President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has centered his political agenda around targeting the LGBTQ+ community in the lead-up to his re-election this year. Journalists and rights activists are sounding the alarm about the harmful effects of the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and pressure in Turkey.
For staff at the Turkish LGBTQ online magazine Velvele, the worry that content will be censored is constant.
An editor at Velvele told VOA News that one of the biggest threats that they might face in the near future, is that they might block an essay or the whole website referring to Turkish authorities.
This concern is exacerbated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s targeting of the LGBTQ community as a central aspect of his political agenda in the lead-up to his recent re-election. The Turkish government has a history of using internet blocks and legal intimidation to suppress critical media outlets.
In an already challenging media landscape with limited freedom, the fear of journalists becoming targets is a constant worry, as Hepkaner explained.
While Velvele has so far managed to avoid censorship and legal threats, Hepkaner underlined that the fear remains ever-present. Following a failed coup attempt in 2016, numerous news organizations have been seized or compelled to close down.
Moreover, Hepkaner pointed out that the website consistently encounters instances of homophobic and transphobic harassment online.
The challenges faced by platforms like Velvele stem from larger, underlying forces shaping the situation in Turkey.
The period leading up to the recent presidential election was characterized by the ruling government, particularly President Erdogan, employing homophobic and transphobic language. This rhetoric was mirrored by pro-government media outlets.
“LGBTQ+ community can be a scapegoat”
Analysts of the Turkish situation suggest that this rhetoric was likely aimed at appealing to the conservative Muslim base supporting the ruling party and diverting the public’s attention from the country’s economic challenges.
Emre Kızılkaya, an Istanbul-based journalist and media researcher, told VOA that the party “may have decided that the LGBTQ+ community can be a convenient scapegoat.”
“In order to keep mobilizing public support, especially in the smaller and more conservative heartland of the country, Erdogan’s ruling party constantly needs enemies,” said Kızılkaya, who is also vice chair of the International Press Institute.
Homophobic and transphobic rhetoric from Erdogan and his allies is “red meat for the core base of conservative, Erdogan voters,” said Sinan Ciddi, a fellow on Turkey at the Washington think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Divisiveness works. Polarization works. He’s figured that out.”
In Turkey, homosexuality isn’t illegal, and laws exist to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. But the country still ranks second to last in Europe in terms of LGBTQ rights, according to an index from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association-Europe.
Source: VOA News