CIVICUS discusses Turkey’s crackdown on LGBTQI+ rights with Gökçe Baltacı, LGBTQI+ activist and general coordinator of Tarlabaşı Toplum Merkezi (TTM), a civil society organisation that defends the rights of excluded groups.
Tolerance of LGBTQI+ relationships used to be the norm in Turkey, but LGBTQI+ people and organisations have been systematically targeted under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in power since 2014. They have faced public vilification, criminalisation and bans on Pride marches and symbols. The TTM is the latest target, with the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, the İstanbul Governor’s Office, government politicians and pro-government media pushing for the organisation’s closure.