Features & Longread Elska shares the bodies and voices of queer Istanbul, the “gayest city in the Muslim world” Inside, readers can get to know a cross-section of ordinary people from the LGBTQ+ community of what is claimed by many to be the gayest city in the Muslim world. By Contributor • 3 min read
International News Thousands march in anti-LGBTQ+ demonstration in Istanbul Several thousand people have taken part in an anti-LGBTQ+ demonstration in Istanbul, calling for LGBTQ+ associations to be closed down and displaying signs that read: “protect your family and your generation”, “Say no to society without gender”, and “Father + mother + baby = family”. By Graham Robson • 1 min read
International News TURKEY: Ban on METU Pride March ‘deeply disappointing’, say Amnesty Pride event due to be held tomorrow at METU banned by the university because it would ‘threaten the university’s reputation’ By Graham Robson • 1 min read
General News Report: Majorities in 10 countries support legal protections for trans rights The Williams Institute has found the majority of people in 10 countries support the notion of non-discrimination policies for trans people. By Rachel Badham • 1 min read
General News Istanbul protestors demand LGBTQ+ and women’s rights Hundreds gathered in Istanbul to protest against the withdrawal from a treaty to protect women from violence. By Rachel Badham • 2 min read
General News Turkish president attacks LGBTQ+ community Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan attacked the LGBTQ+ community amid continuing protests at Boğaziçi University which saw police arrest four pro-LGBTQ+ students By Rachel Badham • 2 min read
Recep Tayyip Erdogan General News Turkish president condemns LGBTQ+ youth Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the anti-LGBTQ+ president of Turkey, has condemned queer youth following the arrest of four students for creating artwork depicting a sacred Islamic site alongside rainbow symbols. By Rachel Badham • 2 min read
A Pride parade in Turkey General News Turkish students arrested for LGBTQ+ artwork Four students in Turkey have been arrested for creating artwork which depicted rainbow symbols alongside a sacred Islamic site and displaying it at a protest. By Rachel Badham • 2 min read
General News Turkish students facing three years imprisonment for celebrating Pride 18 Turkish students and one member of staff from Ankara’s Middle East Technical University are due to go on trial for organising an LGBTQ+ Pride sit-in. By Rachel Badham • 2 min read
Arts Gay character row leads to cancellation of Turkish Netflix drama Netflix cancels Turkish drama ‘If Only’ after the country’s government refused to grant it a licence on the grounds that the show featured an openly gay character. By Rachel Badham • 1 min read
General News Turkey and Greece suffer earthquake in tourist hot spots An earthquake registering 6.7 magnitude on the richter scale has occurred in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey and Greece in the Dodecanese region in the early hours of this morning, July 21. It was a shallow quake just 6.2 miles below the seabed – off the south-western coastal city of Marmari By Besi • 1 min read
International News First umbrella LGBTI organisation to fight homophobia in Turkey A new umbrella organisation has been established in Turkey to encourage LGBTI websites, groups and organisations to work together to fight homophobia and transphobia in the Islamic country that straddles Europe and Asia. TURKEY LGBTI UNION has been in existence for just two months and was created to By Besi • 1 min read
