The legal
situation of LGBT people in Turkey.
Unlike in most countries with a Muslim majority,
homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey. During the Ottoman empire,
homosexuality was legalised in 1858. When the secularist republic of Turkey was
established in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, homosexuality remained legal. So,
sexual conduct between consenting adults of the same sex is not a crime in
Turkey. The age of consent for both heterosexual and homosexual sex in Turkey
is 18.
LGBT people have had the right to seek asylum in
Turkey under the Geneva Convention since 1951. Transsexuals have been allowed
to change their legal gender since 1988. There is no constitutional protection
of LGBT people in Turkey.
Daily life
and discrimination of LGBT’s in Turkey.
Turkey has got a long tradition of LGBT organisations.
Last year, Ankara-based Kaos GL, the main LGBT organisation in Turkey,
celebrated its 20th anniversary. Apart
from Kaos GL, there are an increasing number of LGBT organisations across
Turkey. You have got LGBT organisations in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Tunceli
(Dersim), Antalya, Antakya, Çukurova, Kocaeli, Malatya, Mersin, Eskişehir,
Adana and so on.
Although you have LGBT bars and clubs in cities like
Izmir, Ankara, Bodrum and Kuşadası, the epicentre of the LGBT nightlife in
Turkey is definitely Istanbul.
Istanbul’s district of Beyoğlu is the neighbourhood where most of the LGBT bars
and clubs are located. Istanbul’s LGBT nightlife is quite similar to the LGBT
nightlife of the European cities like London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona,
and so on.
LGBT pride Parades have been taking place in Istanbul
since 2003 and in Izmir since 2012. Homosexual singer Zeki Müren, who passed
away in 1996, and transgender singer Bülent Ersoy are very popular indeed among
both conservative and progressive Turks.
Does this mean that LGBT people have achieved their
full rights? No, absolutely not.
Despite all this positive news, LGBT people are still
confronted with discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
and homophobic and transphobic violence.
There is no institution that collect and publish
official data/figures of the number of homophobic and transphobic attacks in
Turkey. LGBT organisations in Turkey and Amnesty International Turkey doing
their best to collect figures of homophobic and transphobic attacks.
In 2015, LGBT organisations and Boğaziçi University
conducted a questionnaire among LGBT people in Turkey in order to get some more
insights into the discrimination and homophobic and transphobic attacks LGBT
people in Turkey face. 2875 individuals participated in the online survey and
14 focus group interviews in 10 cities (İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Eskişehir,
Gaziantep, Trabzon, Adana, Antalya, Mersin, Edirne).
According to the results of the survey and 14 focus
group sessions, approximately 46,1% of the participants experience discrimination
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Only 10% filed a criminal
complaint against the perps. Out of LGBT individuals who filed a complaint,
only 16.5% had a satisfactory result. Most LGBT people (62,9%) have no trouble
of finding a job. 29,1% of the participants, however, stated that they were
treated unfairly in terms of working conditions and salary (leave, retirement
etc.) because they had a same sex partner. Transgender people experience much
more discrimination on the labour market than homosexual and bisexual men and
women, most transgenders are either unemployed or working as a sex worker.
Transgender sex workers often experience maltreatment (both verbal and
physical) by male kerb-crawlers and police officers.
Approximately 22,1% of the participants came out as
LGBT to their work colleagues and bosses at work. About 38,1% of the LGBT
people told at least one family member that they are gay, bisexual or
transgender. 29.5 % of the participants reported that they feel obliged to live
in certain parts of the city. About 8.8 % of the participants reported that
their neighbours disturbed them because of their sexual orientation and/or
gender identity.
Transgender people experience more discrimination and
violence than homosexual and bisexual men and women. There are no official
figures of the number of cases of transphobia in Turkey. According to LGBT
organisations, 12 transphobic attacks took place in de first 9 months of 2015.
The attacks took place in the following cities:
Afyon, Istanbul’s disctrict of
Bakırköy, Izmir, Istanbul’s district of Şişli, Istanbul’s district of
Tarlabaşı, Kocaeli, Ankara and
Mersin. 34 deadly attacks since
2008.
Not all victims of a transphobic attack file a
criminal complaint and not all perps get arrested and convicted. But sometimes
the perpetrators do get arrested and convicted.
On 11 July 2015, three people were sentenced for
kidnapping and raping a transgender sex worker in Izmir. During the trial, the
defendants and their lawyers tried to minimalize the severity of the criminal
acts they committed last year. The judge, however, refused to minimalize the
criminal acts and sentenced the three perps to 27 years and 6 months each in
prison.
