey.
A participant holding a Turkish flag reacts to the camera during the second Trans Pride Parade in Istanbul June 19, 2011. Hundreds of trangenders and their supporters marched in central Istanbul as part of Trans Pride Week 2011, which is organized by Istanbul's "Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals"  (LGBTT) solidarity organization. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: SOCIETY)

ISTANBUL — Caesar sits huddled down a darkened back alley, her bleached blonde hair falling in strings down her face. She says the streets are not safe.

The 25-year-old has worked Maltepe Road — the most dangerous stretch for prostitutes in Istanbul — for the past few years, since her gender-confirmation surgery.

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