Ankara

Official statement: Ankara governor’s office bans LGBTI events

Screen Shot 2017-11-19 at 14.19.13

Source: Ankara Valiliği, “Yasaklama Kararına İlişkin Basın Duyurusu,” November 19, 2017, http://ankara.gov.tr/yasaklama-kararina-iliskin-basin-duyurusu-19112017

Press Statement Regarding the Ban Decision

It has been noticed through various social media and print and visual media outlets that in different locations around our city activities such as film screenings, cinevision, theater plays, panels, talks, exhibitions etc. which include certain social sensibilities and sensitivities by various civil society organizations under the name of LGBTT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or transvestite) and LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) are scheduled.

It was decided that the aforementioned social media shares might deliberately incite a certain segment of society with different characteristics of social class, race, religion, sect or region against another segment of society, that this might lead to imminent peril with regards to public security, that also it can harm the protection of other people’s rights and liberties, public health and morality as well as of public order, prevention of crime, and therefore there may be reactions and provocations against the groups and individuals taking part in the organization due to certain social sensibilities.

Due to these circumstances, from November 18, 2017 onwards, activities of LGBTT-LGBTI organizations such as film screenings, cinevision, theater plays, panels, talks, exhibitions which include certain social sensitivities and sensibilities in various locations around our city are banned by our Governorship, based on the Article 11/C of Law Of Provincial Administration No 5442, within the scope of measures to be taken for the provision of peace, security, right to physical integrity and the public order, following Article 17 of Law No. 2911 on Assembly and Demonstration Marches and Article 11/F of Law No. 2935 on State of Emergency.

We respectfully announce the ban to the public.

Turkey’s first and only queer film festival to kick off for the 4th time

Pink Life QueerFest will kick off tomorrow in Ankara for the 4th time. Having started its journey in 2011, the first and only queer film festival in Turkey will also have a 3-day-long screening in Istanbul this year in collaboration with Baska Sinema.

Source: Ömer Akpınar, “Turkey’s first and only queer film festival to kick off for the 4th time”, kaosGL.org, 14 January 2015, http://kaosgl.org/page.php?id=18497

Pink Life Queer Film Festival poster

Festival director Bilge Tas has a lot of experience organizing film festivals but she says organizing a queer film festival is much more difficult: “Because you cannot make use of state or local funds.”

However, Tas feels glad not to feel “the shadow of state” over the festival:

“The more support you get from the state, the more suitable it will be for your manners to speak from the mouth of state and to reflect what it says.”

Queer films will be shown in Ankara and Istanbul

Tas underlines the importance of international support for the festival:

“Our biggest supporters are the Embassy of United States and the Norwegian Embassy. They keep supporting the festival from the very beginning faithfully.”

The festival also enjoys a great deal of voluntary support, the most visible ones being  Hacettepe University’s Department of Translation and Interpreting with its film translation and Bilkent University students taking Media and Gender course with their “unofficial trailer”.

The official teaser of the festival which features famous actors Ayta Sozeri, Serra Yilmaz and Gonca Vuslateri increased the visibility for the 4th Pink Life Queer Fest on social media. The festival will also host some panels, theatre plays and workshops.

The 4th Pink Life Queer Fest will be held in Ankara between 15-22 January and in Istanbul between 23-25 January.

You can find the full program here.