A First for Turkey’s Gays and Lesbians
On February 2005 for the first time Turkish government officials and embassies of Western countries attended a series of conferences concerning issues regarding Turkish gays and lesbians.
On February 15, 2005 a series of conferences were realized in Ankara to provide information to the Turkish and foreign public about “Human Rights Seminars for the LGBT Community in Turkey Project”.
“Human Rights Seminars for the LGBT Community in Turkey Project” started in the spring of 2004. For 10 months Kaos GL, with the help of the United Kingdom Embassy, realized meetings in the cities of Diyarbakir, Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul. These meetings were organized in order to bring together gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals with human rights activists.
This conference series is significantly important for the LGBT movement in Turkey because:
* For the first time the current Turkish government directly acknowledged and sent its representatives to a conference related with LGBT issues. MEP Faruk Unsal (Justice and Development Party) who is a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament and one representative from Ministry of Health attended the conference series.
* For the first time embassies from different Western countries attended the conference regarding LGBT issues either by directly attending or sending one of their representatives (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, USA, Germany, and Norway). Also representatives from European Commission and EU Reproductive Health Program were present.
* International political, human rights and LGBT organizations sent their representatives including: UN HIV/AIDS Advisor, World Health Organization, Turkish Psychologists Association, Amnesty International, General Secretary of ILGA (International Gay and Lesbian Association).
* There were also representatives from Turkish human rights organizations, women rights organizations, academics and the media.
Why did KAOS GL organize a series of conferences for the foreign public concerning issues regarding gays and lesbians in Turkey?
The Ankara Agreement, which was signed on 12 September 1963, initiated relations between the European Union and Turkey. On December 17, 2004, 25 EU leaders approved the European Commission’s recommendation and decided that communication could begin for European Union membership on October 2005.
Kaos GL believes that the European Union must recognize the importance of gay, lesbian and transgender equality when negotiations with Turkey begin on October 2005.
Previously, ILGA-Europe's Executive Director, Patricia Prendiville also said that she was hoping the process of joining the EU would help push Turkey in the right direction of LGBT equality. In a press conference she stated: "I hope that the negotiations will stimulate the Turkish authorities to comply with the EU standards on LGBT rights and adopt necessary laws banning discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Although EU and some human rights organizations frequently criticized Turkey's human rights record, the issue of sexual diversity was often overlooked perhaps because there is no penalty for homosexuality in Turkish law. Kaos GL is calling not only the European Union but also the LGBT and human rights organizations to offer more support to the Turkish gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and transgenders.
Therefore we, Kaos GL, decided to inform the embassies, non-governmental organizations and the media about the problems of Turkish gays and lesbians. From now on Kaos GL will try to provide more information about LGBT issues in Turkey to non-Turkish political, human rights, health and LGBT organizations as often as possible.
On February 15, 2005 a series of conferences were realized in Ankara to provide information to the Turkish and foreign public about “Human Rights Seminars for the LGBT Community in Turkey Project”.
“Human Rights Seminars for the LGBT Community in Turkey Project” started in the spring of 2004. For 10 months Kaos GL, with the help of the United Kingdom Embassy, realized meetings in the cities of Diyarbakir, Ankara, Izmir, and Istanbul. These meetings were organized in order to bring together gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals with human rights activists.
This conference series is significantly important for the LGBT movement in Turkey because:
* For the first time the current Turkish government directly acknowledged and sent its representatives to a conference related with LGBT issues. MEP Faruk Unsal (Justice and Development Party) who is a member of the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament and one representative from Ministry of Health attended the conference series.
* For the first time embassies from different Western countries attended the conference regarding LGBT issues either by directly attending or sending one of their representatives (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, Denmark, USA, Germany, and Norway). Also representatives from European Commission and EU Reproductive Health Program were present.
* International political, human rights and LGBT organizations sent their representatives including: UN HIV/AIDS Advisor, World Health Organization, Turkish Psychologists Association, Amnesty International, General Secretary of ILGA (International Gay and Lesbian Association).
* There were also representatives from Turkish human rights organizations, women rights organizations, academics and the media.
Why did KAOS GL organize a series of conferences for the foreign public concerning issues regarding gays and lesbians in Turkey?
The Ankara Agreement, which was signed on 12 September 1963, initiated relations between the European Union and Turkey. On December 17, 2004, 25 EU leaders approved the European Commission’s recommendation and decided that communication could begin for European Union membership on October 2005.
Kaos GL believes that the European Union must recognize the importance of gay, lesbian and transgender equality when negotiations with Turkey begin on October 2005.
Previously, ILGA-Europe's Executive Director, Patricia Prendiville also said that she was hoping the process of joining the EU would help push Turkey in the right direction of LGBT equality. In a press conference she stated: "I hope that the negotiations will stimulate the Turkish authorities to comply with the EU standards on LGBT rights and adopt necessary laws banning discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”
Although EU and some human rights organizations frequently criticized Turkey's human rights record, the issue of sexual diversity was often overlooked perhaps because there is no penalty for homosexuality in Turkish law. Kaos GL is calling not only the European Union but also the LGBT and human rights organizations to offer more support to the Turkish gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and transgenders.
Therefore we, Kaos GL, decided to inform the embassies, non-governmental organizations and the media about the problems of Turkish gays and lesbians. From now on Kaos GL will try to provide more information about LGBT issues in Turkey to non-Turkish political, human rights, health and LGBT organizations as often as possible.
