“It is difficult to say I am Kurdish and Gay!” | LGBTI NEWS TURKEY

Contents:

• IRAN CHARG FAMO KURDISH SGER WH BEG GAY, FAC EXECUTN
• KURDISH, GAY AND PROUD DIYARBAKIR
• FROM DIYARBAKIR WH LOVE: KURDISH, GAY AND PROUD
• TURKISH GAYS FACE GRADG TTS TO AVOID ARMY
• IRAN CHARG FAMO KURDISH SGER MOHSEN LORTANI WH BEG GAY, FAC EXECUTN
• OBSCURED EXISTENCE OF HOMOSEXUALY AND TRANSSEXUALY SI KURDISH CULTURE; CASE STUDI OF GAYS AND LBIANS KURDISTAN AND DIASPORA
• KURDISH GAYS LIVE LIFE THE SHADOWS IRANIAN KURDISTAN
• IRAQI KURDISH GAY MARRI UNR FLAND’S NEW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LAW
• BRAVE IRAQI REFUGEE FLED TO THE UK AFTER BEG BTALLY BEATEN AND THROWN PRISON JT FOR BEG GAY
• “IT IS DIFFICULT TO SAY I AM KURDISH AND GAY!”

IRAN CHARG FAMO KURDISH SGER WH BEG GAY, FAC EXECUTN

On September 4, members of the Kurdistan Regnal Government Iraq proposed an od bill to Parliament that, if passed, would punish any dividual or group who advot for the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people.

KURDISH, GAY AND PROUD DIYARBAKIR

Acrdg to the “Bill on the Prohibn of Promotg Homosexualy, ” anyone who advot for LGBT rights or “promot homosexualy” would face imprisonment up to one year, and a fe of up to five ln dars (US$3, 430).

The bill would also spend, for up to one month, the licens of media pani and civil society anizatns that “promote homosexualy. Iran has alleged that a proment sger is gay and unr the Islamic Republic’s anti-homosexual laws he uld face the ath journalist Ali Hamedani tweeted on Sunday that “A famo Iranian sger om the Kurdish provce of Kermanshah has been ‘acced’ of beg a homosexual and uld face executn.

” A famo Iranian sger om the Kurdish provce of #Kermanshah has been “acced” of beg a #homosexual and uld face executn. Ali Hamedani (@BBCHamedani) October 6, 2019 Volker Beck, a German Green Party polician and LGBTQ activist, told The Jesalem Post that "It is a perversn of unjt stat like Iran and Sdi Arabia that alleged or actual homosexualy is prented as an accatn that n st you your life. — Iran News Wire (@IranNW) October 2, 2019 The Jesalem Post first reported on the Iranian regime’s public hangg of a homosexual January based on the untry’s anti-gay law.

FROM DIYARBAKIR WH LOVE: KURDISH, GAY AND PROUD

Acrdg to a 2008 Brish WikiLeaks dispatch, Iran’s mullah regime has executed “between 4, 000 and 6, 000 gays and lbians” sce the Islamic Revolutn 2016, The Jesalem Post reported that Iran’s regime had executed a gay adolcent that year – the first nfirmed executn of someone nvicted as a juvenile the Islamic Afshar, 19, was hanged Arak Prison Iran’s Markazi Provce on July 18, 2016, after he was nvicted of “forced male-to-male anal terurse” early 2011, Iran’s regime executed three Iranian men after beg found guilty of charg related to homosexualy. Kurds rarely make onto the ternatnal media, and that’s even more so for Kurdish lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people, yet they do exist and have many stori to tell.

So Gay Middle East traveled to the cy of Diyarbakir Eastern Turkey (or North Kurdistan), the center of the Kurdish culture the regn. (photo right: gay flag displayed Diyarbakir for Newroz New Year ftival 2008; photo cred–).

Privately fundg an office space is problematic bee most openly gay, bi and trans people are forced to limed employment optns such as sex work, although some have managed to n their own small bs.

TURKISH GAYS FACE GRADG TTS TO AVOID ARMY

The film tells the (real) story of Ahmet Yildiz, a young Kurdish gay man who left Diyarbakir to Istanbul to live his life hontly and openly only to be murred by his father for ‘shamg’ the fay. My father would kill me if he found out that I’m gay, he’s a very relig man who has lived Sdi Arabia for many years. Kurds rarely make onto the ternatnal media – and that’s even more so for Kurdish lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people, yet they do exist have many stori to tell.

WorldGay men Turkey seekg exemptn om the untry's mandatory ary service mt prove their homosexualy, the BBC reports, even though many army physicians realize 's medilly impossible to terme sexual orientatn. A BBC report says gay Turks wishg to avoid ary service mt prove their homosexualy, often by submtg explic photos or answerg qutnnair om a health panel.

(Associated Prs)Gay men Turkey seekg exemptn om the untry's mandatory ary service mt prove their homosexualy, the BBC reports, even though many army physicians realize 's medilly impossible to terme sexual rultg procs to obta a so-lled "pk certifite" allowg gays to dodge nscriptn — and potentially dangero ployments to bat Kurdish separatists — is often huiatg, the Brish public broadster says a documentary airg Tuday.

