‘We’re agast LGBT’: Erdoğan targets gay and trans people ahead of cril Turkish electn | Human rights | The Guardian

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• ‘WE’RE AGAST LGBT’: ERDOğAN TARGETS GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE AHEAD OF CRIL TURKISH ELECTN

‘WE’RE AGAST LGBT’: ERDOğAN TARGETS GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE AHEAD OF CRIL TURKISH ELECTN

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.

”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. (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. Turkey was ranked 48th among 49 untri as regards the human rights of LGBT people, acrdg to the 2021 Rabow Europe Map published by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA)-Europe May. In a ntroversial sermon April 2020 Ali Erbaş, the head of Turkey’s top relig thory, the Diya, which ns mosqu and appots imams, claimed that homosexualy ed HIV and that all the evil and panmics the world are ed by homosexualy.

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.

Stunts at Bogazici Universy Istanbul have been prottg agast the appotment of a Istanbul Governor's Office said the artwork was an "ugly attack" that "mocked relig beliefs" terr mister tweeted that the stunts were "viants", drawg an angry rponse om homosexualy has been legal throughout morn Turkey's history, official opposn to the LGBT muny has grown recent years. (New York) – Lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people Sat Vcent and the Grenad face bias-motivated vlence and discrimatn their daily life, Human Rights Watch said a report released today.

“The crimalizatn of gay sex giv tac state sanctn to the discrimatn and vlence that LGBT people experience their daily liv and pels many to look abroad to live eely and fulfill their dreams, ” said Cristian González Cabrera, LGBT rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch. The laws sgle out nsensual gay sex the “sexual offenc” sectn of the crimal that is otherwise rerved for crim like rape, ct, and sexual asslt. While there have been no recent reported nvictns on the basis of the crimal provisns for nsensual gay sex, the laws stigmatize LGBT people and create an obstacle to full equaly.

Some said that fay rejectn was often uched moralistic terms, echog the homophobic rhetoric preached some church, which are a rnerstone of social life and shape social attus Sat Vcent and the Grenad.

Every LGBT person terviewed said they wished to leave the untry and envisned their future abroad due, part, to the homophobic or transphobic vlence and discrimatn the untry.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.