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ERDOGAN: THE TURKISH OPPOSN IS GAY
ANKARA — Wh only 10 days to go until Turkey's nsequential electns, embattled Print Recep Tayyip Erdogan clared on Thursday that the LGBTQ muny is “the strongt current threateng the future of Wtern natns" as part of his efforts to weaponize homophobia agast the opposn. Speakg at a rally Turkey's Black Sea regn, a stronghold of nservative natnalists, Erdogan reerated his homophobic msag to slam the ma opposn six-party opposn bloc, led by the Republin People’s Party (CHP). ”Though divisive and polarizg rhetoric has long been a mpaign staple for Erdogan, the lg party’s current electn mpaign has featured unprecented levels of homophobic narrative ahead of printial and parliamentary polls on May 14.
” Over the past two months, Erdogan and his ernment officials have galvanized homophobic sentiments among their nservative voter base. ” The homophobic and transphobic language has fueled ncerns amongst Turkey's LGBTQ muny.
TURKISH OPPOSN IS GAY, SAYS ERDOGAN
” While Turkey is a nstutnally secular untry where homosexualy has never been crimalized, discrimatn and vlence agast LGBTQ dividuals are rampant. The ernment has steadily dialed up s homophobic rhetoric sce early 2021, when whdrew om an ternatnal acrd batg vlence agast women, the Istanbul Conventn.
Government officials argued that the nventn was enuragg homosexualy and transsexualy. Kilicdaroglu is not an outspoken supporter of gay rights, but has vowed to restate the Istanbul Conventn if elected. Signed by 45 untri pl the European Unn 2011, the nventn aimed to strengthen legal penalti for vlence agast women, but Turkey whdrew 2021, claimg had been hijacked by a group of people tryg to normalize homosexualy.