Is that web reliable? Can people go 20 days without sleeping? Simple Google search says record is 11 days. And he worries about detainees? Not gays? And yeah, the web description is "unbiased, well researched, independent news." You know they are bad when they do those kind of claims. Just criticizing the website, not the story. Commenting because that's how I'm doing my part. ><
*He was detained for participating in an “eventful” Pride march.
*On the bus, some "Chechens" said he “looked like a gay."
According to him.
Berlin-based ArtıGerçek (the original, Turkish-language version of GercekNews) is a sensational-yet-prominent left-liberal Turkish-language newsletter. "GercekNews" is much more fresh and novice, uses an outdated UI of artigercek.com
While gay sex was never illegal there there's a couple of "public indecency" type laws which allow police to harass folks. Regarding public sentiment: If tomorrow you had a referendum whether civil unions should be introduced it would not be unlikely to pass, pro-marriage and pro-union are almost 50% with 30% undecided. And don't think that protesters for other stuff are treated more kindly.
Comparing the situation in Turkey to that in other Muslim countries, as done in the icky portions of the post replies, (except say Albania), is dishonest and misleading as fuck: Most problems arise not really because Turkey is a homophobic shithole, much less a particularly homophobic one, but because it's a shithole. Go ahead, try to outlaw alcohol in Turkey and you'll see how much arguing with the Quran is accepted there.
Bonus song (enable subtitles). Oh and someone has to explain to Turkish machos that bullying bottoms is totally gay.
I wouldn't say Turkey is a "shithole" — whatever that means. Turkey is in a serious culture war. Besides being ruled by an Islamic populist autocrat, and for that reason, it is one of the most "Islamophobic" countries in the world.
About 10 percent of the adult population and 30 percent of the gen-Zers are non-theistic. Most of them are anti-theistic, anti-Islamic, Stalinian atheists, who would completely agree with you on Turkey being a shithole, and want a "battle-ready" "democracy" in a cruel "battle" with Islam and Muslims.
While the trans surgeries is not affirmed by medicare and there is real stigma around it, trans people have every legal right, including official name and sex —yes, sex— change. And like Erdogan says, "the opposition is gay." They're for LGBT rights.
And, except alien ghettos and other no-go zones, it is not a "shithole" in the means of culture, security, safety, crime rates, and legal issues aren't about the "overlords."
So, it's a mixed bag. It is a terrible country economically, equalitically etc. But not completely unsalvagable. Turkey definitely can be "OK, fine" again.
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"If tomorrow you had a referendum whether civil unions should be introduced it would not be unlikely to pass, pro-marriage and pro-union are almost 50% with 30% undecided."
This is not terrible. Check out how Ireland legalized gay marriage.