Symposium, Understanding Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations in Turkey
Symposium dates: 7-8 of May 2004, Istanbul, Turkey
Lambda Istanbul LGBT Civil Society Initiative and Istanbul Bilgi University work in cooperation on LGBT rights symposia in order to raise the awareness on the issue and to avoid discrimination against LGBT community in Turkey. Last year in May 2003 the first work has been accomplished with the symposium on Discrimination and Violence Against Homosexuals; which has been very successful and caught the attention of mass media. The cooperation between the activists and the academia was meaningful for exchanging experiences and for opening new platforms of interaction. Since the Turkish society is still prejudiced and poorly informed on LGBT issues traditional heterosexist and patriarchal way of thinking reigns on the interpretations of the subject.
To move one step further after having discussed the urgent problems of ignorance and discrimination on LGBT issues last year in May 2003, Lambda Istanbul and Istanbul Bilgi University decided to organize another symposium this year called Understanding Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations in Turkey; in 7-8 of May 2004.
With that we aimed to inaugurate a broader discussion on all sexual orientations and gender identities in our region of multi cultural geography. Furthermore we aim to reach to a common understanding for certain safeguards to prevent discrimination in various rules and regulations including relevant social institutions in which we particularly aim to encourage the bar association in Turkey to establish LGBT rights defending sections. These are only to be realized with self-respected and self-assured LGBT community who is nonetheless to be encouraged for demanding their rights in certain cases of discrimination. Therefore the legal visibility of this discussion will help the LGBT community to be aware of its rights and to raise their consciousness of their various identities.
The content of the symposium will be so organized that also students can be attracted through a general introduction on gender and sexuality. The ambiguous concepts of masculinity and femininity will be discussed in relation with certain faces of militarism. Sessions on variety of gender roles and sexual orientations in Turkish history and historical texts will be included. The universality of the problems and specific ways of solving them are aimed to be indicated through international guests.
The content of the symposium is below:
Understanding Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations in Turkey
A symposium to be held by Lambda Istanbul and Istanbul Bilgi University on 7-8 May
2004 at IBU Kustepe campus.
Topics
·The significance and interrelations of the concepts of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation (The process of structuring and fixing gender and gender identity; the conceptualization of gender and gender identity from the standpoint of everyday life).
·The significance of the concepts of homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, heterosexual, transvestite, transsexual and gay in Turkey.
·Questioning femininity and masculinity in Turkish society. The construction of masculinity via militarism. The significance of these concepts from the standpoint of homosexuality.
·The relation between morality and sexuality in Turkish society. Moralistic attitudes towards sexual practices and orientations.
·The reception and history of sexual orientations in Turkey. Discussion of sexual orientations through literary and historical texts.
·The matter of discrimination and violence with regard to gender identities and sexual orientations from the standpoint of human rights.
·Strategies of struggle for gay and lesbian movements in the world and in Turkey.
·The definitions of homosexuality in Turkish Law. Strategies for the struggle for their transformation.
·The state of homosexuality in international law. Turkeys situation and obligations vis-à-vis this law.
·The attitude and obligations of forensic medicine and psychiatry towards homosexuality (problems in post-op and pre-op transsexuality, homosexual murders, definitions of physical and psychological violence).
Mr. Cihan Huroglu for the Organization Committee
sempozyum@bilgi.edu.tr
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. Lambda Istanbul is a group that works for liberation of LGBT people in Turkey.
Lambda Istanbul LGBT Civil Society Initiative and Istanbul Bilgi University work in cooperation on LGBT rights symposia in order to raise the awareness on the issue and to avoid discrimination against LGBT community in Turkey. Last year in May 2003 the first work has been accomplished with the symposium on Discrimination and Violence Against Homosexuals; which has been very successful and caught the attention of mass media. The cooperation between the activists and the academia was meaningful for exchanging experiences and for opening new platforms of interaction. Since the Turkish society is still prejudiced and poorly informed on LGBT issues traditional heterosexist and patriarchal way of thinking reigns on the interpretations of the subject.
To move one step further after having discussed the urgent problems of ignorance and discrimination on LGBT issues last year in May 2003, Lambda Istanbul and Istanbul Bilgi University decided to organize another symposium this year called Understanding Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations in Turkey; in 7-8 of May 2004.
With that we aimed to inaugurate a broader discussion on all sexual orientations and gender identities in our region of multi cultural geography. Furthermore we aim to reach to a common understanding for certain safeguards to prevent discrimination in various rules and regulations including relevant social institutions in which we particularly aim to encourage the bar association in Turkey to establish LGBT rights defending sections. These are only to be realized with self-respected and self-assured LGBT community who is nonetheless to be encouraged for demanding their rights in certain cases of discrimination. Therefore the legal visibility of this discussion will help the LGBT community to be aware of its rights and to raise their consciousness of their various identities.
The content of the symposium will be so organized that also students can be attracted through a general introduction on gender and sexuality. The ambiguous concepts of masculinity and femininity will be discussed in relation with certain faces of militarism. Sessions on variety of gender roles and sexual orientations in Turkish history and historical texts will be included. The universality of the problems and specific ways of solving them are aimed to be indicated through international guests.
The content of the symposium is below:
Understanding Gender Identities and Sexual Orientations in Turkey
A symposium to be held by Lambda Istanbul and Istanbul Bilgi University on 7-8 May
2004 at IBU Kustepe campus.
Topics
·The significance and interrelations of the concepts of gender, gender identity and sexual orientation (The process of structuring and fixing gender and gender identity; the conceptualization of gender and gender identity from the standpoint of everyday life).
·The significance of the concepts of homosexual, bisexual, lesbian, heterosexual, transvestite, transsexual and gay in Turkey.
·Questioning femininity and masculinity in Turkish society. The construction of masculinity via militarism. The significance of these concepts from the standpoint of homosexuality.
·The relation between morality and sexuality in Turkish society. Moralistic attitudes towards sexual practices and orientations.
·The reception and history of sexual orientations in Turkey. Discussion of sexual orientations through literary and historical texts.
·The matter of discrimination and violence with regard to gender identities and sexual orientations from the standpoint of human rights.
·Strategies of struggle for gay and lesbian movements in the world and in Turkey.
·The definitions of homosexuality in Turkish Law. Strategies for the struggle for their transformation.
·The state of homosexuality in international law. Turkeys situation and obligations vis-à-vis this law.
·The attitude and obligations of forensic medicine and psychiatry towards homosexuality (problems in post-op and pre-op transsexuality, homosexual murders, definitions of physical and psychological violence).
Mr. Cihan Huroglu for the Organization Committee
sempozyum@bilgi.edu.tr
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. Lambda Istanbul is a group that works for liberation of LGBT people in Turkey.