Several transgender people in Turkey committed suicide
this year after being subjected to transphobia for years.
On 20 November 2015 (Transgender Day of Remembrance),
a trans woman was attacked by a group of men in Istanbul. She survived the
attack. Three days later, 23 November 2015, a deadly attack on a transgender
took place in Istanbul. Nilay, a 33
years old trans woman in Maltepe, Istanbul lost her life after transphobic hate
crime.
Here is a most interesting short documentary
about the situation of transgender people in Turkey. The video shows the
discrimination and transphobic attacks transgender people have to endure. But
it is also a documentary about hope and the positive steps that has been
happening towards acceptance of transgender people. Bron cijfers: www.kaosgl.com , http://researchturkey.org/summary-results-of-the-social-and-economic-problems-of-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transsexual-lgbt-individuals-in-turkey-research/
The history
of the LGBT organisations and LGBT Pride weeks and Pride Parades in Turkey 2003-2014
Turkey has got a long tradition of LGBT organisations.
Last year (2014), Ankara-based Kaos GL, the main LGBT organisation in Turkey,
celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The first two LGBT organisations, LambdaIstanbul and
the aforementioned Kaos GL, were established after the violent police crackdown
on the first attempt of holding an LGBT Pride Parade in Turkey. The first ever
LGBT Pride Parade was planned on 2 July 1993 in Istanbul’s district of Beyoğlu.
This LGBT Pride Parade was banned by the governor of Istanbul. The night before
the Pride, police raided the houses of several LGBT rights activists. On the
day itself, police cracked down on the LGBT people who showed up for the first
LGBT Pride Parade. Months after these
Turkish 'Stonewall' events, LGBT organisations Lambda Istanbul and Kaos GL were
established.
21 Years later, you have LGBT organisations in
Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antakya, Antalya, Dersim, Diyarbakır, Kars, Kocaeli,
Malatya, Ersin, Adana, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, çukurcova, and so on. Nowadays,
there are also numerous LGBT student clubs in many universities across the
country. One of them, Club gökkuşağı, gained official recognition by Bilgi
University in Istanbul.
Since 1994, several LGBT organisations faced lawsuits
to close the organisation. In most cases, the lawsuits were rejected by the
court.In 2005, Ankara-based KaosGL gained official recognition as an NGO in Turkey.
Although an LGBT Pride Week was organised in Istanbul since 1992, the first LGBT Pride parade that could take place as planned was in 2003, which was 10 years after the riot police crackdown on the first attempt in 1993.
Approximately 35 people participated in the LGBT Pride
Parade 2003 in Istanbul. Since then, the number of participants have increased.
In 2011, more than 15 000 people participated in the LGBT Pride Parade in Istanbul.
In 2012, the Istanbul Pride had more than 30 000 participants.
On Sunday 30 June 2013, the 11th LGBT Pride Parade
took place in Istanbul, which was part of the 21st LGBT ( Lesbian , Gay ,
Bisexual, Transgender) Pride Week in Turkey. Approximately 100 000 LGBT people and Gezi park activists gathered in Taksim Square and
marched down Istiklal Caddesi to Tünel Square at Istanbul's district of
Beyoğlu. The tens of thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
activists were joined by an equal number of Gezi Park protesters in an
unprecedented show of unity and solidarity at Istanbul’s Gay Pride Parade 2013.
It was the biggest LGBT Pride Parade ever in Turkey. 100 000 LGBT people and Gezi Park protesters
demanded equal rights for LGBT people and respect for individual freedoms.
There were also smaller LGBT Pride Parades in Izmir
and Antalya.
With this massive LGBT Pride Parade in Istanbul, the
21st LGBT Pride Week in Turkey came to a close. Between 23 June and 30 June a
lot of cultural activities, seminars, a gay film festival and two
demonstrations took place.
Footage of the LGBT Pride Parade 2013 in Istanbul.
In 2014, the 12th LGBT pride parade in Istanbul took
place during the month of Ramadan. More than 110 000 LGBT rights activists took
to the streets to demand equal rights for LGBT people and sex workers in
Turkey, making it one of the biggest ever in Europe.
Footage of the LGBT Pride Parade 2014 in
Istanbul.
On Sunday 14 June 2015, the third LGBT Pride Parade in
Izmir and first LGBT Pride Parades in Denizli and Mersin took place.
On Sunday 14 June,
LGBT Pride Parades took place in Izmir, Denizli and Mersin.
On Sunday 21 June 2015, around 10 000 LGBT people
gathered near Taksim Square in Istanbul’s district of Beyoğlu for the annual
Transgender Pride Parade. With this transgender Pride, the 6st Transgender
Pride Week came to a close.
