In light of the escalating threats to LGBTI+ rights in Turkey, resistance is gaining momentum against the erosion of basic human rights that jeopardize the well-being and equality of the LGBTI+ community. Our Visual Content and Communications Coordinator, Ufuk Yeşil’s commentary emphasizes the political context of these threats and the need to keep raising our voices.
Against the backdrop of rising frictions, opponents of the LGBTI+ community staged a second mass march in Istanbul, Turkey this Sunday. The marches had been going on for a couple of years and were occurring under the title “the Big Family Gathering.” Multiple rallies were held in many cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, Konya, Izmir, and Diyarbakır.
Human rights defenders have expressed grave concerns that these actions could exacerbate the already troubling surge in hate speech targeting LGBTI+ rights and individuals.
While anti-LGBTQ+ mobilization is being advocated, multiple forms of resistance is also taking place. Recently, an online mobilization titled “the Big Life Gathering” (Büyük Hayat Buluşması) emerged as a powerful response to the growing anti-LGBTI+ mobilization. This live broadcast served to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds, allies, and advocates of LGBTI+ rights.
Ufuk Yeşil, the Visual Content and Communications Coordinator of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, wrote about the context of the threats and the importance of putting the rights issue on the agenda.
We are sharing an updated version of his commentary that was written during Pride Month.
Since starting to work at the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, I have become increasingly engaged in following agendas related to women and the LGBTQ+ community. While our hope for Turkey often feels at its lowest, I have managed to reawaken this hope to some extent through reading about positive global examples and creating content for social media. However, as election season approached, what I’ve witnessed and heard has driven me to engage in writing, something I haven’t done in a long while. This piece is, in a way, a story of why I wanted to write: to speak out and find solace.
May is the month when we put our hopes, joys, and dreams into an envelope and cast our votes. Above all, the election results would shape our future, regardless of which side emerges victorious. I had already prepared myself for the change that Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu would bring, but it wasn’t meant to be. At the end of the day, I realized that we would have to seek other avenues to keep our dreams alive.
My close circle often tells me that I have a generally optimistic, energizing, and problem-solving outlook on life. While having this mission often makes me feel good, I also believe that it’s entirely normal to feel down from time to time, and I want to fully experience that emotion. In the week following the May 28th elections, I was in an incredibly depressive state. The urge to cry, the sense of helplessness, the decision not to leave my room, and so on—my friends found this all too extreme. They aren’t used to it, of course—what can they do? But I had my reasons. President Erdoğan targeted the LGBTQ+ community in his first post-election speech in Kısıklı, vilifying the opposition candidate, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (and, by extension, anyone who believed in him), the statements by the HÜDA PAR regarding women’s policies and LGBTI+ rights and issues, and so on—I felt trapped in an unbearable environment. It was a profound sense of helplessness. But what’s truly disheartening is that we’ve been polarized to such an extent that even if we attempt to find common ground or voice our opinions, it feels like we’re going to be stoned. LGBTQ+ individuals are not deviant, family-destructive, or members of a terrorist organization. Even as I write this sentence, I find myself questioning the need for such an explanation, but there’s a 50% segment of the population that believes otherwise. This corresponds to one in two people we might encounter in society.
Although I discussed these thoughts with my close circle, I didn’t feel much relief because they, too, harbored various versions of the same hopelessness. Fortunately, I managed to overcome that state of despair after a week, on my own terms. I know that both the cure and the problem lie within me. June has arrived, summer has come, and our hearts have warmed with the sunlight. Above all, it’s Pride month, and our hearts will radiate rainbows in every direction. Despite bans, oppression, and intimidation, we will continue to celebrate the rainbow. We will watch films and engage in discussions, host panels to listen to each other, and proudly carry the pride and honor of being ourselves in every moment of our lives. This text, as I mentioned earlier, is a result of my desire to express myself and find relief. I hope I am not alone, and I hope the rainbow is in your hearts too.
Years ago, my badge read: “The freedom of colors will beautify the world!” I wish freedom for myself and all my comrades. Happy Pride Month!”