Turkey was once seen as the bridge between East and West both physically and culturally, and a beacon of hope for the LGBT community in the Middle East. Now, the country has increasingly become hostile toward the community—from Pride crackdowns and now all-out bans. The capital, Ankara, has just banned all LGBT public events. How do they justify this? The government is saying that it’s in order to assuage fears that they could provoke hostility and violence.
Canceled/banned events include film festivals, talks, interviews, museum exhibits, etc. The decision was announced by Governor Mehmet Kiliclar who said that he hopes to promote “public order, prevention of crime, general health and morals.”
Turkey is one of the few primarily Muslim countries in which homosexuality is legal. [CNN]
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