What did Lambda Istanbul do in 2003?
Lambda Istanbul is an organization that was formed by a group of gays and lesbians right after the Istanbul city government banned the Christopher Street Day Sexual Liberation Activities that were to take place in July 1993. After this event, the group that used to gather under the name "Gokkusagi" (Rainbow) took the name Lambda Istanbul.
Lambda Istanbul is a group that works for liberation of LGBT people in Turkey. They have been arranging Sunday meetings for LGBTQ people who need to find each other to share their experiences, realize they are not alone.
What did Lambda Istanbul do in 2003?
By Cihan Huroglu
Published in Kaos GL Magazine, March/April 2004 edition
Although end of a year and beginning of a new one is not very important in the development of GLBT movement in Turkey, we wanted to inform the public about what we did in 2003 and encourage ourselves to do more.
We started the year 2003 by moving to a new location and opening Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center. The center started to function by showing weekly gay or lesbian themed movies and holding discussions about them. There also had been symposiums about selected topics every Sunday.
A few discussions were held about the movies shown during the If Istanbul Rainbow Movies Festival with participation of Tuna Erdem and Hami Cagdas. Then a discussion with Yildirim Turker was held about “Night, Angels and Our Children” a Turkish movie about a prostitute and a closeted gay. Addition to these activities, we held Sunday symposiums about “Gay Ghettos” and “Communication among Gay Men”.
Lambda Istanbul and Kaos GL participated to a demonstration against the war in Iraq on March 1, 2003 and together we became the most visible gay, lesbian and transgender group in the demonstration.
Again in March 2003, Lambda Istanbul, Amargi Women Academy, Solidarity Union, Rainbow Women Organization and Middle East Academy formed “Istanbul National Ecology Platform” to form stronger ties with each other. This platform continues to function up to now.
Another important thing that took place in March 2003 is that at Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, a GLBT library was founded which includes books, human rights reports about GLBT issues, articles about GLBT/queer politics, publishes of some Turkish NGO’s and gay-themed movies. With almost 1,000 books Lambda Istanbul Library has been functioning since March 2003.
By participating to “No to war demonstration" on April 4, 2003 and “May day celebrations" on May 1, 2003, Lambda Istanbul helped to the visibility of gays and lesbians in the media. These actions illustrated Lambda Istanbul’s political stance.
In May 2003, there had been a symposium series about “Music and Gender Politics” at the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center with the participation of Deniz Yildiz and Taner. Then we held a series of meeting to prepare a press statement: “What do Gays and Lesbians Want?” Later in the month the statement was issued to the public.
In the mid May 2003, “Symposium about Discrimination and Violence Towards Gays and Lesbians” was held in Istanbul Bilgi University with the participation of Lambda Istanbul, Anatolian Bear Group and academics. During the symposium discrimination against gays and lesbians in psychiatry, law, psychology, sociology and social works were analyzed. Other topics held were: “Problems of Travesties and Transsexuals” and “Invisibility of Lesbians.”
By the end of May 2003, two press statements were issued to condemn increasing oppression against travesties and transsexuals. Our transsexual friends, who were personally abused, issued one of these statements. Another statement was issued to state our position against an organization which claimed to have solved “the transsexual problem” by having them married. To explain the reality of Turkey on this matter, this statement was made public by travesties and transsexuals who are struggling to live their lives and fighting the discrimination against them.
In June 2003, Lambda Istanbul celebrated the 10th Gay Pride week and the anniversary of Lambda Istanbul’s establishment. (Lambda Istanbul was formed by a group of gays and lesbians right after the Istanbul city government banned the Christopher Street Day Sexual Liberation Activities to take place in July 1993) For the first time in Turkey’s history, about 50 gays and lesbians marched in Istiklal Street and issued a press statement at the end of the parade. The press statement pointed out “The Right to Live Proud” which is an indispensable part of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The statement also indicated the problems we, gays and lesbians, face in our daily lives. Other events that followed the parade were: The traditional pride party, the show of the legendary movie “Stonewall”, a symposium about the history of GLBT movement in Turkey, a symposium about “Gay Identity and Literature” with the participation of Stella Aceme and Kucuk Iskender, a poet recital with Julide Kural and a music recital with Vedat Sakman.
Having a larger space at the new cultural center, Lambda Istanbul continued to perform movies, monthly Lambda Istanbul solidarity dinners, and kept its center open in summer recess.
