Despite Turkey's reforms, gay community says it lacks legal protections
The Associated Press
May 2, 2007
In the 1980s and 1990s, Turkish police routinely raided gay bars, detained transvestites, and banned homosexual conferences and festivals.
Next month, in a sign of how the state has loosened up, gay activists will hold forums on several university campuses to discuss their rights and the discrimination they still face.
Gays in Turkey say they lack legal protections and face social stigma in a Muslim nation with a secular tradition of government that has implemented broad reforms in its bid to join the European Union
May 2, 2007
In the 1980s and 1990s, Turkish police routinely raided gay bars, detained transvestites, and banned homosexual conferences and festivals.
Next month, in a sign of how the state has loosened up, gay activists will hold forums on several university campuses to discuss their rights and the discrimination they still face.
Gays in Turkey say they lack legal protections and face social stigma in a Muslim nation with a secular tradition of government that has implemented broad reforms in its bid to join the European Union
