In Turkey, ’s not a crime to be gay. But LGBT activists see a risg threat. - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• IN TURKEY, ’S NOT A CRIME TO BE GAY. BUT LGBT ACTIVISTS SEE A RISG THREAT.
• TURKISH POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS ISTANBUL TO DISPERSE GAY PRI ACTIVISTS

IN TURKEY, ’S NOT A CRIME TO BE GAY. BUT LGBT ACTIVISTS SEE A RISG THREAT.

From Istanbul to Izmir, thoands of Turkish activists took to the streets prott to memorate lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) Pri month June. In March 2021, after the ernment received wispread domtic and ternatnal cricism for whdrawg om the Council of Europe Conventn on Preventg and Combattg Vlence agast Women and Domtic Vlence (known as the Istanbul Conventn), officials rpond wh an anti-LGBT statement and clared that they whdrew om the nventn bee is beg hijacked by groups to normalize homosexualy.

Homophobic ernment statements like the have reverberatg effects the public sphere, where LGBT rights groups have documented a dramatic rise anti-LGBT rhetoric the news. (Istanbul) – Turkish police attacked and arrted hundreds of people at the Istanbul Pri March on June 26, 2022, a sweepg display of vlence and discrimatn agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people, Human Rights Watch said today. The same day, Fahrett Altun, Print Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s munitns director, ma an anti-LGBT speech, sayg that “Fai and children [are] targeted through … tolerance for homosexualy propaganda” and llg homosexualy “ugls.

TURKISH POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS ISTANBUL TO DISPERSE GAY PRI ACTIVISTS

In addn to health and enomic cris, 2020-21 brought a sharp rise ernment homophobia to Turkey, maniftg as hate speech om top ernment officials, the barrg of “LGBT symbols, ” whdrawal om the “Istanbul Conventn” on the grounds of “normalizg homosexualy, ” and arrts of LGBTQI+ activists like Kolanlı. Government Homophobia. Although the Boğaziçi protts reprent a recent swell LGBTQI+ activism, Kolanlı’s experience wh ernment homophobia is nothg new.

As AKP support has creased, Erdoğan has ma creasgly clear his willgns to utilize homophobic rhetoric and actn pursu of new votg blocs. Homophobia Turkey is often packaged as beg “pro-fay” orr to appeal to nservative relig votg blocs. Although homosexualy is not technilly a crime Turkey, is equently nounced as beg “patible” wh Turkish valu.

“Maybe tomorrow they will pass a new law Turkey makg gay people illegal. Dpe his reputatn human rights advocy circl, Pişk, an openly gay man, has also n to a great al of LGBTQI-based discrimatn. In 2014, he was sued by the ernment for famatn after g the Turkish word ‘ibne’ (Turkish slang for gay) and Print Erdoğan’s name the same tweet.

She se the Erdoğan-ntrolled ernment’s grip on power as quickly dimishg and believ this recent homophobic turn will be ultimately unsuccsful achievg their sired aims. Turkish homosexuals and human rights activists chant slogans as they hold a giant rabow flag durg the Gay Pri Para march on Istiklal Avenue Istanbul, on June 27, 2010.

Subject to state harassment and wispread discrimatn, the Turkish Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr muny fac dangers on all sis. Harassment and discrimatn of Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr dividuals is a daily occurrence Turkey.

In a recent se that received signifint media attentn Turkey, Halil İbrahim Dçdağ, a referee for the Turkish Football Feratn was subjected to harassment, disavowed by iends and fay, and spend om his job when he me out as gay. Turkish officials have scribed homosexualy as “a disease” and rejected proposals for legal protectns for LBGT cizens.

Homophobic ments om proment ernment officials are the norm rather than the exceptn.

“Gay” is one of the terms blocked by a ernment-sponsored ter filter. Although Turkish urts have upheld the right of associatn for LGBT groups, the Supreme Court of Appeals has noted that enuragg others to bee lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr was not protected by the right of eedom of exprsn and uld lead to closure. Turkey has universal male nscriptn and, bee treats homosexualy as a disease, preclus gays om servg.

The realy for gays of ary age is an ugly one. Those who do serve the ary but are later disvered to be gay are treated as crimals, charged wh havg mted “unnatural timacy, ” and subject to dismissal. Here, dimly l rners, is where the mostly gay clientele e to noodle and drk — but whout the threat of vlence or, wh more than 74 ln people, is one of 20 Mlim-majory untri where homosexualy is technilly legal.

And smopolan Istanbul, the untry's largt cy, is a hub for gay and transgenr nservative attus and a reprsive ernment mean many gay Turks are still subject to persecutn. And after the massacre at a gay nightclub the Uned Stat this month, members of the LGBT muny here say they feel pecially vulnerable to Friday, the anizers of Istanbul’s annual gay-pri para announced that they would not be holdg the march that was schled for Sunday, after officials refed to grant them permissn, cg secury the ernment’s cisn also drew accatns of discrimatn, and anizers said this is the first year sce 2003 that a gay-pri march will not take place.

“The ban on Pri March is an effort not only to stop om leadg dignified liv, but also stop om dreamg of this world” where people’s differenc are rpected, the Istanbul LGBTI+ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Intersex) Pri Week Commtee said s statement Friday. ”Homosexual activy has been legal Turkey sce the morn republic’s foundg 1923, but there are no laws that protect gay and transgenr Turks om discrimatn. And Turkish officials routely e “homophobic and transphobic rhetoric” speech, Amnty Internatnal said a statement this month.