This year’s edition had a bit of a difficult start.
The plan was to march down Istiklal Caddesi to Tünel Square. Around the same
time and half-way down Istiklal Caddesi there was another march going on. Riot
police cracked down on the protesters, resorting to tear gas and water cannon.
Because of this, police officers cordoned off Istiklal Caddesi, not allowing
the LGBT people to march. After negotiation with the police, the Transgender
Pride Parade 2015 could go ahead as planned. Around 10 000 transgender rights
activists marched down Istiklal Caddesi, demanding equal rights for transgender
people.
Arrived at Tünel Square, a speech was delivered,
denouncing the AKP’s and Erdoğan’s negative stance towards LGBT people and
equal rights for LGBT people in Turkey.
The LGBT
community and the Gezi Park protests.
In 2013, Turkey witnessed nationwide protest against
de AK party government. It all started on Tuesday 28 May 2013 when
environmentalists started a sit-in at Gezi Park in Istanbul, angry at plans to
redevelop that part of Taksim Square. After a police crackdown on the
environmentalists on 31 May, the situation in Istanbul escalated. Hundreds of
thousands of people took to the streets across Turkey to protest against the
AKP government and police brutality.
What started as an environmental protest in Istanbul
turned into nationwide protests against the increasingly conservative and
authoritarian policies of the AKP government. In total, more than 3 000 000
people protested across Turkey during the Gezi Park protests. Among the
hundreds of thousands of protesters were LGBT people, Alevis, women,
environmentalists, a lot of secularist Turks, trade union workers, members of
the secularist opposition party CHP and the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP,
human rights activists, and so on.
The ongoing struggle for equal rights was one of the
reasons LGBT people participated in the nationwide protests against the
conservative and authoritarian policies of the Erdoğan government.
But there was also a second reason. The Gezi Park is
of particular interest for the LGBT community in Istanbul. In the evening and
night, it is a meeting place for homosexual men who meet each other there and
have the odd spot of naughtiness in the open air.
During the occupation of Gezi Park and the mass demonstrations
across the whole of Turkey, LGBT
organisations established some new alliances with different organisations in
order to create better understanding of homosexuality . Furthermore, the Gezi
Park protests gave the LGBT community in Turkey more confidence than ever
before.
The LGBT
Pride week and LGBT Pride Parade 2015.
What should have been a fantastic closing activity of
the 23rd LGBT Pride Week in Turkey turned into a black day for the LGBT community
in Turkey.
On Sunday 28 June 2015 around 17u local time,
thousands and thousands of LGBT people gathered in Taksim Square for the annual
LGBT Pride Parade. The plan was to march down Istiklal Caddesi to Tünel Square,
demanding equal rights for LGBT people in Turkey.
Unlike the previous 12 years, this year the LGBT Pride
Parade was all of the sudden banned by the Govenor of Istanbul, Vasip Şahin.
Riot police officers resorted to tear gas, water
cannon and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Thousands of participants
left Taksim Square and ran towards Istiklal Caddesi.
In Istiklal Caddesi, defiant LGBT rights activists,
CHP MP Mahmut Tanal and HDP MP Filiz Kerestecioğlu started to march towards
Tünel Square. Riot Police officers, however, fired rubber bullets and tear gas
canisters at the protesters from close range. Police arrested several people, both
in Taksim Square and Istiklal Caddesi.
MP’s of the secularist centre-left opposition party
CHP and the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP tried to stop the police from
cracking down on the protesters. MP’s of the CHP and HDP cordoned off the
street to stop police crackdown.
Mahmut Tanal, MP of the secularist centre-left CHP,
climbed on a water cannon lorry to stop it from driving towards LGBT rights
activists.
LGBT rights organisations and the CHP and HDP
denounced very fiercely the police crackdown.
Despite the police crackdown, LGBT people continued to
march. By doing this and by partying all night following the police crackdown,
the LGBT community in Turkey showed that they will fight for their rights and
freedom.
All the 12 previous editions of LGBT Pride Parade in
Istanbul took place without any incident whatsoever.
Speaking to Kaos GL ( the main LGBT organisation in Turkey) on Monday 30 June, MP Mahmut Tanal (CHP) said
that the police crackdown was against basic human rights and against the
constitution of Turkey.
