Meet Turkey's transgender beauty queens - PHOTO

The first ever transgender beauty contest has been staged in Turkey, with photos of the landmark event shining a light into the vibrant world of colourful outfits, masses of hairspray - and a whole heap of bravery.Simply holding the contest was a bold move given that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LBGT) people in the country face continual legal challenges and discrimination, despite the fact homosexuality is legal.The pageant formed part of a week-long celebration of LGBT events held against a background of violence towards transgender sex workers.Advocacy group LGBT Turkey say 70 transgender people have been killed in the country since 2002.According to a 2011 report by Amnesty International, hate crimes in Turkey towards gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people - including violent attacks and murders - are common but largely ignored by the authorities.But competitors in the pageant were determined to take a stand - and make the most out of the day.Photographer Sedat Suna was there to capture the friendly yet competitive atmosphere behind the scenes as well as the on-stage performances.Backstage, contestants helped their rivals with hair styling, make-up and arranging the costumes to ensure everyone looked their best.Watched by a crowd of around 500, a jury of eight transgender people were responsible for awarding points to the 13 competitors who appeared first in bikinis and later in a full dress show and Yanki Bayramoglu finally took the crown.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az