Gays in turkey

There is growing hostility to gradual discourse on gender and family structures in Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has even called Homosexual people a threat to society.

Some people in Turkey say with resentment that gay men are actually lucky, as at least they have one possible route out of military service - they don't have to disburse months in the barracks, or face the possibility of being deployed to fight against Kurdish militants.

But for openly gay men, life can be far from easy.

It is not uncommon for employers in Turkey to question career applicants about their military service - and a pink certificate can express a job rejection.

One of Gokhan's employers found out about it not by asking Gokhan himself but by asking the army.

After that, he says, he was bullied. His co-workers made derogatory comments as he walked past, others refused to talk to him.

''But I am not ashamed. It is not my shame," he says.

Ahmet is still waiting for his case to be resolved. The army has postponed its decision on his pink certificate for another year.

Ahmet thinks it is because he refused to appear before them in woman's clothes. And he doesn't know what to expect when he appears in front of them again.

Could he not just do his military service and keep his homosexuality a secr

LGBTQ Travel in Turkey

Turkey is a secular country, and same-sex relationships and other types of LBGTQI+ relationships are not against the law. As in every country throughout history, Turkey has LBGTQ communities that make their contributions to the richness and variety of customs and society. However, it is important to record that it is also a Muslim-majority country, which affects society's perspectives on same-sex relationships and universal affection.

This complex relationship between secular governance and having a Muslim majority population makes traveling in Turkey as an LGBTQ+ person difficult. So, what is the situation like for LGBTQ visitors who aspire to travel to Turkey? It is complicated.

State of LGBTQ+ in Turkey

While progress is being made toward understanding and mutual acceptance, especially with anti-discrimination laws, the majority of people in Turkey are relatively conservative and want male-female relationships to be the only ones sanctioned by society. Other relationships subsist , of course, as they always have.

Turkey has made progress, with more and more openly gay celebrities, gay bars, and queer clubs, along with a number of more gay-friendly ho

Gay Guide Turkey

Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey as words like "homosexual, transgender, and bisexual" perform not exist in Turkish law. The revisions of criminal codes in 2005 retained provisions barring "indecency", "exhibitionism", and "offenses against public morality", historically often used to restrict LGBT people's rights. Furthermore, recent amendments to a 1934 law on the powers and duties of the police have given the police almost unlimited influence to patrol and authority public spaces (cruising areas). Violence has gained visibility: Gangs go to cruising areas and visit internet websites where gay men meet - looking for chances to inflict aggression or robbery. Police rarely respond adequately; sometimes even blaming or harassing the victims of violence. In 2012, a gay teenager was murdered by his father and uncle, but many crimes still proceed undetected, even today, because gays are afraid of the police forces' reactions. TransPride Istanbul 2012 witnessed attacks by Islamic nationalists belonging to the youth organization Alperen Ocaklan, who threw stones and bottles at Pride visitors. But the attacks remained relatively minor as the police were able to instantly driv

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