‘It was my duty to stop that water cannon lorry. They
were violating basic human rights. This LGBT Pride Parade is taking place all
around the world. If I didn’t stop that water cannon lorry , people would have
been exposed to much more violence. LGBT
people in Turkey are still subjected to homophobia and transphobia. This is
outrages. I am doing what I can and will keep doing so no matter what the
others say. If defending human rights is a crime, then I will keep committing
this crime. By using the Ramadan as an excuse to ban the Gay Pride minutes
before it would start, they also abused religion‘, a defiant Mahmut Tanal (CHP)
said to Kaos GL.
On Thursday 02/07/2015, the Istanbul LGBTI Pride Week
Committee filed a criminal complaint at the Çağlayan Courthouse in Istanbul
against Interior Minister Sebahattin Öztürk, Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin, and
Istanbul Police Chief Selami Altınok for their role in ordering the crackdown
on the annual Istanbul LGBTI Pride Parade on Sunday 28/07/2015. In December
2015, the governor of Istanbul, Vasip Şahin, rejected earlier this week the
calls of the LGBT organisations for an inquiry against the riot police officers
that cracked down on the LGBT Pride Parade 2015 in Istanbul.
LGBT
community and the general elections June 2015 and the snap general elections on
1 November 2015.
After 13 years of domination as a single-party government,
the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which has been receiving growing
criticism for pursuing highly divisive, authoritarian and repressive policies,
saw a significant erosion of support in Sunday's election and it failed to
secure the 276 seats in the Parliament necessary to continue its single-party
rule for another term.
The final results of the 7 June general elections in
Turkey were: AKP 40,86 % (AKP lost 8,94
%) , the secularist centre-left CHP 24,96% ( slight drop of 1,02% ), the secularist pro-Kurdish
HDP 13,12% ( increase of 6,52%) , the right-wing MHP 16,29%( increase of
3,28%).
LGBT people very actively campaigned for LGBT rights
during the political campaigns leading up to the general elections on 7 June.
The LGBT organization SPoD LGBTI had formulated an open LGBTI rights pledge and
asked candidates to publicly sign it. By signing the aforementioned pledge, the
candidates promised to defend LGBTI rights in the parliament. More than 40
candidates signed the pledge. All of them are either from the secularist
opposition centre-left party CHP or from the pro-Kurdish secularist opposition
party HDP.
21 candidates who signed the pledge got elected.
Approximately 2 years ago, Turkey witnessed nationwide
protest against the AK party government in Turkey. It all started on Tuesday 28
May 2013.Environmentalists in Istanbul started a sit-in at Gezi Park, angry at
plans to redevelop that part of Taksim Square. After a police crackdown on
environmentalists on 31 May, the situation in Istanbul escalated. Hundreds of
thousands of people took to the streets across Turkey to protest against the
AKP government and police brutality.
What started as an environmental protest in Istanbul
turned into nationwide protest against the increasingly conservative and
authoritarian policies of the AKP government. In total, more than 3 000 000
people protested across Turkey during the Gezi Park protests. LGBT people very actively participated in de Gezi Park
protests that swept the country in 2013.
Since then, there were even more demonstrations
against the AK party government for various reasons. Nevertheless, Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan got elected as president in 2014 with 52%.
On Sunday 7 June 2015, however, the growing
authoritarianism and arrogance of Erdoğan backfired massively. Turkish parties had to explore coalition
options following the historic elections. The coalition talks between the AKP
and the centre-left CHP ended with no result after president Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan reportedly intervened. A coalition government between the AKP and
between the three opposition parties was not possible. Early general elections
were inevitable then.
This time round, the AKP managed to regain its
one-party majority
The final results of the 7 November general elections
in Turkey are: AKP 49,4 % ( increase of
more than 8 %) , the secularist centre-left CHP
25,38% ( slight increase of 0,42% ), the secularist pro-Kurdish HDP 10,7% (
drop of approx. 2%) , the right-wing MHP 11,93%( drop of more than 4%).
The period between 7 June and 1 November was
characterized by growing polarisation, tension and violent attacks. It looks
like the majority of the Turks opted for more stability and safety instead of
more freedom and more respect for human rights.
On Sunday 1 November, 14 politicians of the secularist
centre-left CHP and 2 politicians of the pro-Kurdish HDP who signed SPoD
LGBTI's LGBTI rights pledge have been elected as Member of Parliament(MP).
The 14 MP's of the CHP are: Aylin Nazlıaka (Ankara),
Selin Sayek Böke (Izmir), Zeynep Altıok (Izmir), Musa Çam (Izmir), Oğuz Kaan
Salıcı (Istanbul), İlhan Cihaner (Istanbul), Aykut Erdoğdu (Istanbul), Dursun
Çiçek (Istanbul), Selina Doğan (Istanbul), Şafak Pavey (Istanbul), Enis
Berberoğlu (Istanbul), Sezgin Tanrıkulu (Istanbul), Didem Engin (Istanbul) and
Onursal Adıgüzel (Istanbul).
