Turkey’s First Drag Queen and A Precious Old Friend: Huysuz Virjin
In this episode of People of Turkey, we want to tell you about the Huysuz Virjin (a.k.a. Grumpy Virgin), which has a completely different place in our hearts. He became the first famous drag queen in Turkey. Now is the time and place to talk about it… Cause he just left us a few days ago and met the lights. We are delighted to share this colorful and wonderful name that will not be easily erased from our memories. We hope you will also enjoy this conversation.
Who is Seyfi Dursunoğlu?
In fact, in this story, we will talk not only about Grumpy Virgin, but also Seyfi Dursunoğlu, who gave life to her. A lonely, so lonely man that Seyfi comes in the day and creates a friend for himself. The grumpy character he creates becomes a friend not only for him but for millions. That’s why the Huysuz Virjin is also referred to as an old friend.
Seyfi was born in 1932 in Trabzon in northern Turkey and moved to Istanbul at a young age. He is such a special boy; he knows more than 20 English songs by heart at the age of 7. He doesn’t learn them at home or at school. Having met with other art branches such as cinema and theater over time, this young man disguises and imitates them when he returns home. Seyfi, the youngest son of a conservative father, secretly goes to piano lessons and when he is caught, all his books are torn and sent to military school. Seyfi’s dreams do not seem to turn into reality in a short time…
The young man, who does his best to fail in the military school, eventually quits school and starts his education in another high school with the quality he desires and becomes very successful. But still doesn’t have the life, fame, peace and pleasure he dreams of. Finally, when Seyfi, who is trying to work and live as a civil servant, cannot earn as much as he needs, he starts extra work in a casino and makes a cane in the guise of women.
Who is Huysuz Virjin?
What created the Grumpy Virgin is actually; All the doors that are closed in front of Seyfi. He is lonely in life where he tries to build and live, his deep love for the art and his innate multi-talent. At first, this idea comes to his mind from the role of zenne (male belly dancer), which he previously played in a state theater. Of course, it is not customary to go on the stage in the form of women’s clothing that ages. While Seyfi is doing his show, people talk to each other and talk to him from time to time. Does Seyfi ever stop? He sticks to his answers, it hurts, it stinks, but he speaks honestly and accurately. His cranky name also comes from there. The audience, who laughed and filled the casino every night, calls him to be grumpy, so the character of Grumpy Virgin starts to be loved and famous.
Significant people will also watch the grumpy Virgin on the stage; his acting talent is noticed and he begins to act in movies. In the television adventure, which started for the first time in the 1970s, he is performing shows on the state’s channel TRT and visiting the newly established private channels. Now all Turkey knows her and loves. Everyone laughs with Huysuz and is inspired by Seyfi’s story.
40 Years of Love Suddenly End Up!
Just like today, at a time when men and women are believed to be unequal, a man goes on stage as a woman and more on television… While the jokes that women and men can make and even the jokes they can laugh are different from each other; a man dressed as a woman does not have the bone of his tongue. Grumpy hesitates at the injustices of men on their faces, warns women about their weaknesses, and tries to equalize the inequality between men and women. It changes society and the agenda by laughing… While doing this with great passion and love, it is not even known that the talent it possesses is that few people in the world have it.
The Grumpy Virgin, who has been making television programs for 40 years, comes to the moment, and the state that released him to the screen for the first time, forbids men to appear on the screen in the form of women. Yes, the same state does it. A life full of stage love, a lifetime of talent, experience and passion comes to an end. Because everyone knows very well that Seyfi Dursunoğlu still wants to go on stage or even die on it. The Grumpy Virgin, who unwittingly staged at the age of 76 and was asked to make an excuse for her age, is softly erased from the screens but neither from the minds nor from her hearts.
Even though it is not possible to forget this pointed tongue grumpy woman with her colorful clothes and never ending energy, it is also not possible to forget Seyfi Dursunoğlu, who turned into a true Istanbul gentleman when he took off that colorful outfit, who was loved with his graceful spirit and sweet language and added many goodies to the art community. Thus, 2 souls in a body are engraved into our memories as 2 different people. On the day of July 17, when he closed his eyes to life, two people were leaving us… Two souls in one body enter under the ground… Both are perfect, both are unique! So here we shared the stories of two old friends, not one.
We wish this hard but sympathetic life story of Huysuz Virgin manages to inspire you. Turkish Eye is with you every new week with stories of new people!
