Gay pleas for help fall on deaf ears
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by İzgi Güngör
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 15, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - A recent trend of breaking taboos in Turkey, including a top government official’s reported use of the word ’Kurdistan,’ has Turkey’s LGBT community calling for stronger political commitments to fight discrimination against homosexuals. This is about rights and any tolerant society can benefit from its own diversity, the Danish ambassador says.
Amid a recent flare-up of discussions about homosexuality in Turkey, representatives from a range of areas in society have come together for a meeting in Ankara in an attempt to confront the prevalence of homophobia in the country.
The Turkish media was engrossed yesterday in the legal battle of a football referee who had to quit his job because of his sexual orientation. The referee was forced to leave his post because he had withdrawn from his compulsory military service on account of his homosexuality being documented in a medical report. In line with referee regulations, a related article states that anybody who fails to complete his military service for health reasons is unfit to perform as a referee.
Another controversy on the issue that also drew attention yesterday was sparked when the columnist for the daily Zaman, Ali Bulaç, said the crimes committed against civilians in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq were carried out by homosexuals. Academics have described the remark as discriminatory, while lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, organizations said: "He is in search of a mask for his homophobia."
Amid this climate of debate, Ankara is hosting the 4th International Anti-Homophobia Meeting, where academics, politicians, rights organizations and representatives from the LGBT groups note the problems of homophobia and transgender-phobia for discussion. The meeting also covers İzmir, Eskişehir, Van, Diyarbakır and Istanbul and will run until May 17. The meeting started May 1 and covers a symbolic timeframe between May Day and the International Day Against Homophobia.
"Turkey is currently dealing with many issues, including the Kurdish issue but homosexual discrimination is the only issue that has not been highlighted as a problem," said Ali Erol, founder of the leading Ankara-based LGBT organization, Kaos GL.
"With this meeting, we are trying to create a stage where the issue can at least be discussed. Many academics and experts try to produce thoughts on the issue within the frame of this meeting. The politics, however, is our dead-end street."
He said there were some politicians who were sensitive to the issue, as evidenced by the efforts of the Freedom and Solidarity Party, or ÖDP, deputy Ufuk Uras, and the chairman of Parliament's Human Rights Commission, Zafer Üskül, as well as Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Egemen Bağış, from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Üskül was a participant at last year’s meeting.
"However, he came under fire from the Islamist media for delivering a speech at such an event. Many politicians refrain from engaging in such issues for fear of being stigmatized," Erol said.
Noting that people with different gender identities and sexual orientations faced the biggest problem in their professional lives, he said many faced discrimination and the threat of losing their jobs. They can often not even look to the courts to protect their rights because of its potential economic and emotional costs.
"We want the name of the problem identified and our rights legally safeguarded, leaving no room for the initiatives of the implementing bodies. Discrimination based on sexual orientation should be included in the Turkish Criminal Code. We don’t want temporary solutions," Erol said.
Danish Ambassador Jesper Vahr, who held a reception Wednesday night in honor of the meeting, likewise emphasized the importance of the political commitment against homosexual discrimination.
Politics major instrument
"Politics is the major instrument in changing mentalities. There have been some promising moves and some politicians who are sensitive to the issue in Turkey. But it would be more promising for the decision makers to take a step forward and demonstrate stronger political commitment, strongly denouncing the discrimination," Vahr said.
He said it was unfortunate Turkey did not sign the EU-backed U.N. declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, ratified last December and instrumental in denouncing discrimination against those of a different sexual orientation.
The representative from the Prime Ministry’s General Secretariat for European Union Affairs, who was present at the reception on behalf of Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Bağış, said Turkey's EU membership process and harmonization with the EU were likely to bring some rights to those who had different gender identities.
The Turkish media was engrossed yesterday in the legal battle of a football referee who had to quit his job because of his sexual orientation. The referee was forced to leave his post because he had withdrawn from his compulsory military service on account of his homosexuality being documented in a medical report. In line with referee regulations, a related article states that anybody who fails to complete his military service for health reasons is unfit to perform as a referee.
Another controversy on the issue that also drew attention yesterday was sparked when the columnist for the daily Zaman, Ali Bulaç, said the crimes committed against civilians in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq were carried out by homosexuals. Academics have described the remark as discriminatory, while lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, organizations said: "He is in search of a mask for his homophobia."
Amid this climate of debate, Ankara is hosting the 4th International Anti-Homophobia Meeting, where academics, politicians, rights organizations and representatives from the LGBT groups note the problems of homophobia and transgender-phobia for discussion. The meeting also covers İzmir, Eskişehir, Van, Diyarbakır and Istanbul and will run until May 17. The meeting started May 1 and covers a symbolic timeframe between May Day and the International Day Against Homophobia.
"Turkey is currently dealing with many issues, including the Kurdish issue but homosexual discrimination is the only issue that has not been highlighted as a problem," said Ali Erol, founder of the leading Ankara-based LGBT organization, Kaos GL.
"With this meeting, we are trying to create a stage where the issue can at least be discussed. Many academics and experts try to produce thoughts on the issue within the frame of this meeting. The politics, however, is our dead-end street."
He said there were some politicians who were sensitive to the issue, as evidenced by the efforts of the Freedom and Solidarity Party, or ÖDP, deputy Ufuk Uras, and the chairman of Parliament's Human Rights Commission, Zafer Üskül, as well as Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Egemen Bağış, from the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP. Üskül was a participant at last year’s meeting.
"However, he came under fire from the Islamist media for delivering a speech at such an event. Many politicians refrain from engaging in such issues for fear of being stigmatized," Erol said.
Noting that people with different gender identities and sexual orientations faced the biggest problem in their professional lives, he said many faced discrimination and the threat of losing their jobs. They can often not even look to the courts to protect their rights because of its potential economic and emotional costs.
"We want the name of the problem identified and our rights legally safeguarded, leaving no room for the initiatives of the implementing bodies. Discrimination based on sexual orientation should be included in the Turkish Criminal Code. We don’t want temporary solutions," Erol said.
Danish Ambassador Jesper Vahr, who held a reception Wednesday night in honor of the meeting, likewise emphasized the importance of the political commitment against homosexual discrimination.
Politics major instrument
"Politics is the major instrument in changing mentalities. There have been some promising moves and some politicians who are sensitive to the issue in Turkey. But it would be more promising for the decision makers to take a step forward and demonstrate stronger political commitment, strongly denouncing the discrimination," Vahr said.
He said it was unfortunate Turkey did not sign the EU-backed U.N. declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity, ratified last December and instrumental in denouncing discrimination against those of a different sexual orientation.
The representative from the Prime Ministry’s General Secretariat for European Union Affairs, who was present at the reception on behalf of Turkey's chief EU negotiator, Bağış, said Turkey's EU membership process and harmonization with the EU were likely to bring some rights to those who had different gender identities.