The Turkish main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced its manifesto for the June 7 elections, promising to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Kaos GL, “Turkish main opposition promises to fight anti-LGBT discrimination”, 20 April 2015, http://kaosgl.org/page.php?id=19225
The CHP announced yesterday its election manifesto titled “a Turkey to live in” [PDF, in Turkish] where it stated:
“We will decisively fight all kinds of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity via legislations and law enforcement.”
Protection from sexual oppression
The main opposition party underlined that “the politics of rights and freedoms” is the basis of a democratic citizenship and defined the term as follows:
“It is the only way of politics that protects all citizens from all kinds of ethnic, religious, class and sexual oppression without exception and that envisages solidarity with disadvantaged groups.”
The party also ensures that Istanbul becomes a city where all religions, sects, ethnicities, sexual orientations and genders freely.
CHP proposed numerous bills on LGBTI rights
The CHP did not nominate any out LGBTI candidates for the June 7 elections. However, the party leader gave a liberal message last week about LGBTI rights and marriage equality.
The main opposition MPs proposed numerous bills and parliamentary questions on LGBTI rights. Most recently, CHP Deputy Leader Sezgin Tanrikulu proposed a pro-LGBT social inclusion bill which aims at fighting inequality and exclusion based on identity.