Being gay in Turkey

¶ … Gay in Turkey

Turkey has a predominant Muslim population with the total population being over 12 million. The country has inherited the culture of both Asia and Europe but with Islamization, the Muslim way of life is the recognized way of life in Turkey. In the west there are fears of Turkey's legacies, on many issues. These include human rights, woman rights and gays. In 2004, Erik Jan Zurcher (2004) commented that the inability to integrate Muslims into the EU state and assertiveness of the new generation of Muslims and recent development of terrorism have created a controversy by itself. Thus when Turkey was granted a candidate membership in 1999 into the European Union, and the post 9/11 attack on the U.S. changed the way other countries. As of today Islamic countries are viewed as dangerous and there is an ongoing fear of Islam and the west views Turkey also in this light.

This is therefore a pointer that the issue being discussed need to be looked into the context of History, religion and cultural context of Turkey rather than a western view of what homosexuality is. The definitions themselves differ.

1. Understanding why people in Turkey don't accept gay people? Is this issue due to the fact that it is an Islamic society?

The principal matter that makes Turkey unique is that it has an amalgamation of many cultures. However there is a predominance of Islam and Turkey is considered as an Islamic state. Turkey is a nation with peculiarities -- both politically and culturally. That is because the country is the meeting point of the Asian and European systems. It is the country that borders both Asia and Europe and now is a part of the European Union. From early 1920's Turkey was in the process of aligning with Europe and has modernized its cultural outlook. Yet it is to be remembered that Islam is the dominant religion in Turkey, though its culture has elements of the European, Mediterranean and Eastern cultures. Muslims themselves admit that it is the most secular of Islamic nations. Gay westerners look at Turkey as an esoteric gay destination with folklore buried back into the Ottoman Empire. The Gays in Turkey however express the opinion that the 'West' is freer for them. Looking at Turkey therefore it must be understood that the male Turkish homosexuality is a complex thing and affected by religion, and occidental and oriental cultures.

It is a wrong claim that gay people are not accepted by the people of Turkey. If the facts are examined, it can be shown that the establishment is against gays and other similar people rather than the society. Islamic society is rigid in following the tenets of Islam which has abhorrence for gays. The religious prohibition cannot be questioned or violated, and even though modern Turkey has changed the laws to accommodate the gays, yet the society is hesitant to accept the existence of gays and ways of living other than that which is sanctioned by Islamic concepts. The fundamental reasoning of Islam which sees sex as occurring naturally for pleasure and procreation between a male and a female does not recognize any other form of marital status other than between a man and a woman. Traditionally it is so in all religions, and in Islam sex between men is frowned upon as unnatural.

According to the dictates of Islam, sex can take place only between married couples, and sexual encounters outside is a crime. Homosexuality is also condemned by the religion.

While on the one hand the issue of Islam and homosexuality is yet to be resolved, there are many types of homosexuality that is found in Turkey -- which may be unique to it and these are basically of four types, and not all types are condemned in Turkey. In order to understand the issue in detail it is necessary that the definition and what is considered deviant in the society especially Turkey has to be understood. Like marriage, the issue of homosexuality is also considered a type of contract. For a state that is an amalgamation of two cultures, the definition becomes invariably of prime importance.

The nature of homosexuality in a state that consists of both these types of cultures is different from other countries. The meanings attached to homosexual behaviors in Turkish society are culture specific. Thus it is a social contract initially based upon the needs of consenting same sex adults and is so viewed.

This is one of the major reasons why the gays are discriminated against and the different types of homosexuality found in Turkey relates to the consenting male who plays the part of the female who is put to ridicule and abuse, while the occasional bisexual is let off. The complexities of this mentality are to be borne in mind when the situation of homosexuals is analyzed for Turkey.

2. How does a gay feel in Turkey?

The later part of the years 2009 -- 2010 saw gays and lesbians come out in the open and demand their rights. The process however began back in the 1980s but the current atmosphere seems to have become better in terms of coming out in the open. Still as of now Turkey, according to Michael a. Jones

is a dangerous place for LGBT people. There has been rampant discrimination and violence directed at the transgender community and other gay rights organizations. There is also the incidence of a father who murdered his gay son being termed honor killing. In 2009 and this year 2010, there was no intervention of the European human rights groups for these homophobic activities of the state and the citizens. It can be stated that the Amnesty International took strong opinion to the litigation that is going on to close the gay rights organization known as the Black Pink Triangle Association. Turkey's legal system seeks to nullify the right of the LGBT voices. In 2009 the Human Rights Watch brought to light the murder of Ebru Soykan, a gay activist.

