Backlash attacks? By Melanie Nathan, June 28, 2015. In stark contrast to Pride celebrations in the United States, where being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender was celebrated with joy and a focus on recent equality victories, the Pride parade held in Turkey was marred by police violence against the thousands of LGBT people and allies […]
Protests across Turkey sparked by latest trans murder
Transphobia murders endemic in Turkey By Cathy Kristofferson, July 11, 2013 Update: July 12, 2013 Photos of today’s events below Tuesday, Dora Özer was found stabbed to death in her home by her roommate. Dora, only 24, is the latest victim of the rampant transphobia in Turkey. According to Transgender Europe, at least 30 transgender individuals were […]
Istanbul LGBT Pride success in wake of Taksim Gezi Park uprising
By Cathy Kristofferson, June 30, 2013 Thousands of gay rights activists were joined by Gezi Park demonstrators as they marched in the 11th annual Istanbul Pride March along the iconic İstiklal Avenue. The violence from the Taksim Gezi Park uprising seemed poised to threaten the parade in Istanbul today and for weeks police & security […]
Thousands March in Istanbul Trans Pride Parade
By Cathy Kristofferson, June 23, 2013 Even though Turkish security forces yesterday unleashed water cannons to break up a peaceful march in commemoration of those who were killed in the recent Turkish uprising, by all accounts available, Istanbul’s Trans Pride Parade today continued unaffected and was a huge success! There had been a lot of […]
Resistanbul – Call to actions from Istanbul LGBT Pride
By Cathy Kristofferson, June 20, 2013 Turkish LGBT rights activists and organizations in Istanbul have posted requesting our support and solidarity. We have previously blogged about their threatened Pride Parade here on OBLOGDEE. Now due to the Taksim Gezi Park actions and resulting police crackdowns both their June 23rd Trans Pride March and the June 30th LGBT Pride March […]
Taksim Gezi Park LGBT activists beaten arrested delivering food and medicine
“What is wrong to be humankind?” By Cathy Kristofferson, June 12, 2013 This morning I saw a post in my Facebook news feed from Istanbul LGBT Onur Haftası/ Istanbul LGBT Pride Week requesting desperately needed motorcycle helmets for the LGBT BLOCK at Taksim Gezi Park. I was really trying to figure how to beam them my helmet […]
Turkey’s ruling party says LGBTs ‘immoral’
“Isn’t there a place in Turkey for LGBT’s?” By Cathy Kristofferson, June 1, 2013 Just before Turkey exploded onto the international news scene with the current uprising in Taskim Square now labeled #OccupyGezi , we received a request to publicize the police suppression of this year’s Istanbul Gay Pride March which we did here. While […]
Istanbul Pride March 2013 under threat of government suppression
By Cathy Kristofferson, May 29, 2013 The Istanbul Pride March of 2013 is under threat of suppression by the Turkish Government security forces. Istanbul Pride,which has been occurring annually since 2003,is a week of events capped off by the Pride March. From the 30 who marched the first year it has grown to tens of […]
Turkish Press Ordered to Pay Compensation for Insulting LGBT People
By Guest Dan Litttauer, 9.01.2012 Turkey’s High Court of Appeals has ordered the Turkish daily paperVakit, formerly known as Yeni Akit , to pay compensation for insulting LGBT people in a headline which the publication printed back in 2008, According to a report published by Hürriyet, Yeni Akit had printed an article titled “Üskül Prefers […]
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