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Gay in Turkey
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In the last decade, central Istanbul's Taksim area - famed for its bars, clubs and liberal lifestyle - has become the centre of the country's gay community. Numerous gay bars and clubs have opened, and more and more gays from across the country are flocking to Istanbul.
One of them is Emre Can, a 30-year old professional. But earlier this year he got a hard reminder of the risks of being gay in Turkey. He says:
"I was coming home with my boyfriend. Two men followed us. Apparently they saw us kissing so they were offended by that, somehow. They attacked us in the doorway of my boyfriend's home. They threw a full bottle of beer at us and started yelling and screaming all sorts of slurs. So now I do feel kind edgy when I go outside."
Emre Can had been attacked before, while at university in the provincial city of Eskisehir. According to a report published last week by the US-based Human Rights Watch, Turkey's gay community lives in a "climate of fear". Scott long, the author of the report says:
"There is systematic pattern of violence by the police and in the communities. Even in the family, gay men face and transgender people face violence." Legal Ironically, Emre Can was saved in this latest attack by two policemen, but Istanbul's police are accused by Human Rights Watch of carrying out a crackdown on Lambda, one the city's gay rights groups. Boira Bengisum of Lambda says:
"More than 12 police officers came to our office. They did not find anything that constituted a criminal office. Despite this, they seized documents about our financial systems and membership systems." While homosexuality is legal in Turkey, police claim Lambda's premises are being used for prostitution because transvestites and transsexuals were seen visiting the centre. But the raid is the least of Lambda's worries. A local court this week upheld a petition by Istanbul's governor to close it down for violating public morality. Lambda is now appealing the case. Turkey's loosely worded laws on decency are frequently used by the authorities to crackdown on gay groups. They have started a similar case against Kaos, a gay rights group based in the capital, Ankara.
Visible But gay rights groups see the closure cases as indication of their success. Mr Bengisun says:
"The pressure against us has increased as we have tried to become more visible. If we live behind closed doors, nobody would say anything to us. If we want the state to recognize us, our sexual orientation and our gender identities, then pressure increases at the same level. They don't want us to be visible in society or on the streets."
Hammer In Ankara earlier this month, gay rights activists staged an anti-homophobia summit. The meeting was even attended by the head of the parliamentary human rights commission of the ruling Islamist AK party, despite strong condemnation from the religious media. But the government is still under pressure to rein in its security forces. Scott Long of Human Rights Watch says:
"In Ankara there is a special police team called Balyoz, which means hammer, and again and again transgender people told us that they've been beaten up and raped by this police team. Its goal is to clean the city centre of transgender people. And most conspicuous of all: the government does not intervene to stop it." This story was approved by and featured on: The State We're In, Radio Netherlands programme on human rights and human wrongs
It is not difficult to find accusations of police brutality from the country's transsexual and transvestite community. With her striking long red ginger hair 50-year-old transsexual Gul is a well-known figure in the city's transvestite community.
"A couple a weeks ago I was sitting at home late at night when I heard a banging on my door. When I opened the door, there were a dozen armed police. They searched my house without a warrant and took me to the police station; I wasn't even allowed to speak to my lawyer. Ever since last year's new anti-terror law, which gives the police power to enter anyone's home without a warrant. They have been using this against people like ourselves." The security forces refused to comment, but in the past they have strongly rejected charges of prejudice.
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