The 2 MP's of the HDP are: Erdal Ataş (Istanbul),
Filiz Kerestecioğlu (Istanbul)
The position
of the different political parties when it comes to LGBT rights.
The 4 political parties who are represented in
parliament:
AKP: islamist-rooted , conservative , right-wing,
liberal economic policies, nationalist.
CHP: secularist , centre-left, social-democrat ,
nationalist.
HDP: Pro-Kurdish, left, secularist, Kurdish
nationalist.
MHP: Extreme nationalist, right-wing, conservative,
authoritarian
When it comes to LGBT rights in Turkey, there are only
2 parties who are in favour of LGBT rights: CHP and HDP.
CHP
The last couple of years, the secularist centre-left
party CHP has been taking numerous initiatives both on the national level and
the municipal level to make sure that LGBT people get equal rights:
On 22 October 2015 , Hayri İnönü ( secularist
centre-left CHP), mayor of Istanbul's district of Şişli, hold a press
conference to officially announce the establishment of the social equality
unit, a project by the city council of Şişli and LGBT organisations. The social
equality unit will facilitate participatory policy-making in order to make
positive steps forward towards equal rights of LGBT people, Alevis, women,
people with a disability and people with a different ethnic background
On Sunday 1 November 2015, 14 politicians of the
secularist centre-left CHP and 2 politicians of the pro-Kurdish HDP who signed
SPoD LGBTI's LGBTI rights pledge got elected as Member of Parliament(MP). The
14 MP's of the CHP are: Aylin Nazlıaka (Ankara), Selin Sayek Böke (Izmir),
Zeynep Altıok (Izmir), Musa Çam (Izmir), Oğuz Kaan Salıcı (Istanbul), İlhan
Cihaner (Istanbul), Aykut Erdoğdu (Istanbul), Dursun Çiçek (Istanbul), Selina
Doğan (Istanbul), Şafak Pavey (Istanbul), Enis Berberoğlu (Istanbul), Sezgin
Tanrıkulu (Istanbul), Didem Engin (Istanbul) and Onursal Adıgüzel (Istanbul).
On 1 July 2015, the secularist centre-left party CHP
submitted a draft bill for the establishment of a parliamentary commission on
LGBT rights in Turkey. That parliamentary commission is to investigate the discrimination
and homophobia and transphobia against LGBT people and to formulate and put
forward recommendations in order to tackle the aforementioned discrimination
and violence against LGBT people in Turkey. The draft bill is signed by 47 MP’s
of the CHP.
28 June 2015: Unlike
all the previous 12 years, the annual LGBT Pride Parade 2015 in Istanbul
couldn’t go ahead. Riot police cracked down on tens of thousands of LGBT people
in Taksim Square on Sunday 28 June 2015. MP’s from the CHP and the HDP teamed
up and staged several interventions in order to prevent the police from
cracking down on the LGBT people participating in the Pride.
June 2015:LGBT people actively campaigned for LGBT rights during
the political campaigns leading up to the general elections on 7 June 2015.The
LGBT organization SPoD LGBTI had formulated an open LGBTI rights pledge and
asked candidates to publicly sign it. By signing the aforementioned pledge, the
candidates promised to defend LGBTI rights in the parliament. More than 40
candidates signed the pledge. All of them are either from the secularist
centre-left opposition party CHP or from the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP.
Among those who signed the pledge are MP Aylin Nazlıaka ( CHP), Enis Berberğlu
(CHP), Melda Onur (CHP), Perihan
Yucekaya (HDP), Ulku Yalcinkaya (HDP) , Inan Güney (CHP), Selina Doğan CHP, and
so on.
17 May 2015: In Istanbul, the secularist party CHP
organized an information stand together with LGBT rights organisation SPoD
LGBTI on 17 May to mark IDAHOT, international Day Against Homophobia and
Transphobia. Together, they asked passers-by to sign the LGBT rights pledge by
Mecliste LGBTI.
June 2015: In the CHP election manifesto one can read
that the CHP will plead for equal rights of LGBT people in Turkey.
07 April 2015:The secularist party CHP wants to
establish a centre for social inclusion. MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu submitted a bill for the
establishment of such a centre on Tuesday 07 April 2015. This centre of social
inclusion would then implement a 5-year programme for social inclusion, addressing
and tackling discrimination of LGBT people, women, Alevi people, Kurdish
people, and so on.