On September 27, 2003 Lambda Istanbul participated to “International Congress of Institute of Forensic Sciences” and joined to a symposium about “Murders Towards Gays and Lesbians”. Douglas Janoff, an academic who works specifically on this matter, was informed about the situation in Turkey. Right after this symposium, Lambda Istanbul hosted Human Right Watch LGBT Coordinator Scott Long and worked with him for one month to help him prepare “Human Rights Violation Against Homosexuals in Turkey”.
In September and October 2003, symposiums that were held in our center were: “Bear Movement”, “Our Sexuality and Identities by Oner Ceylan” and “Body Politics by Erhan Demirdag”. After showing the movie “Dream Travelers”, another symposium was held with Deniz Turkali to discuss the movie.
At the end of November 2003, Lambda Istanbul hosted the 11th Annual Meeting of Gays and Lesbians in Turkey. Addition to the regular programs, Lambda also held dinners and parties in the 3-day-meeting. The first topic discussed was about the laws. Afterwards, commissions were formed to work about Laws, Archiving, Education, Family, and Psychiatry/Psychology. Other topics held were “Identity Politics”, “The Similarities and Differences of Turkish and Foreign GLBT Organizations”, “Criticism of Gay Movement from Perspective of Women Right Organizations”, and “Sexual Ethics”. Other two symposiums held at Lambda Istanbul were “We All Are Going to Be Lesbians Someday by Bulent Somay” and “The Concept of Queer by Yasar Cubuklu”.
On December 1, 2003, NTV television invited our representatives, Deniz Yildiz and Oner Ceylan, to a news show to talk about discrimination, cause that week was World Human Rights Week. During the program, our friends talked about the problems gays and lesbians face.
Addition to what we’ve mentioned above, Lambda Istanbul continued to hold annual Spring Party and weekly Lambda Istanbul solidarity parties with 60s and 70s music themes. We are unable to mention the names of the movies that have been shown because there are so many of them. Lambda Istanbul continues to hold symposiums about the movies right after watching them.
We also started to work on two new symposiums that will take place on Spring 2004. The first one is: “To Understand Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Turkey” which will be held on May 7, 2004 with the support of Istanbul Bilgi University. The second one is: “Turkey, Identity, Queer” which will be held for two days on April 2004 with the support of Bogazici University”.
Lambda Istanbul is a group that works for liberation of LGBT people in Turkey. They have been arranging Sunday meetings for LGBTQ people who need to find each other to share their experiences, realize they are not alone.
What did Lambda Istanbul do in 2003?
By Cihan Huroglu
Published in Kaos GL Magazine, March/April 2004 edition
Although end of a year and beginning of a new one is not very important in the development of GLBT movement in Turkey, we wanted to inform the public about what we did in 2003 and encourage ourselves to do more.
We started the year 2003 by moving to a new location and opening Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center. The center started to function by showing weekly gay or lesbian themed movies and holding discussions about them. There also had been symposiums about selected topics every Sunday.
A few discussions were held about the movies shown during the If Istanbul Rainbow Movies Festival with participation of Tuna Erdem and Hami Cagdas. Then a discussion with Yildirim Turker was held about “Night, Angels and Our Children” a Turkish movie about a prostitute and a closeted gay. Addition to these activities, we held Sunday symposiums about “Gay Ghettos” and “Communication among Gay Men”.
Lambda Istanbul and Kaos GL participated to a demonstration against the war in Iraq on March 1, 2003 and together we became the most visible gay, lesbian and transgender group in the demonstration.
Again in March 2003, Lambda Istanbul, Amargi Women Academy, Solidarity Union, Rainbow Women Organization and Middle East Academy formed “Istanbul National Ecology Platform” to form stronger ties with each other. This platform continues to function up to now.
Another important thing that took place in March 2003 is that at Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center, a GLBT library was founded which includes books, human rights reports about GLBT issues, articles about GLBT/queer politics, publishes of some Turkish NGO’s and gay-themed movies. With almost 1,000 books Lambda Istanbul Library has been functioning since March 2003.
By participating to “No to war demonstration" on April 4, 2003 and “May day celebrations" on May 1, 2003, Lambda Istanbul helped to the visibility of gays and lesbians in the media. These actions illustrated Lambda Istanbul’s political stance.