However today there is solidarity between the gays groups and this organizing of the community seems to have had its effects. However in Turkey, the Police and other enforcement officials seem to view the existence of homosexuals and their congregations as a threat to the state, and often suppress these meetings and very often brutally ill treat the gays. This oppression cannot be overlooked, and though there is nothing illegal about being gay, it is still a dangerous way of life.

All is not lost, while on the one hand oppression continues, in Turkey especially the Taksim area has become the centre for Turkey's gay community. Now there are gay bars and clubs and gays from all over are flocking to Istanbul. However, elsewhere life appears to be dangerous. Turkey's gay community lives in a "climate of fear." According to the Human rights commission, transgender and homosexual people face violence both from home and in public and they are brutalized by the police. Homosexuality is now legal in Turkey, but the Governor of Istanbul closed down meeting centers on the grounds of violating public morality. While the community is slowly coming to terms with this class of people the administration is not. There are reported police brutality from the country's transsexual and transvestite community.

Therefore these persons would not be secure and safe and would feel hounded and isolated and always in fear of their life. Acceptance in the society is yet to materialize.

3. What are the things that people should do to be more understanding in this field?

Primarily the analysis of the way of the life of the gays and the types of gays that are found in the society ought to be considered with their needs. Secondly people have to see the issue against the context of religion. On the basis of continuous struggle the gays of Turkey seem to have finally cast out the legal shackles for the gays. However the existence of homophobia in Turkey cannot be ignored. But unlike other nations, the country is set to legislate in taking the freedom of the people with the Istanbul court closing down one of the largest gay rights group on the basis that it was "against the law and morality." While that was happening on one side we also have to consider the fact that in 2008 Istanbul was the host to the biggest 'Gay Pride' parade of the year and the liberals of western Turkey have ensured that some gay groups are free as compared to the other parts of the country. The religious feeling of the masses is a great factor that has been fuelled by the recent Islamic movements. Gay way of life is proscribed, and made punishable but is not treated severely.

It is pointed out by Gary David Comstock (1997) that the Quran mentions homosexualities only five times in its entire length and of these four are from the Old Testament. Only once has the Prophet mentioned it as -- "if two men & #8230;commit indecency punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, then let them be, and there is no mention of the punishment and the negativity is not so strong and in other cases of deviant behavior from the religion which result in death."

To understand the propensities of the people therefore it is also necessary to observe the orientation of the population and it is claimed that generally Turkish men, as observed by Lynn a. Levine (2010) express more public affection with men rather than with women and today gayness is becoming open. There are local resources in Turkey today for same sex couples. There is also a magazine run exclusively for gays called the Kaos GL.

This shows that the community has finally accepted the gay culture though not on equal terms. Tolerance seems to have crept in for the larger part of Turkey which is now modernized with European contact. There has been a movement within the country with gay organizations coming up in the country. Turkey had its gay organizations begun in the mid 1980s and it had a political origin. Gender identity politics became a cornerstone with the coming of the homosexual movement which caused changes in political relations between parties and personal identities play a very important role in Turkey politics. Thus the emergence of gay politics, or rather gays in politics seem to have turned the tables and the Radical green party (democratic) which included members from various marginalized sections of the society -- and its magazine Yezil Baris gave wide publicity to homosexuality and its existence.

Therefore it is to be recognized that more than religious fervor, the problem is the political necessity to keep down the gay community and the establishment's fear of their organization. One thing that needs to be done by the gays themselves is to organize in a better manner and disseminate knowledge not only of their feelings and needs but also the fact that universally sexual expressions are being seen as human rights. Only by such wide propaganda and a careful watch of human rights violations that occur in countries, especially those countries that are deeply involved in religion can this issue be solved. The cooperation of the public and their tolerance can come about only with dissemination of proper information and representations and solidarity. The advent of groups and the activities that have a political nature have contributed to the government decriminalizing homosexuality which shows that the voices of gays are being heard by the community.

4. Is Turkey becoming a more conservative country regarding gay people or becoming more modern?

It can be shown positively that Turkey is becoming modern in more than one sense. For example while many other Islamic states have not yet recognized the rights of gays, Turkey seems to have gone far ahead in terms of enforcing legal protection. However the people of a country have varied interests and religious bigotry exists in all places. It is so in Turkey, and while the political climate dictated that the government review and change the laws to accommodate the western and particularly European thinking on most issues, including human rights, women's rights and the issue of gays, there has been resistance as shown within the state especially the police and law enforcement establishments, and also by the public and religious powers. These actions have created a panic that the legalization could not wipe out. While the gay activists did manage to get their rights established as per law, the political strategies and Islamism were the boundaries that activists could not cross. Islamist activism that enforced compliance from individuals to the system also made sure that those who do not comply were ostracized. Modernization as far as Turkey is concerned thus intends merely creating a bureaucratic control of all aspects of society and the resulting struggles between the social religious and the elements of modernization.