On 3 March 2015, lesbian Sedef Çakmak was inaugurated
as the first openly LGBT city councillor in Turkey . She is a councillor for
the secularist party CHP in Istanbul’s district of Beşiktaş. Sedef Çakmak was
one of the many openly LGBT candidates in the municipal elections of 2014 on
behalf of the CHP.As a city councillor, Sedef Çakmak will continue to focus on
LGBT-related topics. The last year, Sedef Çakmak worked as an advisor to the
CHP-mayor of Beşiktaş ( Istanbul) on policies and services for LGBT’s, making
the policies and services in local administration LGBT-friendly.
In 2014, the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s district of Şişli
, Hayri İnönü, launched a free and anonymous health service for LGBTs as a
first in the country.
On 20 November 2014, both the CHP mayors of Istanbul’s
districts of Beşiktaş and Şişli organised a march to mark International
Transgender Day of Remembrance. MP
Binnaz Toprak (CHP) held a press conference in the Turkish Parliament together
with LGBTI activists to denounce transphobia in Turkey.
On Sunday 30 March 2014 municipal elections took place
in Turkey. In Istanbul, the secularist centre-left CHP and the pro-Kurdish HDP presented several
LGBT ( Lesbian , Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people stood for election. For
the CHP Sedef Çakmak (Istanbul’s district of Beşiktaş), Boysan Yakar
(Istanbul’s district of Şişli) and Çelik Özdemir (Istanbul’s district of
Beyoğlu) stood for elections. Unfortunately, none of them got elected. On 3
March 2015, however, lesbian Sedef Çakmak(CHP) was inaugurated as the first
openly LGBT city councillor in Turkey.
June 2013: The pro-Kurdish party HDP proposed a bill
so that LGBT people would have constitutional protection from discrimination
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The CHP backed the
proposal. This proposal was blocked by the AKP and the MHP.
On 15 February 2013, about 59 MP’s of the CHP pleaded
for a parliamentary commission on LGBT rights. This proposal was blocked by de
AKP and MHP.
MP’s of the CHP are always participating in the annual
LGBT Pride Parade in Istanbul.
Source: http://kaosgl.com
AKP
When it comes to LGBT rights, the AK party takes a
rather conservative stance.
02 July 2015: Then-Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç
responded to a question on 2 July about the LGBTI Pride March 2015 in Istanbul:
“Unfortunately, I am ashamed to say this in a place where our lady sisters are
present but some people turn this into honour, meaning people in different
sexual orientations. But it is extremely saddening that they get completely
naked in broad daylight, challenging and having fun in the middle of Istanbul,
and unfortunately, parliamentarians from the CHP and HDP supporting them.”
28 June 2015:Unlike all the previous 12 years, the
annual LGBT Pride Parade 2015 in Istanbul couldn’t go ahead. Riot police
cracked down on tens of thousands of LGBT people in Taksim Square on Sunday 28
June 2015.
June 2015: “AK Party has been in power for 13 years.
Within the very first 4 years of its existence, it was able to solve the
problems of the conservative segment, which brought [the party] to power,
despite having to fight against threats of party closure. Turkey is a country
that can hold a Gay Pride on Istiklal Avenue even in the middle of the month of
Ramadan. The increased visibility of conservative people does not carry the
meaning that there is an intervention against people’s life styles. Yes, now
there is visibility of more people in head scarves and people who can practice
their religion more comfortably because they were under pressure before. AK
Party has never had and will never have the intention to interfere with
anyone’s life style. In the period of 13 years, there has only been a fight for
the equality of wronged segments.”, is what we could read in the election
brochure of the AKP for the elections of the 7th of June. It is true. For the
twelve previous years, the annual LGBT Pride Parade in Istanbul took place with
no incident whatsoever. The first LGBT Pride
Parade in Istanbul after the 7 June general elections was, however, banned only
a couple of minutes before the start of the parade.
June 2015:LGBT people actively campaigned for LGBT
rights during the political campaign leading up to the general elections on 7
June. The LGBT organization SPoD LGBTI had formulated an open LGBTI rights
pledge and asked candidates to publicly sign it. By signing the aforementioned
pledge, the candidates promised to defend LGBTI rights in the parliament. By
now, more than 40 candidates signed the pledge. All of them are either from the
secularist opposition party CHP or from the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP.
SPoD LGBTI also contacted the ruling AKP and the nationalist opposition party
MHP, but none of the candidates of the AKP and HDP signed the pledge.
