03/02/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak
LGBTI+ associations spoke of consensus text on common policies of Nation Alliance: They turned into a legitimate basis of the new regime intended to be established by AKP.
Six opposition parties consisting Nation Alliance, announced their Consensus on Common Policies Text that includes their targets regarding state governance and economy, reforms, policies and projects.
The 244-page text announced at an event yesterday (January 30) doesn’t include LGBTI+ rights.
We asked about the Nation Alliance’s consensus, which disregards LGBTI+ rights, to LGBTI+ organizations. Muamma LGBTI+, Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association and Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) evaluated the consensus text of Nation Alliance to KaosGL.org.
“Are we sure that the Table of Six doesn’t think ill of us?”
According to Utku Kubay, Muamma LGBTI+ Association Peer Advisor, LGBTI+ rights have never become a current issue of Nation Alliance. Interpreting the consensus as a text created with the aim of not losing the votes of a certain electorate Kubay said, “I am not surprised that six political parties, which cannot even agree on human rights, revealed such a text.”
Drawing attention to the article stating “We will prioritize protecting and safeguarding the institution of family” Kubay continued as follows:
“This statement reveals concerns about the outcome of the bill submitted to the Parliament by Justice and Development Party (AKP), Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and Great Union Party in order to amend articles 24 and 41 of the Constitution. Moreover MHP is on the anvil of preparing a bill in order to ‘ban gender affirmation surgery to the exclusion of medical necessity’, in a similar way. So the question is, are we sure that table of six doesn’t think ill of us, that is to say doesn’t consider us as an heretical movement?
As they are, neither the table of six nor the text, reflect the truth or give confidence. We are really tired of being deferred on the excuse of if or buts like ‘If we speak of it we may get reactions’, ‘Is this the right time?’, ‘Just wait to win the elections’. Hate speeches we are exposed to everyday, go on incessantly. All these actions and discourses of politicians directly affect our daily lives. Especially trans+ people, who are in gender affirmation process, report that everything is downhill all the way, day by day. As a result I don’t feel hopeful about the table of six. I think we have to create our own table as LGBTI+s.”
“They turned into a legitimate basis of the new regime intended to be established by AKP”
Oğulcan Yediveren from SPoD, conveyed their impressions obtained during their contacts on the Constitution. Remarking that they realized that the opposition parties would not speak of LGBTI+s overtly during their contacts on the Constitution, they said “However, they could at least adopt a different approach in terms of family regarding the economic and social policies and they could make an individual based right definition. Family policy of the government is closely linked to its economic and social policies. They aim to create a uniform and obedient family. The table of six could not go out of the frame either.”
Yediveren remarked that while the “family” as a concept is being used 77 times within the scope of the text, “LGBTI+” or “gender” have not been mentioned even once. Criticizing the family based policies of the opposition parties they said “They use a concept as domestic problems however violence against women is not mentioned even once. In addition the issue of social housing and heating is addressed through low-income families. Don’t people without families, have housing problems? Don’t they need heating?”
Remarking that the table of six could not adopt a new policy apart from the social policy mentality, which is in desire of protecting charity culture, of AKP Yediveren continued as follows:
“They don’t adopt a rights-based approach. This is a very confused text, and they don’t know what they want. The argument that they kept silent on certain issues with the aim of winning the election has also lost validity. In the last instance, the consensus text is about what they will do after winning the election. They could have used a language that would empower individuals. They didn’t do that either. They turned into a legitimate basis of the new regime intended to be established by AKP. It is obvious that the table of six will be the follower of that regime. They may smarten it up a little, however I don’t expect much more than it.”
“This is a text written with the concern of vote”
And finally, Pink Life LGBTI+ Solidarity Association evaluated the consensus text to KaosGL.org as follows:
“Although the consensus text, which was announced to public a few days ago by Nation Alliance, also known as Table of Six, in order to introduce their targets and proposals earlier on the election, addresses a great deal of structural problems regarding democracy and offers suggestions in terms of its general scope and content, we may say that it is far from satisfying the expectations of the public. We are especially disappointed that there is no LGBTI+ inclusive expression on the basis of equal citizenship. Moreover they don’t mention the İstanbul Convention, they don’t include sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression while listing the causes of discrimination. This is a shallow text written with the concern of vote.”
Tags: human rights
