Deputy Prime Minister

Deputy Prime Minister claims lesbians [and Kurds] not part of society!

Discriminatory claims by Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan:

“The HDP [general elections] declaration mentions Kurds 8 times, lesbians 9 times. Is this the Turkish society?”

Yalcin Akdogan

Yalçın Akdoğan

Kaos GL, “Başbakan Yardımcısı, lezbiyenlerin [ve Kürtlerin] toplumun parçası olmadığını iddia etti!” [“Deputy Prime Minister claims lesbians [and Kurds] not part of society!”], 23 April 2015, http://kaosgl.org/sayfa.php?id=19254

With the approach of the general elections [in Turkey], the forcefulness of the disputes among politicians began increasing. In the meantime, homophobia is in the foreground in the government’s “criticisms” against opposition parties.

While the AKP government has taken no constructive steps towards resolving issues pertaining to discrimination, hate crimes, and rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, its representatives continue producing discriminatory, homophobic, and transphobic commentary.

According to a news release by the [semi-official] Anadolu Agency, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan evaluated HDP’s general elections declaration during an AKP District Advisory Council meeting at the Elmadağ Public Education Center.

Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan claimed that HDP’s general elections declaration is not representative of the Turkish society, claiming:

“[They declare] ‘I will abolish religion courses, I will abolish the [Directorate of] Religious Affairs, I will abolish this and that,” they supposedly will recognize the Armenian genocide. You, how will you be a Turkish [political] party? They mention Kurd [sic] 8 times in their declaration and 9 times lesbians and stuff. Is this the Turkish society?”