17/10/2022 | Writer: Kerem Selçuk
Kaos GL’s research on LGBTI+s working in the public and private sectors has been published. Unemployment among LGBTI persons is on the increase and so is the concern of being fired and not being able to find a new job.
Discrimination in the context of employment is not only a barrier to LGBTI+ persons’ right to work, but also to their basic rights and freedom. So, how does this all take place?
This question is what Kaos GL is after with their joint research with Kadir Has University taking place every year. The research on LGBTI+s working in public and private sectors in Turkey was published today, on October 17.
Two reports titled “LGBTI Persons Working in Public Sector” and “LGBTI Persons Working in Private Sector” are now published. The reports are prepared by Professor Mary Lou O’Neil, Reyda Ergün, Phd., Selma Değirmenci, Phd., Kıvılcım Duranlı, Phd., Doğancan Erkengel and Öykü Deniz Aytemiz and edited by Murat Köylü and Defne Güzel from Kaos GL’s Human Rights Program.
There is fear of being “labeled”, but no protection against discrimination. 289 people took part in the research and only 27 percent of those people are out when their sexual identities are in question. LGBTI+ persons work in nearly all sectors and yet are hardly visible in terms of their sexual identities and orientations. Staying in the closet is not peculiar to the job recruitment processes nor is it to the first few months of their work life.
The violations LGBTI+ persons face range from abuse to physical assault. Especially in the public sector, being out of the closet poses huge risks and only 6.5 percent of the LGBTI+ community working in the public sector is out. According to the report, 63 percent of the participants are subject to hate speech in their work life. Based on the results of the current study, every four LGBTI+ people out of five have experienced discrimination in the recruitment process and every three out of four have either experienced discrimination or have had to stay in the closet in their work life.
Tags: human rights, labour
