Turkey’s Gays Will Host Global Meeting Against Homophobia

The gay society in Turkey is planning to hold an international meeting in Ankara this spring in order to bring together gay groups from across the globe to tackle the problem of homophobic feeling by simultaneously marking the second International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) -- a courageous move from a widely conservative country like Turkey.
The activity titled the International Anti-Homophobia Meeting is being organized by the Ankara-based Kaos Gay-Lesbian Cultural Researches and Solidarity Association (Kaos-GL) and will kick off on May 17, the day designed to help unite lesbian and gay groups in both liberal and more conservative countries.
The day was designated last year, on the 15th anniversary of the day the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders.
"We hope that this meeting in Ankara will help to build awareness of the fact that homophobia is not a matter only for gays and lesbians, but is also a matter for heterosexual women and men," Ali Erol, a gay rights activist from Kaos-GL said in an interview with the Turkish Daily News.
"We want to discuss and share our thoughts concerning a world where gays and heterosexuals will together enjoy freedom."
Last year, demonstrations and protests were held in more than 40 countries, including the first gay rally ever in China. So far, only Belgium has officially recognized the event. More than 15,000 people worldwide have signed a petition asking for U.N. recognition of the day.
During the five-day anti-homophobia event in Ankara that is scheduled to end on May 21, participants and attendants coming both from Turkey and abroad will have the chance to participate in workshops, conferences, presentations and screenings. All of those various activities will question and try to find a solution to issues such as gay-lesbian partnerships and marriages, the problems in families that have homosexual sons or daughters, coming out to parents, how parents' attitudes around this issue may change, homophobia in the family and resistance tactics employed by young gays or lesbians.
Homophobia is everywhere in daily life:
Erol said that they preferred to have a comprehensive meeting that's open to every one instead of having a meeting that's only limited to academics or only open to gays and lesbians.
"In Turkey, 'homosexuality' is not officially defined as a psychological disorder or a mental disease except in military psychiatry literature," he noted.
"However, homophobic attitudes and practices can be seen in every field of daily life," Erol emphasized, and added that Kaos-GL has attributed particular importance to sharing the experiences of foreign guests regarding their struggle against homophobia.
According to Erol, the event in May will offer attendees the opportunity to meet activists of various gay and lesbian organizations from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Hungary, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
"Homophobia is obviously a global issue," he added.
Although Erol is right to suggest that homophobia is not an issue specific to Turkey as it is a global issue, he is actually someone who has been through the most difficult times of the struggle in Turkey for gay rights.
Kaos-GL symbolizes a long journey for gay rights:
Kaos GL, of which Erol has been an active member from the beginning, started as a civil society initiative that aimed for the liberation of gays in Turkish society by publishing Turkey's first and only lesbian and gay journal -- Kaos GL -- since September 1994.
After more than a decade of struggling as an informal activist group, Kaos-GL was finally approved in July last year as a nongovernmental organization under the name of Kaos Gay-Lesbian Cultural Researches and Solidarity Association.
However, in September, the association faced being shut down when the deputy governor of Ankara asked a court to order its closure, claiming that it violated morality laws.
Eventually, the Ankara Prosecutor's Office decided not to open a case, noting that there was nothing immoral in the name or the regulations of the organization.
Media Prosecutor Kayral decided against the complaint filed by the Ankara Governor's Office. He said the Associations' Law was prepared in accordance with European Union criteria, the Accession Partnership Treaty and the European Convention of Human Rights, adding that the law was based on the principle of not getting involved in the private affairs of associations, allowing them room to work without any state or public pressure.
In a written statement, he said the words 'lesbian' and 'gay' were freely used in daily life and in scientific research, adding: "At a time when the concept of sexual discrimination is openly discussed, being a homosexual does not mean the person is immoral. Those who study morality all agree that the most important thing for human beings is to have the right to exercise free will."
Prejudice against homosexuals remains strong in Turkey, even though same-sex relationships have never been criminalized as in other Muslim countries and homosexuals today figure among the country's top celebrities.
from Turkish Daily News

Your Ad Here