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

Contents:

• ‘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

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.

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

Serviced apartments or Airbnb are also acmodatn optns that will save gay travelers havg to n the gntlet of a 24-hour receptn. 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. In the face of adversy, there’s a strong feelg of fay the Turkish gay muny and ’s good to get to know more about .

Hor is the most prevalent gay social workg app Turkey (Grdr is banned), ’s sensible to stall a high-qualy VPN to protect privacy and avoid censorship. Compared to almost everywhere else the Middle East (Tel Aviv asi), Turkey is (still) one of the more liberal untri gay travelers n vis.

Clear displays of affectn will be unfavorable (for gay and straight upl) and some areas might be better to avoid. 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. 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.

”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.