On Sunday 17 May 2015, thousands of LGBT people took
to the streets of Ankara to mark IDAHOT, International Day Against Homophobia
and Transphobia. On their way to Sakarya Square, LGBT rights activists stopped
at a campaign poster of prime minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (AKP). The poster
features the message ‘They talk, the AKP does’. Defiant LGBT activists sprayed
a graffiti message on the poster, saying ‘Challenging you to fight homophobia’.
The ruling AKP, however, failed to mention LGBT rights in their election
manifesto for the general elections, which took place on Sunday 7 June 2015.
In 2015, Faruk Çelik, Minister of Labour and Social
Security gave the following response to an inquiry by MP Mahmut Tanal (CHP)
regarding LGBTI employment and policies geared towards LGBTI youth: “The
measures taken by our Ministry to support the labour-force participation of
especially disadvantaged groups and to tackle discrimination and social
exclusion concern women, children, people with disabilities, the youth,
ex-convicts, the Roma, immigrants, the poor or people under poverty risk,
addicts and seasonal workers. “He thereby ignored the LGBTI with his response.
February 2015: AKP MP Ismet Ucma made some very
homophobic statements. Ucma stated that they wish that homosexuality in society
and even in humanity wouldn’t exist and that it can be prevented by propaganda.
On 20 and 21 November 2014, AKP MP Nursuna Memecan and
CHP MP Binnaz Toprak participated in a conference titled “Fundamental Rights,
Non-Discrimination and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups, Including LGBT”.
After the conference, both AKP MP Nursuna Memecan and CHP MP Binnaz Toprak said
that LGBT people in Turkey should get equal rights as soon as possible. Weeks
and days before the conference, the conservative newspaper Milli Gazete, known
for its links to the organisation Millî Görüş and the AKP, attacked the MP’s.
In an article, the Milli Gazete referred to the conference as ‘the conference
of perversion’.
June 2013: The pro-Kurdish party HDP proposed a bill
so that LGBT people would have constitutional protection from discrimination
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The CHP backed the
proposal. This proposal was blocked by the AKP and the MHP.
On 15 February 2013, about 59 MP’s of the CHP pleaded
for a parliamentary commission on LGBT rights. This proposal was blocked by de
AKP and MHP.
On 2 April 2012, Ankara Metropolitan Mayor, Melih
Gökçek (AKP) responded to a question about the prospect of a gay mayor in
Turkey posed by Okan Bayülgen on a TV program, Gökçek said: “Of course we have
a lifestyle of our own, we have customs, traditions. Over there they are at a
different place…God willing there will never be a gay mayor in Turkey and there
must never be.”
In 2009, then-minister of family affairs Aliye Kavaf
(AKP) said : “ I believe homosexuality is a biological disorder, a disease, and
needs to be cured. “ In 2010, Aliye Kavaf (AKP) said : “I believe homosexuality
is a dysfunction, a disease. It is something that requires treatment. Therefore
I do not approve of same sex marriages. There is nothing in the works in our
Ministry about this. Neither is there a demand for it. We do not say that
homosexuals do not exist, there is such a phenomenon.”
Source: http://kaosgl.com
HDP
The pro-Kurdish party HDP is very much in favour of
equal rights for LGBT people in Turkey:
On Sunday 1 November 2015, 14 politicians of the
secularist centre-left CHP and 2 politicians of the pro-Kurdish HDP who signed
SPoD LGBTI's LGBTI rights pledge got elected as Member of Parliament(MP). The 2
MP's of the HDP are: Erdal Ataş (Istanbul), Filiz Kerestecioğlu (Istanbul)
28 June 2015: Unlike all the previous 12 years, the
annual LGBT Pride Parade 2015 in Istanbul couldn’t go ahead. Riot police
cracked down on tens of thousands of LGBT people in Taksim Square on Sunday 28
June 2015. MP’s from the CHP and the HDP teamed up and staged several
interventions in order to prevent the police from cracking down on the LGBT
people participating in the Pride.
June 2015: LGBT people actively campaigned for LGBT
rights during the political campaigns leading up to the general elections on 7
June 2015.The LGBT organization SPoD LGBTI had formulated an open LGBTI rights
pledge and asked candidates to publicly sign it. By signing the aforementioned
pledge, the candidates promised to defend LGBTI rights in the parliament. More
than 40 candidates signed the pledge. All of them are either from the
secularist centre-left opposition party CHP or from the pro-Kurdish opposition
party HDP.
April 2015: The pro-Kurdish party HDP pleads for equal
rights in Turkey in their election manifesto for the general elections on 7
June: ““Our party ensures that LGBTI people will live an equal and proud life
by eliminating discrimination and oppression based on sexual orientation and
gender identity against a system rising upon the prevalent heterosexism which
denies and ignores the diversity of sexual orientation and gender
identity.”
