Turkey’s President took aim at Eurovision. (Getty) To many, the Eurovision Song Contest is a celebration of the queer community and music. But Turkey’s president believes that the harmless competition show is a threat to families. On 20 May, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hit out at the annual music event, accusing the organisers of encouraging
Turkey
Sareh, 28, was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for “supporting homosexuality”, according to the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network (6Rang). (YouTube/6rangIran) An Iranian lesbian potentially faces the death penalty after she was arrested by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) for “supporting homosexuality”. Sareh, a 28-year-old woman who lived and worked in the
Fabien Azoulay was arrested in Turkey for buying GBL for personal consumption (Change.org) Fabien Azoulay, a French Jewish gay man harassed, beaten and burned with boiling water in a Turkish jail by homophobic inmates, has been released. Fabien Azoulay, 43, was jailed four years ago by the authorities for ordering a small amount of GBL
Çağla Akalın. (Exxen/IMDb) Turkey’s media watchdog has issued a fine against a streaming service for airing an interview with trans actor and model Çağla Akalın. The Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the state agency which regulates and sanctions broadcasts, reprimanded Exxen for showing a programme where Akalın spoke about her life. Akalın’s guest spot
Asya Cevahir was splashed with acid by, she claims, her ex-boyfriend. She remains in hospital covered in bandages. (Screen captures via Twitter) A man who is accused of throwing acid on a trans woman’s face, blinding her, has been charged for “intentional injury”, which carries a sentence of one to three years, prompting outrage among
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Getty) Turkey’s fiercely anti-gay president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has claimed that there is “no such thing” as LGBT+ people. Erdoğan has positioned himself as an ardent opponent to LGBT+ rights, with tensions rising in recent days following student protests in Istanbul. The president doubled down on his anti-LGBT+ views on
Demonstrators wearing masks hold an LGBT+ flag during the demonstration at Boaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey. (Tunahan Turhan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Four students were detained Saturday (30 January) and dubbed “deviants” by Turkey’s interior minister over a piece of artwork that reportedly depicted rainbows alongside the Kaaba. The Kaaba is the most sacred site in Islam,
Netflix faced censorship from the Turkish government. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty) Netflix sought to rebut claims it will end its Turkish service after production of an upcoming local drama was blocked by the country’s government over a gay character. According to Turkish screenwriter Ece Yorenc, the streaming giant scrapped her series If Only just days before
Turkish president Recep Erdoğan gestures. (Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Turkey’s president Recep Erdoğan offered a thinly-veiled defence of a homophobic tweet from the head of the country’s largest humanitarian agency. Erdoğan, the ruling Justice and Development Party founder, accused LGBT+ people of “sneaking up on our national and spiritual values again” and claimed
The annual Rainbow Map ranking has named Poland, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan as some of the worst countries to be LGBT+ in Europe, while the UK continues to slide down the rankings. Since 2009, LGBT+ organisation ILGA-Europe has compiled an annual Rainbow Map ranking of the 49 countries in Europe based on each country’s commitment
Netflix drama Love 101 has attracted fury in Turkey (Photos courtesy Netflix/Huseyin Bilgi) Rumours of a gay character on a Turkish Netflix series have fuelled anti-LGBT bigotry in the country. New Turkish coming-of-age drama Love 101, which is set to begin on April 24, unleashed a torrent of fury over unconfirmed rumours that it will