IRAN CHARG FAMO KURDISH SGER MOHSEN LORTANI WH BEG GAY, FAC EXECUTN

'They asked me if I liked football, whether I wore women's cloth or ed women's perfume'—Ahmet, gay nscript TurkeyIt's mon for gay men to subm explic photographs, unrgo personaly tts and answer qutnnair about their sexual preferenc. Lackg any valid "diagnostic tools, " a physician told the BBC World Service, potential gay drafte mt prepare whatever evince they n to nvce a ary health panel of their homosexualy, sometim emed as a "psychosexual disorr.

""They asked me if I liked football, whether I wore women's cloth or ed women's perfume, " said one gay nscript his man, g the name Ahmet to protect his te inty, said he refed requts to show a health panel pictur of himself drsed as a woman.

(Murad Sezer/Associated Prs)One former army psychiatrist said doctors feel prsure om ary manrs to diagnose homosexualy, "even though there really are no diagnostic tools to terme sexual orientatn.

OBSCURED EXISTENCE OF HOMOSEXUALY AND TRANSSEXUALY SI KURDISH CULTURE; CASE STUDI OF GAYS AND LBIANS KURDISTAN AND DIASPORA

"''It is medilly impossible, and not at all ethil, " he are no laws explicly banng homosexualy Turkey and thoands marched the 2011 gay pri para Istanbul. Still, homosexualy is not wily tolerated and gays n still face discrimatn by employers and are nsired unf for ary service as they n e "disciplary problems" and would require separate lodggs and washrooms, a retired manr, Armagan Kuloglu, reasoned.

KURDISH GAYS LIVE LIFE THE SHADOWS IRANIAN KURDISTAN

But homosexuals n serve as long as they keep their sexual orientatns secret, he said, drawg parallels to the U. Although homosexualy is not wily tolerated  Turkey due to social stigma, the possibily that straight men might feign beg gay to avoid ary service is a ncern for the army, acrdg to the BBC report. TEHRAN, — Iran has alleged that a proment Kurdish sger is gay and unr the Islamic Republic’s anti-homosexual laws he uld face the ath penalty.

BBC journalist Ali Hamedani tweeted on Sunday that “A famo Iranian sger om the Kurdish provce of Kermanshah [Iranian Kurdistan] has been ‘acced’ of beg a homosexual and uld face executn. Volker Beck, a German Green Party polician and LGBTQ activist, told The Jesalem Post that “It is a perversn of unjt stat like Iran and Sdi Arabia that alleged or actual homosexualy is prented as an accatn that n st you your life.

The Iranian regime’s has hanged a homosexual January 2019 based on the untry’s anti-gay law. Acrdg to a 2008 Brish WikiLeaks dispatch, Iran’s mullah regime has executed “between 4, 000 and 6, 000 gays and lbians” sce the Islamic Revolutn 1979. In 2011, Iran’s regime executed three Iranian men after beg found guilty of charg related to homosexualy.

IRAQI KURDISH GAY MARRI UNR FLAND’S NEW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE LAW

The plight of Iraq's lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and qutng or queer (LGBTQ) muny returned to the spotlight last week when Kurdish secury forc Sulaymaniyah reportedly arrted several gay men.

Members of the muny told VOA the arrts of at least eight gay men on April 1 stilled fear among them, particularly after secury forc reportedly attempted to force the men to unrgo physil examatns. Durg s dranian le Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State terror group published vios showg s members killg gay men by throwg them off buildg rooftops.

BRAVE IRAQI REFUGEE FLED TO THE UK AFTER BEG BTALLY BEATEN AND THROWN PRISON JT FOR BEG GAY

This ethnographic paper try to give an anthropologil perspective on the all too obscured existence of homosexualy and transsexualy si Kurdish culture. Bee of this unwillgns to treat the topic, transgenr and homosexual people Kurdish society have never been given a regnised role.

although male homosexualy has been rmally known about, if not discsed, lbianism and transsexualy is much ls tolerated, even rmally. There is a srcy of wrten rerds about the issue of homosexualy Kurdish society as well, although there have been attempts by Kurdish or non-Kurdish wrers to rearch this cultural taboo. In what follows I show some se studi of dividuals whom I terviewed for this rearch, and explore their motivatns and practic of homosexualy, as well as the ways they see themselv viewed Kurdish society.

“IT IS DIFFICULT TO SAY I AM KURDISH AND GAY!”

Iran is perhaps unique the Mlim world for s lenient attu towards transsexuals; although homosexuals may face the ath sentence if open about their sexualy, transgenr dividuals are not only tolerated, but ernment support is available for their treatment.

It is probably bee homosexualy is seen as so crimal that transsexualy is tolerated s place. My father almost killed me when he found out that I was gay/transsexual, I had to flee Kurdistan and go to live Tehran. H said I had a really tough time Kurdistan, I wasn’t allowed to say that I was gay;.