Bigudi Club
Bigudi Kulübü
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Adar Bozbay
Street addressMis Sokak No. 5,
Şehit Muhtar, Beyoğlu
CityIstanbul
CountryTurkey
Coordinates41°02′09″N 28°58′54″E / 41.035805°N 28.981629°E / 41.035805; 28.981629

Bigudi Club (Turkish: Bigudi Kulübü) is a lesbian and queer nightclub and bar located at Mis Sokak No. 5 in the Beyoğlu area of Istanbul, Turkey.[1][2] It is the first lesbian-exclusive nightclub in the country of Turkey, established December 2006.[3][4] Around 2017, they redefined the space as a queer bar, not exclusively for women.

History

"I [wanted] to create something for only women because we have no space in Turkey. We have no space in Istanbul"

– Adar Bozbay, owner of Bigudi[5]

In Turkey, historically lesbianism has not been encouraged or supported, this is particularly true within Turkish psychiatry.[4] In the 1990s, lesbian organizations in Turkey were established to provide community support, including Sappho's Girls (Turkish: Sappho'nun Kızları) and The Sisters of Venus (Turkish: Venüs'ün Kızkardeşleri).[4]

Bigudi Club opened in December 2006 by Adar Bozbay and was the first exclusively lesbian venue in the county.[3][5] It was previously located a 5 İstiklal Caddesi in Şehit Muhtar, Beyoğlu, Istanbul.[3] It is now at Mis Sokak No. 5 near the former location, and is situated on a terrace above an apartment building.[6][7] Until 2016, the Bigudi Club was the only queer club for women in Turkey, and they struggled with harassment by police.[5] Around 2017, the nightclub decided to open up to the larger queer community, not exclusively lesbian.[5]

In March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the nightclub temporarily closed and was uncertain about the future.[5] During this time of closure, Adar Bozbay started working in filmmaking and created the documentary film Incomplete Sentences (2021) (Turkish: Bitmemiş Cümleler), about the Turkish author and human rights activist Aslı Erdoğan.[8][9][10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Troisi, Dayna (2022-12-13). "Experience Bigudi, Turkey's Iconic Queer Venue". GO Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  2. ↑ Griot, Paz (21 January 2017). "15 LGBT Friendly Spaces in Istanbul". Yabangee. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bigudi Club, Istanbul". GayOut. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  4. 1 2 3 Poole, Ralph J. (2022-06-30). Queer Turkey: Transnational Poetics of Desire. transcript Verlag. p. 42. ISBN 978-3-8394-5060-4.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Hillier, Bianca (November 24, 2020). "Bars for queer and transgender women are disappearing worldwide. Will they survive the pandemic?". The World.
  6. ↑ The Rough Guide to Istanbul. Rough Guides UK. 2015-05-01. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-241-21762-7.
  7. ↑ "Bigudi". Time Out Istanbul. 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  8. ↑ Oke, Naz (2020-12-18). "Adar Bozbay tells us about her film on Aslı Erdoğan..." KEDISTAN (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  9. ↑ "Meet the Writer: Asli Erdogan - Screening "Incomplete Sentences"". Bozar Brussels. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  10. ↑ "Incomplete Sentences". Türkische Filmtage München (in German). 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
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