In May 2003, there had been a symposium series about “Music and Gender Politics” at the Lambda Istanbul Cultural Center with the participation of Deniz Yildiz and Taner. Then we held a series of meeting to prepare a press statement: “What do Gays and Lesbians Want?” Later in the month the statement was issued to the public.
In the mid May 2003, “Symposium about Discrimination and Violence Towards Gays and Lesbians” was held in Istanbul Bilgi University with the participation of Lambda Istanbul, Anatolian Bear Group and academics. During the symposium discrimination against gays and lesbians in psychiatry, law, psychology, sociology and social works were analyzed. Other topics held were: “Problems of Travesties and Transsexuals” and “Invisibility of Lesbians.”
By the end of May 2003, two press statements were issued to condemn increasing oppression against travesties and transsexuals. Our transsexual friends, who were personally abused, issued one of these statements. Another statement was issued to state our position against an organization which claimed to have solved “the transsexual problem” by having them married. To explain the reality of Turkey on this matter, this statement was made public by travesties and transsexuals who are struggling to live their lives and fighting the discrimination against them.
In June 2003, Lambda Istanbul celebrated the 10th Gay Pride week and the anniversary of Lambda Istanbul’s establishment. (Lambda Istanbul was formed by a group of gays and lesbians right after the Istanbul city government banned the Christopher Street Day Sexual Liberation Activities to take place in July 1993) For the first time in Turkey’s history, about 50 gays and lesbians marched in Istiklal Street and issued a press statement at the end of the parade. The press statement pointed out “The Right to Live Proud” which is an indispensable part of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The statement also indicated the problems we, gays and lesbians, face in our daily lives. Other events that followed the parade were: The traditional pride party, the show of the legendary movie “Stonewall”, a symposium about the history of GLBT movement in Turkey, a symposium about “Gay Identity and Literature” with the participation of Stella Aceme and Kucuk Iskender, a poet recital with Julide Kural and a music recital with Vedat Sakman.
Having a larger space at the new cultural center, Lambda Istanbul continued to perform movies, monthly Lambda Istanbul solidarity dinners, and kept its center open in summer recess.
On September 27, 2003 Lambda Istanbul participated to “International Congress of Institute of Forensic Sciences” and joined to a symposium about “Murders Towards Gays and Lesbians”. Douglas Janoff, an academic who works specifically on this matter, was informed about the situation in Turkey. Right after this symposium, Lambda Istanbul hosted Human Right Watch LGBT Coordinator Scott Long and worked with him for one month to help him prepare “Human Rights Violation Against Homosexuals in Turkey”.
In September and October 2003, symposiums that were held in our center were: “Bear Movement”, “Our Sexuality and Identities by Oner Ceylan” and “Body Politics by Erhan Demirdag”. After showing the movie “Dream Travelers”, another symposium was held with Deniz Turkali to discuss the movie.
At the end of November 2003, Lambda Istanbul hosted the 11th Annual Meeting of Gays and Lesbians in Turkey. Addition to the regular programs, Lambda also held dinners and parties in the 3-day-meeting. The first topic discussed was about the laws. Afterwards, commissions were formed to work about Laws, Archiving, Education, Family, and Psychiatry/Psychology. Other topics held were “Identity Politics”, “The Similarities and Differences of Turkish and Foreign GLBT Organizations”, “Criticism of Gay Movement from Perspective of Women Right Organizations”, and “Sexual Ethics”. Other two symposiums held at Lambda Istanbul were “We All Are Going to Be Lesbians Someday by Bulent Somay” and “The Concept of Queer by Yasar Cubuklu”.
On December 1, 2003, NTV television invited our representatives, Deniz Yildiz and Oner Ceylan, to a news show to talk about discrimination, cause that week was World Human Rights Week. During the program, our friends talked about the problems gays and lesbians face.
Addition to what we’ve mentioned above, Lambda Istanbul continued to hold annual Spring Party and weekly Lambda Istanbul solidarity parties with 60s and 70s music themes. We are unable to mention the names of the movies that have been shown because there are so many of them. Lambda Istanbul continues to hold symposiums about the movies right after watching them.
We also started to work on two new symposiums that will take place on Spring 2004. The first one is: “To Understand Sexual Identity and Sexual Orientation in Turkey” which will be held on May 7, 2004 with the support of Istanbul Bilgi University. The second one is: “Turkey, Identity, Queer” which will be held for two days on April 2004 with the support of Bogazici University”.
