Rights Violations in 2013

Rights violations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in 2013 in Turkey

Trans Men Information Site Also Victim to “Administrative Measure”

Source: Kaos GL, “Trans Erkek Bilgi Bankası da “İdari Tedbir” Kurbanı!”, (“Trans Men Information Bank Also Victim to “Administrative Measure!””), 8 October 2013, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=14966

Transsick-o, an information blog on trans men, was censored by the Presidency of Telecommunication. An “administrative measure” was put in place against the blog that covers a broad range of topics on trans men issues and news that include health care, military, law, and coming out.

No longer accessible on the http://transsicko.blogspot.com address, the content was exported to http://transsicko.tumblr.com/ and to http://transsicko.blogspot.de/. Transsick-o admins announced that they will begin legal procedures regarding the administrative measure, which might have been initiated because of a complaint.

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Apparently Society is Not Ready for an LGBT Student Club Either!

Source: Kaos GL, “Meğer Toplum LGBT Öğrenci Topluluğuna da Hazır Değilmiş!” (“Apparently Society is Not Ready for an LGBT Student Club Either!”), 2 October 2013, http://www.kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=14926

Apparently Society is Not Ready for an LGBT Student Club Either!

Ege University’s LGBT students’ application for the student club status was rejected on the grounds that “society is not ready for a student club like this.”

Members of the Ege University Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Research and Solidarity Community protested the Rectorship for not accepting their “club” application.

“We live in a country where teachers call their students “fags”!”

Members of Ege Legebit who identify themselves “students who do not accept the patriarchal system” made a statement after the protest.

“We live in a country where teachers call their homosexual students “fags.” We are students who do not accept the patriarchal system of this country. Schools have etched in our brains the idea that we are perverts. Our parents who were exposed to the same education now kill their children in the name of honor; the reason of that we are not who they wanted. Even that being the case, our society is still shocked that “in the old times, they used to bury their daughters alive.”

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Public Case against Yeni Akit for Insulting Homosexuals

Source: Kaos GL, “Yeni Akit’e Eşcinselleri Aşağılamaktan Kamu Davası,” (“Public case against Yeni Akit for Insulting Homosexuals,”) 19 August 2013, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=14666

Kaos GL’s (Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Organization) 10.03.2013 objection to the prosecutorial decision, which deemed insults to homosexuals as freedom of expression, was accepted. This is followed by a case against Yeni Akit, a conservative Turkish daily newspaper.

Bakırköy Public Prosecutor’s Department declared a newspaper article that defined homosexuality as “perverse” within “freedom of expression” under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and gave a non-prosecution decision. However, the court accepted Kaos GL’s objection to this decision and Bakırköy Public Prosecutor’s Department lifted the non-prosecution decision and filed a lawsuit against Yeni Akit.  Now the court will make a decision on whether homosexuality, which has so far divided the judiciary, is perverse or a sexual orientation.

On October 23, 2012 Yeni Akit published an article which states: “The homosexuals who increase their perverse demands everyday under the guise of “democratic rights” have now entered schools. Kaos GL Association printed a brochure and started to distribute it in schools. The brochure presents perverse tendencies as “normal” and asks for “tolerance” towards students who have these tendencies. The aim is to present perverts as “normal”.” Thereon, Kaos GL Association made an official complaint about the the author Furkan Altınok.

Bakırköy Public Prosecutor’s Department stated that the article was within the scope of freedom of the press and decided for non-prosecution. The court, which accepted Kaos GL’s objection to the non-prosecution decision of the prosecution, decided that a lawsuit must be filed against the Yeni Akit article.

The court evaluated Kaos GL’s objection and decided by 2 votes against 1 that the description of homosexuals as perverse in the October 23, 2012 Yeni Akit article cannot be deemed freedom of expression.

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Big Threat: The Perverts are Infiltrating the Schools

This article was published in Yeni Akit, a conservative Turkish daily newspaper, on 23 October 2012. Debates and trials on whether the article is within the bounds of freedom of expression or discrimination continue. Follow the trial here.

Source: Furkan Altınok, “Büyük tehlike, sapkınlar okullara sızıyor,” (“Big Threat: The Perverts are Infiltrating the Schools,”) Yeni Akit, 23 October 2012,  http://www.habervaktim.com/haber/269405/buyuk-tehlike-sapkinlar-okullara-siziyor.html

The perverts who push the limits of patience daily in order to gain new ground are now trying to breach middle schools.

The homosexuals who increase their perverse demands everyday under the guise of “democratic rights” have now entered schools. Kaos GL Association (Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Organization) printed a brochure and started to distribute it in schools. The brochure presents perverse tendencies as “normal” and asks for “tolerance” towards students who have these tendencies.

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Court Finds French Book “Indecent”

Source: “Yargıtay, Fransızca kitabı ‘müstehcen’ buldu,” (“Court Finds French Book “Obscene”,”) Radikal, 6 August 2013,  http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/yargitay_fransizca_kitabi_mustehcen_buldu-1145084

The owner of the publishing house “Sel Yayıncılık” İrfan Sancı and the translator İsmail Yerguz were put on indecency trial for publishing and translating the book “The Exploits of a Young Don Juan” written by Guillaume Apollinaire.

Istanbul, 2nd Court of First Instance arrived at a verdict to acquit, since the book was a literary work and does not constitute crime. Then the verdict was appealed and the file was seen at the 14th Penal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals. The Penal Chamber denounced the verdict of the Court of First Instance unanimously, dropped the decision, and requested the defendants to stand trial for 6 to 10 years imprisonment.

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