There have been individual and group actions against gays and hate crimes. These like the death of Ahmet Yildiz, 26, a physics student who represented Turkey at an international gay gathering in San Francisco was shot leaving a cafe near the Bosphorus strait. It is the first gay honor killing. Turkey became a member of the European Union and with that came the notion of rights for minorities such as women and gays. Both were earlier anathemas. Ahmet Yildiz's death was a result of his open statements that he was gay. The government, the Turkish society and the military view homosexuality as a type of "illness"

Thus the army makes sure that males who apply for the army are exempted on grounds of homosexuality which of course requires medical proof. Honor killing is not something to be overlooked. According to the government one person gets killed each week in Istanbul by honor killings." Though Turkey's justice system has tried to stem honor killings, and family honor is no more an extenuating circumstance, this has been got around by using a child relative to carry out the killing! " the reason for the rampant honor killing is the belief that such killings cleanse illicit relationships. While women have no sexual freedom, the male homosexuality is a subject of public ire

Honor killing is a part of the Turkish and of the Islamic culture and in the case of gays this causes threats to their existence it also reaches other communities like women, and those who go against or express opinions against the religion. Therefore while the rights of gays are to be protected there ought to be a ban or some form of legislation to make honor killing murder and not a condonable act. The gay community therefore ought to fight for this -- which will modernize the society to a great extent. Thus though the homophobia in Turkey cannot be ignored, the country is set to legislate on one had in providing freedom to gays while on the other hand some courts seem to be bent on in taking the freedom of the people with the Istanbul court closing down one of the largest gay rights group on the basis that it was "against the law and morality." While that was on one side we also have to consider the fact that in 2008 Istanbul was the host to the biggest Gay Pride parade of the year, the liberals of western Turkey have ensured that some gay groups are free as compared to the other parts of the country.

Thus it can be argued that Turkey is in the process of becoming modern and is struggling with resistance from the rooted belief and prejudices it inherited from the historical past.

5. What is the latest news considering gay people in Turkey?

The position in Turkey can be seen and inferred from the news that flows out of the country. There are newspaper reports which show that the gays seem to be gaining ground in their cause, while at the same time there is also a disturbing side that many gays and transgenders have been the victims of the hate killers. There are specific statements made online, in blogs and writings that relate to the affairs of the gays in Turkey. For example the tourism sector has offered much information for the gay people visiting Turkey which indicates the local gay culture. The information booklets and blogs point out that the gay culture of Turkey is different from those in western countries, and it is claimed that Turkey is the only Muslim country where homosexuality is not illegal.

The denotation of the homosexual as: "ibne" and "oglan." While having simple meanings "faggot" and "oglan" is used to mean "gay." The Turkey-based gays have two sides, and these people won't call themselves gay like bisexuals, and the "passive" ones who behave like women in bed and so on. The society is changing and the adaptation of the English word "gay" into the Turkish society is shown by these agents who promote tourism as the change in the society and its attitude to homosexuals. Istanbul has many attractions and study of the websites show that there is also a "Private Gay Tour Guide for Istanbul."

The killings for homosexual actions are quite rampant. For example on April 11, 2009, Melek K., a transexual, was stabbed to death in Ankara. During 2008, there have been more than ten murders between 10 November 2008, when transsexual Dilek Ince was shot dead in Ankara and another on 19 December 2008. Following that came the killing of transsexual Ebru Soykan- 10 March 2009 and after that the list of the homosexuals killed in Istanbul are as follows: "Yasar Mizrak (44), Mehmet Naci Zeyrek (30), Enes Arici (25) and Ercan Coskun"

all found in a well. They were killed for being gay. On the other hand it is also reported that Istanbul has more transsexuals than elsewhere. While these depressing developments remind that there is a long way to go, the position as of today is much better and society is tolerant as per Rosie Ayliffe (2003). Today homosexuality between adults in Turkey is legal and the law against printing homosexual information has become virtually defunct. But it is shown that the police often raid gay bars. There is also a discriminatory compulsory STD test and they are subject to harassment. There are many activists who are active on the internet on various sites wherein the homosexuals exchange information. One such is Lambda (www.lambdaistanbul.org). There are several similar sites.

This along with the evidence of activity and voices of protest has become more common today. Even in politics the reality shows that the gays seem to have finally arrived in the mainstream society and are in a position to claim equal rights and protection. For example they now are able to with safely make voice protests against attack on their community. Take for example, the protest against statements made by public authorities against gays- There has been a news item in the Huriyath News on March 2010