MHP

Young gay man attacked in Bolu by Nationalists

In Bolu, a young gay man was the victim of a homophobic hate attack in the middle of the street by two people saying “We are [Devlet] Bahceli’s soldiers”. [Bahçeli is the leader of the far right-wing Nationalist Movement Party.] Bolu Labor and Democracy Platform condemned the attack.

Source: Yildiz Tar, “Bolu’da eşcinsel gence ‘Bahçeli’nin askerleriyiz’ diyerek saldırdılar” (“Men stating ‘We are Bahceli’s soldiers’ attacked young gay man in Bolu”), Kaos GL, 10 March 2015, http://www.kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=18929

A young gay man studying at Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University was attacked on March 8th, International Women’s Day. The young man who attended the women’s protest on the campus on 6 March, suffered from a homophobic hate attack from two people two days later, on 8 March, while he was on his way to buy some bread.

The young man describing the incident to KaosGL.org stated that the assailants used statements such as “We are Devlet Bahceli’s soldiers”, “Faggot”, “Poof”, and “Disrupter”, and applied physical violence. He shared what he went through as follows:

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Turkish MPs to participate in EU LGBTI seminar

Four members of Parliament from the AKP, CHP and MHP will participate in the seminar on the fundamental rights and protections for LGBTI communities against discrimination organized by the European Parliament in Tirana.

Source: Ömer Akpınar, “AKP, CHP ve MHP’den vekiller LGBTİ seminerine katılacak” (Members of Parliament from AKP, CHP and MHP to participate in an LGBTI seminar) Kaos GL, 17 November 2014, http://www.kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=17971

Mehmet Metiner and Ziver Özdemir from the ruling party AKP, Binnaz Toprak from the CHP and Ruhsar Demirel from the MHP will participate in the seminar titled, “Fundamental Rights, Non-Discrimination and the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Including the LGBTI people,” which will be held in the Albanian capital Tirana between November 20th-21st.

European Parliament organizes seminar against discrimination

The event will bring together members of parliaments from EU pre-accession / candidate countries with representatives from the European Parliament. Topics of discussion will include legislation against discrimination, protection of minority rights and the role of media in changing prejudicial attitudes towards sexual orientation and gender identity.

Albanian Parliamentary Spokesperson Ilir Meta and Minister of Social Affairs Erion Velliaj will speak at the event. Also present at the event will be important names such as Gianludovico de Martino di Montegiordano, from the Italian Presidency of the Council of the EU and president of the Interministerial  Human Rights Committee, as well as Urike Lunacek, Vice President, EU-Western Balkans, the author of the report outlining the EU’s LGBT roadmap.

Do you know the members of Parliament who will represent Turkey in Tirana?

Mehmet Metiner, AKP MP from Adıyaman: Member of the Human Rights Investigation Committee. He participated in visits to the three prisons in Antalya and Alanya organized by the subcommittee on prisons. Complaints by gay and trans inmates were also included in the report on the issues in the L- Type Antalya prison.

Ziver Özdemir,  AKP MP from Batman: Member of the Human Rights Investigation Committee. He has no record of work on LGBTI issues.

Binnaz Toprak, CHP MP from İstanbul:  Deputy Chair,  Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. She submitted a motion to ex Prime Minister Erdogan regarding the problems of LGBT people. Backed by 59 signatures from the CHP she motioned the Parliament for a Parliamentary Investigation into the matter. In May 2013, she received the Outspoken Award presented by the Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in the USA.

Ruhsar Demirel, MHP MP from Eskişehir: MHP Vice President, Member of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Men and Women. He met with Kaos GL’s Legal Counsel Hayriye Kara and Foreign Relations Coordinator Murat Köylü for consultation regarding the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Report on Turkey.

Homophobic attack by Milli Gazete!

Millî Gazete[2] reported the Turkish Parliament’s approval of MPs’  participation in the event with the headline “Parliament gives pass for Immorality.” A news report published on Friday by Ahmet Yavuz in the paper states, “even the mention of LGBT rights in parliamentary proceedings is the biggest insult to the nation and its beliefs.”

LGBTI activists from Turkey will also participate in the seminar

Kaos GL’s Legal Counsel Hayriye Kara as well as LGBTI activists from Turkey will be in Tirana for the event. Günseli Dum from LISTAG (Families of LGBTI individuals) will also give a presentation on LISTAG’s work.

 

[1] CHP: Republican People’s Party; AKP: Justice and Development Party; MHP: Nationalist Action Party

[2] A conservative Turkish Daily Newspaper.

“That thing does not suit MHP!”

Source: Hazal Özvarış, “‘That Thing does not Suit MHP!’” (“‘O Şey MHP’ye Uymaz!’”), T24, 2 June 2014, http://t24.com.tr/haber/o-sey-mhpye-uymaz,259998

Translator’s note: This is the translation of an excerpt from an interview conducted with the former MHP (Nationalist Movement Party) Province Chairman for Istanbul, Abdurrahman Başkan. While the full interview covers multiple topics, we have chosen to translate only the part that pertains to LGBTI individuals.

Homosexual nationalists

Q: You might have seen the “Nationalist LGBTs” account on Twitter.

A: I prefer not to answer this question since I do not have much information on it.

Q: Upon being elected Province Chairman for Istanbul, you gave an interview to Hürriyet Daily where you said the following: “I try to meet with all sectors of society. I have conservative values but I can consider all kinds of opinions.” What prevents you now from doing so?

A: You are referring to people’s preferences. Everyone’s inclination is their own business. That is why I do not wish to comment on this.

“LGBT inclinations do not fit with our frame of mind”

Q: The editor in chief of Ortadoğu Daily recounted the following on 3 May, the day of Turkism: “It [the newspaper] does not have fuss and feathers; no wise men or models, nobody from Robert College or Saint Joseph High School, no gays, no jabber, no tabloid press. That is why only nationalists read it.”

A: What we say is that our conservative frame [of mind] is opposed to that thing you describe. We are saying that it does not suit our more conservative and traditional family structure.

Q: You abstain from even mentioning the word.

A: We say that this subject does not agree with our worldview.

Q: Are you saying that “there cannot be a nationalist who is gay” while homosexual nationalists are trying to make their voices heard on Twitter, albeit via nicknames?

A: I cannot give any comments on this question.

Q: Why not?

A: I have already explicitly replied to this. These kinds of inclinations do not agree with our general philosophy, the religion that we take as a basis of our nationalist, conservative structure.

Q: So what is your mission statement as a politician; what must homosexuals do?

A: Everyone in politics may be focused on attracting votes from various sectors. But we do not have any party activities that incorporate those who have such inclinations.

“They do not disappear when you ignore them”

Q: Therefore if the MHP were to win the elections, they would not have policies regarding homosexuals because they would only devise politics based on the sectors that vote for them. Is that correct?

A: I am only expressing my own opinions. But I can say that this is not an issue we spend much time on or something that we are open to.

Q: Mr. Başkan, if the CHP were elected and they said, “We are not open to Islam,” would you not consider yourself ostracized, as a Muslim?

A: But you are talking about Islam. Why are you conflating two issues that have nothing to do with each other?

Q: Society is made up of multiple components.

A: And so, are you about to ask me how I perceive pickpockets or some other people?

Q: Is your stance one that involves ignoring them?

A: They do not disappear when you ignore them. I said that we have no projects or pledges in this regard.