While LGBT studi have been problematizg normative tegori of sexualy primarily Wtern cultur, the stat of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) dividuals non-Wtern societi remas unrstudied. This study exam the polil attus toward LGBT dividuals Turkish society and explor the experienc of transgenr dividuals. While Turkey holds a strong enomic posn among Wtern untri, the suatn of sexual mori lags behd ternatnal standards. This study explor two rearch qutns. First, what is the Turkish ernment’s outlook for the LGBT muny? Sendly, what kd of problems and challeng do trans-dividuals experience Turkey? This study first troduc a macro-level analysis of the polics of genr inty Turkey by analyzg the bat of four puti the Turkish Parliament, each reprentg their parti’ disparate viewpots. Sendly, a micro-level analysis of prevly llected terviews wh twenty-five trans-dividuals are also examed that shed light on the difficulti of beg a trans-dividual Turkey. The ntent analysis shows that trans-dividuals experience physil, sexual, and emotnal vlence, addn to experiencg discrimatn employment, hog, and healthre. The fdgs of this micro-level analysis elucidate the ntuo discrimatn, equaly, and vlence that the dividuals experience, while the macro-level analysis portrays the state’s discrimatory polici toward LGBT dividuals Turkey.
Contents:
- TURKEY ELECTNS: GAY, TRANSGENR CANDIDAT SPOTLIGHT LGBT RIGHTS
- ‘WE’RE AGAST LGBT’: ERDOğAN TARGETS GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE AHEAD OF CRIL TURKISH ELECTN
- FIRST-EVER OPENLY GAY PARLIAMENTARY NDIDATE STANDS FOR ELECTN TURKEY
- MEET BARIS SULU, TURKEY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY POLIL CANDIDATE RUNNG FOR OFFICE
- MAN IS FIRST OPENLY GAY PARLIAMENT CANDIDATE TURKISH HISTORY
TURKEY ELECTNS: GAY, TRANSGENR CANDIDAT SPOTLIGHT LGBT RIGHTS
Turkey uld elect s first openly gay member of parliament next month’s electns. * first lgbt official elected in turkey *
Turkey uld elect s first openly gay member of parliament next month’s electns, spe a risg ti of social nservativism the Mlim-majory four LGBT activists nng clu 37-year-old Baris Sulu, who ma history once already when he and his same-sex partner applied — unsuccsfully — for a marriage license a tt se that is still gog through the urts. Homosexualy hasn’t been illegal Turkey sce 1858 — durg the dyg days of the Ottoman Empire — but is far om accepted.
‘WE’RE AGAST LGBT’: ERDOğAN TARGETS GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE AHEAD OF CRIL TURKISH ELECTN
Get to know Baris Sulu, Turkey's historic first openly gay polil ndidate and his fight for equaly and reprentatn the polil sphere. * first lgbt official elected in turkey *
"Turkey’s ary, for which all cizens mt rry out a mandatory perd of natnal service, tegoriz homosexualy as a mental illns and until recently required timate photographic evince or fay ttimonials om anyone seekg exemptn bee of Sulu is one of four openly gay ndidat nng Turkey's June 7 parliamentary SuluBut while the cln of LGBT ndidat on the ballot paper is a sign of growg acceptance, analysts and mpaign groups say there is ltle hope of progrs towards endg wispread discrimatn or creatg legal rights for gays and lbians. “However, is a tolerant society but also a untry badly served by s ernment and s media terms of the negative stereotyp about gay people.
Istanbul’s annual gay pri march attracted more than 100, 000 participants 2014 — cludg many attendg om other untri the regn where siar events are banned.
FIRST-EVER OPENLY GAY PARLIAMENTARY NDIDATE STANDS FOR ELECTN TURKEY
Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) dividuals nstute a large group of mory groups Turkey. Bee of the src * first lgbt official elected in turkey *
”Referenc to gay culture are sometim censored om Wtern televisn imports and 85 percent of Turks say they would not like to have gay neighbors, acrdg to the 2014 World Valu Survey, pared to 20 percent of those surveyed the Uned Stat. Turkish Print Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds a Quran durg a polil rally on May OZER / AFP - Getty ImagThere are still stanc of vlence agast members of the LGBT muny, even as the untry seeks membership of the European Unn, which upholds equal 2008, stunt Ahmet Yildiz was shot by his father after g out as gay, a crime billed as a so-lled “honor killg. “It would not directly crease tolerance for gay people Turkey, stead would be a posive externaly of what is mostly an electn about the enomy and ernance, ” he gay members of parliament “would be symbolic and important, ” he add, “but polics Turkey for the near future will still be about higher polil issu and realpolik, not dividual rights.
Erdogan’s domant AKP is rooted Islam — he has appeared at mpaign ralli clutchg a Quran — but is not the sole explanatn for Turkey’s nservatism on gay rights.
MEET BARIS SULU, TURKEY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY POLIL CANDIDATE RUNNG FOR OFFICE
Even wh LGBT ndidat nng for parliament for the first time, the untry is still far om welg lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Turks. * first lgbt official elected in turkey *
If you look to civil society there are Mlims who take a very posive stance [on gay rights] and also secular people who take a very negative stance. "Image source, RtersImage ptn, Print Erdogan has been acced of stokg homophobic sentiment TurkeyIn a speech July last year, Mr Erdogan acced LGBT activists of unrmg "our natnal and spirual valu" and "poisong" young latt statement follows weeks of protts at Bogazici Universy over the appotment of Prof Melih Bulu as rector. At mpaign ralli across Turkey, Print Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has missed no opportuny to attack gay and trans people.
They say Erdoğan’s re-electn risks further fuellg a culture war that he and his supporters have done much to flame, empowerg stutns to crack down on anyone seen as different and to turn a bld eye to a statewi problem of vlence agast women, gay and trans people.
MAN IS FIRST OPENLY GAY PARLIAMENT CANDIDATE TURKISH HISTORY
A man nng for parliament Turkey is the untry's first openly gay person to try and seek such a public posn a untry where homosexualy is largely owned upon. * first lgbt official elected in turkey *
”An Erdoğan victory, says Akbulut, risks formalisg to policy the kd of hatred that the print has ployed on the mpaign trail, and legimisg attacks on gay rights, particularly the right to anise.
Photograph: Sedat Suna/EPAAkşener has spoken openly of Turkey’s need to return to the Istanbul nventn, but has been more ut on gay rights, statg that while she would be unhappy wh a gay child she was also agast vlence towards LGBTQ+ Women’s Platform for Equaly (EŞİK), a femist aln, found that leftwg parti were far more likely to field female ndidat, but no party managed genr pary any of s electoral lists. “Our ears are bombard wh this propaganda, such as strange claims like if you vote for the opposn, your child will bee gay. For ee real time breakg news alerts sent straight to your box sign up to our breakg news emailsSign up to our ee breakg news emailsA man nttg Turkey's general electn is thought to be the first openly gay ndidate ever to n for the untry's Sulu, 37, is the left-wg People's Democratic Party (HDP) ndidate the north-wtern Eskisehir electoral district, the Grand Natnal Assembly electns on 7 Sulu, who has mpaigned for gay rights Turkey for 17 years, is standg on a platform of promotg lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) be the first openly gay man to n for the Turkish parliament - a untry where homosexualy is legal, but where the rights of LGBT people are not protected by law and where they face wispread discrimatn and Sulu told the Anadolu news agency that he was standg agast discrimatn, and to enurage other gay people to do the said: "I am not a secret gay.