March 2015: LGBT rights activist Barış Sulu got
elected as candidate for the general elections on 7 June 2015. He was the first
openly gay running for parliament in Turkey. Unfortunately, he didn’t get
elected as an MP.
February 2015: Ertugrul Kurkçu, MP from the
pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), asked the Labour and Social
Security Minister Faruk Celik if they will begin taking actions about sexual orientation
and gender identity discrimination in employment. Minister Celik did not count LGBTI (lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) among disadvantaged groups in the labour
force participation while answering the proposed motion Mahmut Tanal from the
main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) presented in November 2014.
August 2014: During the campaign leading up to the
presidential elections, HDP candidate Selahattin Demirtaş openly pleaded for
equal rights and equal citizenship for LGBT people in Turkey.
On Sunday 30 March 2014 municipal elections took place
in Turkey. In Istanbul, the secularist centre-left CHP and the pro-Kurdish HDP presented several
LGBT ( Lesbian , Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people stood for election. For
the HDP Asya Elmas (Istanbul’s district of Kadıköy), Şevval Kılıç (Istanbul’s
district of Şişli), Ebru Kırancı (Istanbul’s district of Beyoğlu) ran for
office. Unfortunately, none of them got elected.
June 2013: The pro-Kurdish party HDP proposed a bill
so that LGBT people would have constitutional protection from discrimination
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The CHP backed the
proposal. This proposal was blocked by the AKP and the MHP.
MP’s of the HDP are always participating in the annual
LGBT Pride Parade in Istanbul.
Source: http://kaosgl.com
MHP
Like the conservative AKP, right-wing nationalist MHP
takes a rather conservative stance when it comes to equal rights for LGBT
people. Apart from some positive statements by some MP’s, MHP’s track record is
not that long.
June 2015: LGBT people actively campaigned for LGBT
rights during the political campaign leading up to the general elections on 7
June. The LGBT organization SPoD LGBTI had formulated an open LGBTI rights
pledge and asked candidates to publicly sign it. By signing the aforementioned
pledge, the candidates promised to defend LGBTI rights in the parliament. By
now, more than 40 candidates signed the pledge. All of them are either from the
secularist opposition party CHP or from the pro-Kurdish opposition party HDP. SPoD
LGBTI also contacted the ruling AKP and the nationalist opposition party MHP,
but none of the candidates of the AKP and HDP signed the pledge.
June 2013: The pro-Kurdish party HDP proposed a bill
so that LGBT people would have constitutional protection from discrimination
based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The CHP backed the
proposal. This proposal was blocked by the AKP and the MHP.
September 2012: MHP met with LGBT organization Kaos
GL. The meeting was held in MHP’s headquarters following an invitation by MP
Ruhsar Demirel, who is a member of Committee on Equality of Opportunity for
Women and Men; and Health Family Labour and Social Works Committee of Turkish
Parliament. “The situation of trans-women who work as sex workers should be
considered in terms of both health and human rights of trans women and public
health,” Demirel said after the meeting.
Source: http://kaosgl.com
LGBT people and Turkish military.
The Turkish army has amended the rules of medical
examinations, ending some practices that humiliated homosexual men and drew
harsh criticism from Turkish LGBT organisations.
Turkey makes it difficult for potential conscriptees
to avoid the compulsory military service, generally making exceptions only for
those who are sick, disabled or homosexual. To receive an exemption based on
their sexual orientation, men must publicly declare they are gay — a declaration
that ensures discrimination will follow them for the rest of their lives. It's
either that, or they must successfully hide their sexual orientation for a
year.
To receive the exemption men also had to prove their
homosexuality by undergoing nude examinations and submitting photos of
themselves engaged in homosexual intercourse.
This practice was denounced by both Turkish and
international LGBT organisations and human rights organisations. In November 2015, however, the Turkish military silently
amended the most controversial provisions in the regulation. Doctors will now
merely observe the behaviors homosexuals display and the verbal declarations
they make. In other words, a homosexual can choose to disclose or not to
disclose his identity. If he does, this declaration will constitute the sole
basis for the doctor's decision.
The change represents a major step toward aligning
Turkey's military with the norms for basic human rights. This overhaul in the
pre-draft medical examination is a revolution on the part of the Turkish
military. Allowing homosexual men to voluntarily disclose or conceal their
identities amounts to a shift to a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Sources and interesting websites
www.kaosgl.com
http://researchturkey.org/summary-results-of-the-social-and-economic-problems-of-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transsexual-lgbt-individuals-in-turkey-research/
