Turkey moves to further crack down on LGBTQ+ rights

The Turkish government’s proposed bill would significantly expand existing restrictions on the freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community.

Details of the draft 11th judicial package, which is expected to be submitted to parliament soon, are as follows. share By Seren Bayal of T24.

Same-sex activities the current Legally, Turkey does not recognize the benefits of same-sex marriage, civil unions, or domestic partnerships, nor does it recognize same-sex adoption.

turkey ILGA Europe’s 2024 Rainbow Map received just 5 points out of 100. LGBTQ+ people in Turkey continue to face abuse, while gay travelers are advised to be careful when traveling to the country.

The bill amends Article 225 of the Turkish Penal Code, titled “Unscrupulous Acts,” which states that anyone who commits an act “against the biological sex assigned at birth and against general morals” will be sentenced to one to three years in prison.

As a result, the legal age for gender reassignment surgery will also be raised from 18 to 25, and the requirements for such care will become more stringent.

Strict conditions include that transgender people must not marry, must not undergo sterilization, and that the “need for gender reassignment from a mental health perspective” must be medically diagnosed.

Anyone who performs illegal surgery on a member of the trans community will be subject to penalties as described in this article. “Perpetrators who perform medical interventions aimed at changing a person’s gender, in violation of the conditions established by law, are subject to a prison sentence of 3 to 7 years and a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 days.”

Furthermore, “If a person of the same sex performs an engagement or marriage ceremony, he or she will be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of not less than 1 year and 6 months but not more than 4 years.”

The current six-month and one-year prison sentence for “public sexual intercourse or exhibitionism” will be increased to a maximum of three years.

“This regulation aims to foster physically and mentally healthy individuals and generations, and to protect family institutions and social structures,” the draft bill states.

These disgusting rollbacks to the rights of LGBTQ+ people are said to have been enacted to protect the country’s “traditional values.”

“Regulations that strengthen our social structures and protect human dignity are adopted to protect the institution of the family, prevent attacks on the general morals and values ​​of society, and effectively counter trends towards standardization and gender neutralization,” it reads.

In recent years, Turkey has attempted to crack down on LGBTQ+ rights by banning Pride parades, which led to the arrest of hundreds of people marching in protest.

The country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is fiercely opposed to LGBTQ+ people, branding the community “perverted” and a threat to the family unit.

In January, President Erdoğan announced that 2025 would be designated the “Year of the Family,” launching a year-long celebration of traditional values ​​aimed at promoting marriage and boosting Turkey’s birth rate by attacking the LGBTQ+ community.

President Erdogan, speaking in the capital Ankara, vowed to crack down on LGBTQ+ activities.

“It is our shared responsibility to protect children and young people from harmful trends and perverted ideologies,” he said. “Neoliberal cultural trends have transcended borders and permeated every corner of the world, and have also led to the rise of LGBT and other movements.

“Families are the target of gender-neutral policies that use LGBT as a battering ram. Criticism of LGBT is as quickly silenced as legitimate criticism of Zionism. Naturally, anyone who defends family is subject to violent repression.”

Previously, in October 2023, President Erdoğan declared at the AK Party Congress that he and his party would never recognize Turkey’s LGBTQ+ community.

“We don’t recognize LGBT people. Anyone who recognizes LGBT people can march with us,” he said.

“We are part of a structure that holds strong to the family system and strongly supports the family system.

“We will root out despicable acts aimed at destroying the family system by supporting perverted political, social and personal trends.”

Prior to this, President Erdoğan said: “Against LGBT” Because he believes that “family is sacred.”