Tips for Gay and Lbian Travelers Turkey | Frommer's

Contents:

• EXPLORE VAST AND HIDN GAY TURKEY
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS TURKEY
• GAY TURKEY TRAVEL GUI
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• GAY FRIENDLY TURKEY TOURS
• GAY MOSW · CY GUI
• HAVG A GAY OLD TIME TURKEY
• ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
• GAY ANKARA

EXPLORE VAST AND HIDN GAY TURKEY

In tradnal Ottoman practice, the termology of “gay” and “straight” was largely absence om disurse, as explaed by scholar Serkan Görkemli. There, zenn equently perform (whout a sexual element) for straight-intified male dienc says filmmaker Mehmet Bay, whose 2012 feature Zenne Dancer explor the iendship between an Istanbul zenne dancer, a German photographer, and a gay “bear” om the nservative Urfa provce. Back when Bay and his llaborator Caner Alper started rearchg zenne 2006, they saw as a “vanishg culture” – found only ral areas and a few unrground gay clubs Istanbul.

Even among Istanbul's sizable gay muny, for whom zenne dancg might have particular ronance, “people would rather watch drag shows or go-go boys. But the past half-, zenne dancg Istanbul has gone mastream: bolstered by the media attentn paid to Bay and Alper's film as well as the succs of gay crossover clubs like Chanta: which ter their zenne shows to a largely heterosexual, female clientele.

When he was 15 or 16, a iend enuraged him to start dancg publicly, but the only work he uld fd was a seedy gay nightclub Istanbul's Aksaray district. Like many gay Turkish men, Segah found a gree of eedom Istanbul – wh s active, out gay muny – that do not necsarily exist outsi the cy. While the Turkish ernment do not crimalize homosexualy – nor do provi LGBT dividuals wh any formal protectn om discrimatn – cultural attus toward homosexualy are largely negative; acrdg to a 2011 poll nducted as part of the World Valu Survey, a full 84 percent of Turks intified gays and lbians among their least sirable neighbors.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS TURKEY

And although Istanbul particular has beg creasgly welg to gays – Istanbul's annual Gay Pri para is the largt any majory-Mlim untry -- the risg thread of Islamism the Turkish ernment is slowg progrs for LGBT rights. In 2013, Turkey’s prime mister at the time, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, cricizg the adoptn of a Turko-Dutch boy by a Dutch lbian uple, publicly lled homosexualy a “sexual preference, which is ntrary to the culture of Islam. The Turkish ary's approach to homosexualy reflects this cultural ambivalence.

Out gay men are nsired exempt om mandatory ary service on the grounds of mental illns. In practice, they are often forced to provi gradg pornographic imag of themselv or be subject to a rectal examatn to “prove” their homosexualy.

“They realize [that I'm gay]”, he says but 's not somethg they ever openly talk about.

GAY TURKEY TRAVEL GUI

He rells only once beg heckled wh slurs by a homophobic dience member.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

This is a siar suatn to gay right Indonia and Malaysia and shows no signs of lettg up. Unfortunately, this is havg a very real and visible effect on LGBT rights Turkey that gay travelers to the area should take to acunt when planng a trip.

GAY FRIENDLY TURKEY TOURS

Unlike many Mlim untri, Turkey do not technilly outlaw homosexualy. In fact, same-sex sexual activy was legalized the Ottoman Empire 1858 and homosexualy has been legal sce 1923 when morn Turkey was found.

This is spe the efforts of some opposn parti who have attempted to troduce bills that would allow gay and transgenr people legal protectn.

Although homosexualy is technilly legal, life as a member of the LGBT muny Turkey n be extremely challengg.

GAY MOSW · CY GUI

A report published by Human Rights Watch 2008 showed how gay and transgenr muni face a threat of vlence and discrimatn on a daily basis.

HAVG A GAY OLD TIME TURKEY

The social suatn for members of the gay muny is better smopolan Istanbul than ral areas, where honor killgs still occur; but whether or not people feel fortable g out to their fay and iends pletely pends on their own ntext and would still mean a number of risks. Istanbul and some of the most tourist-iendly areas, such as Bodm, have a fairly thrivg gay scene, wh pulsg dance floors, gay bars, and hamams; but many lols who are volved the gays scene by night are livg a different life by day, as they are not able to be open wh their fay or iends, and certaly not at work, where they uld worry about the impact would have on their future.

ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL

Public displays of affectn between heterosexual upl are owned upon as well, so any travelers would be advised to be discrete, not jt gay travelers.

Generally speakg, gay travelers should feel fortable gog all over the untry and not let any fear lim their adventur. The ma gay district there is around Taksim and Beyoğlu is also an extremely forward-thkg area.

Even Ankara and Izmir, Turkey’s pal and most Wtern-leang cy rpectively, don’t have anythg that close to beg scribed as a ‘gay scene’, so while they’re tertg plac to vis, gay travelers shouldn’t expect a party. Gay upl or sgle gay travelers hopg to meet people should not experience any issu if they are booked ternatnal, upsle hotels.

GAY ANKARA

Serviced apartments or Airbnb are also acmodatn optns that will save gay travelers havg to n the gntlet of a 24-hour receptn. Asi om the glori, gay travelers will have to go to specific areas to fd anythg like a gay scene. As outled above, Istanbul or the beach rorts are the bt plac for gay travelers to go to if they’re lookg to party all night.

There is also a range of hamams, but they are equented by everyone bee they are such a tradnal Turkish experience, so gay travelers should not assume they are specifilly gay foced. Gettg to know people is one of the bt thgs about travelg and that’s particularly important a place like Turkey, where the gay scene is not always ‘ your face’. If you are stayg Istanbul or a seasi rort like Antalya, startg a night out a known gay-iendly bar is a good way to get chattg to lols and then plan your night om there.