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
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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
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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