Amnesty International has reported a startling number of crimes against LGBT people that go unreported. As of right now Turkey has no laws against hate crimes committed against LGBT people. AI demands that the country take action to protect all of its citizens. The prejudice of LGBT people has created such a hostile environment that it forces them to conceal their sexual identity, even to their families.
The government continues to promote discrimination. Turkish officials refer to homosexuality as a "disease that must be treated". It's been described as an epidemic that must be treated. One of the unfortunate norms is that officials have spoken out and made homophobic comments many times without much public outcry. When interviewed, Metropolitan Mayor Melih Gökçek was asked: "When will we have a gay mayor in Turkey?"
"Each society has its own set of moral values" responded Gökçek. "We have our own way of life and traditions. We can't approve and live together with the gay culture in Europe. Our morals are different. Inshallah [hopefully] there won't be any gays in our Turkey and there shouldn't be."
Many proposals to help LGBT people be on equal standing with other citizens by giving them legal protections have been introduced to the Turkish Government but have been rejected. In 2012 a proposal was made to amend the “Fundamental Rights and Freedoms” chapter of the Constitution to include protection of gay rights and to include the notions of "gender identity" and "sexual orientation".
“It is the duty of a state to eliminate practices and legal rules which stem from cultural or societal prejudices which are based on the supremacy of a gender,”
The proposal was ultimately rejected, one official saying "We don’t find it right to have an expression concerning gays in any part of the constitution," in response to it.
The freedom of association of LGBT groups has also been targets of Turkish government activity. LGBT groups have been subjected to repeated audits for things as little as "submitting required documentation too early". Other groups have been threatened with being forcibly shut down due to the public morality laws. These "public morality laws" are legislated by cities and often used to censor LGBT expression. One of the terms blocked by the Information Technologies and Communications a government organization, on Turkish internet is "gay" because of these laws.
The freedom of association of LGBT groups has also been targets of Turkish government activity. LGBT groups have been subjected to repeated audits for things as little as "submitting required documentation too early". Other groups have been threatened with being forcibly shut down due to the public morality laws. These "public morality laws" are legislated by cities and often used to censor LGBT expression. One of the terms blocked by the Information Technologies and Communications a government organization, on Turkish internet is "gay" because of these laws.
Military Discrimination
One of the worst forms of discrimination associated with the government is the Turkish military's policy on gay citizens enlisting in the military. Openly gay men are not allowed to enlist in the military, however they must provide evidence that they are gay so that people cannot simply claim they are gay to avoid military duty. The process of proving this however is very humiliating and only makes coming out a more hostile and uncomfortable experience. Men who are open about their sexuality are subjected to many questions about when they first had oral sex, anal intercourse, what toys they played with as a child, and if they ever wore women's clothing. They are also asked to provide photographs of themselves in sexual intercourse with themselves as the "passive partner" and the faces visible. Military officials take and keep these photos, which could be shown to friends, families, and employers. The men are then given pink slips reading that read "PSYCHOSEXUAL DISORDER" and in brackets next to that "HOMOSEXUALITY".
The homophobic statements and actions by the Turkish government encourages discrimination from individuals. This has lead to a rise in anti-LGBT attacks by citizens. The motive of attacks are almost never investigated and they are rarely reported as hate crimes or crimes at all.
Unable to find work, transgender women are often forced to become sex workers, which can lead to even more un-reportable and legally unprotected abuse from law enforcement officials. Even when going about their day-to-day lives officials will issue fines against them.
Unable to find work, transgender women are often forced to become sex workers, which can lead to even more un-reportable and legally unprotected abuse from law enforcement officials. Even when going about their day-to-day lives officials will issue fines against them.
Football Referee Given Red Card For Homosexuality
In 2009 Halil Ibrahim Dincdag had been refereeing for a local football league for over 13 years and was rated one of the best in the league. One day he was informed that his referee license would not be renewed that May. He had been sacked for his homosexuality and was outed to the press. Turkey is still a hostile environment for many LGBT people, and Dincdag was forced to move to the larger, less conservative city of Istanbul for his sake, and the sake of his family who were being pestered by Turkish news media.
"The crowds shout 'faggot' at referees whose decisions they don't like," Dincdag said. "Well, here I am." He gained much support from fellow referees in the Trabzon area. The league that had fired him attempted to cover up the scandal by claiming he was let go for lack of talent, but his rankings showed he was rated high among other referees.
There are still no laws defending the people of Turkey against discrimination based on sexual orientation, and since the incident has happened there has been no progress made by the Turkish government.
"The crowds shout 'faggot' at referees whose decisions they don't like," Dincdag said. "Well, here I am." He gained much support from fellow referees in the Trabzon area. The league that had fired him attempted to cover up the scandal by claiming he was let go for lack of talent, but his rankings showed he was rated high among other referees.
There are still no laws defending the people of Turkey against discrimination based on sexual orientation, and since the incident has happened there has been no progress made by the Turkish government.