An interview with a Kurdish Leader of Hebûn LGBT activist group Introduction Diyarbakir city is the capital of the Diyarbakır Province in eastern Turkey. The population is about 1,600,000. Kurds are the predominant population today. Other groups include Turks, Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs and Yazidis. Kurds rarely make it onto the international media, and that’s even
Due to its strategic location astride two continents, Turkey’s culture has a unique blend of Eastern and Western tradition. Turkey has become increasingly integrated with the West through membership in organizations such as the Council of Europe, NATO and the G-20 major economies. Turkey began full membership negotiations with the European Union in 2005. The human rights of LGBT people in Turkey is one of the most controversial human rights issues in Turkey. Homosexuality is not illegal as such in the Republic of Turkey. However, owing to conservative values embedded in Muslim-majority Turkish society, homosexuality remains a taboo topic in public discourse. The desire of Turkey to join the European Union has forced the government to grant official recognition to LGBT rights organizations, respect a greater degree of the freedom of speech and the press and to entertain gay rights legislation. Gay themed conferences and gatherings now regularly take place, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara. The major LGBT community-based civil rights organization is KAOS GL, established in 1994 in Ankara. Lambda Istanbul, a member of ILGA-Europe, established in 1993 in Istanbul, was dissolved in May 2008. The prosecution argued that its name and activities were “against the law and morality.” The ruling has been criticized by Human Rights Watch. Also see: Islam and Homosexuality
Name: Turkey
Population: 70892500
Capital: Ankara - Pop. 4500400
Area: 784562 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: Turkish
Religion: Muslim
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: 90
A Murdered Friend, His Hate-filled Parents, and Lives Lost to Homophobia
Westhampton, MA – September 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com (See the recent, 2011, film about Ahmet’s murder: Zenne Dancer; also, website for the film) This is a very sad story, about a father and a son, a family and a culture torn by blind hatred. Last year during a visit to Istanbul, Turkey my
It’s Normal to be Gay: Worldwide Gay Survey
Intro: Despite daunting persecution of gays in many countires, a guest author surveys mid-nineties optimistic gains in gay expression, gay pride activity and legal status around the world. Bangkok by John Duvoli The Economist Revised June 1, 2008 Photos by Richard Ammon Across the world a radical idea about homosexuals is gaining ground:
Gay Life in Modern Turkey
Introduction As a Muslim country, Turkey reveals a very different attitude than most other Islamic countries toward lesbigay life. Progressive and highly western, Turkey allows gays to have a measure of freedom of expression and as well access to fulfilling careers and romantic intimacy. But many Turks resent and fear any recognition of “Gay Life