14/05/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
The Ministry of Trade's Advertising Board, which imposed an 18+ restriction on the rainbow, has now suspended the Valentine's Day advertisement of the eyewear brand Sunglass Hut on the grounds of "violation of public morality." The advertisement had been targeted by media outlets close to the government.
The famous eyewear brand Sunglass Hut was targeted by pro-government media on February 11, 2025, with accusations of "LGBT propaganda" and claims of "Not advertising, but imposition" regarding an advertisement it sent to its customers for Valentine's Day. The brand became the target of boycott calls, and the company's general manager, Özlem Yılmaz Üçer, was also targeted on social media. The organizers of anti-LGBTI+ hate marches, the Büyük Aile Platformu, also stated that they had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Trade.
The advertisement sent by the company to its customers, titled "Last chance before Valentine's Day! Discover sunglasses now!" featured images of two men kissing, with one proposing to the other.
It has emerged that the Ministry of Trade's Advertising Board fined the brand following a hate campaign targeting the brand on social media. The board, which includes members from institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, RTÜK, and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, stated in its March 13 decision that the advertisement violated the regulation in the legislation that "promotion cannot contain expressions and images contrary to general moral principles" and imposed a penalty to suspend the advertisement.
The following statement was included in the board's decision, which referenced the Commercial Advertising Regulation and the Consumer Protection Law:
"In the emails titled 'Last chance before Valentine's Day! Discover sunglasses now!' the phrases 'Gifts that express love. Get your gifts and get ready to share love this Valentine's Day. We've thought of you with our color range that will steal every heart!' along with images of two men kissing, and one man kneeling to propose to the other, were deemed to violate the principle of the advertising regulations, which states that promotions cannot contain expressions and images that are contrary to general moral principles..."
The board's history of censorship
The Ministry of Trade's Advertising Board had introduced a restrictive regulation regarding the sale of LGBTI+ themed products on e-commerce platforms with its decision on November 11, 2020. According to the decision, products bearing phrases like "LGBT," "Love is Love," "Pride," "Peace," "LGBT Power," "Equality," "Bisexual," "Freedom," "Lesbian," "Gay," and rainbow-patterned items were required to carry a +18 warning for their promotion.
Advertisements for products such as beach towels, mugs, t-shirts, and phone cases were suspended on the grounds that they "negatively affect the development of children and young people." The board claimed that these contents were "aimed at disrupting and changing cultural and moral social behaviors."
The Ministry also responded to the information request made by the Kaos GL Association on December 15, 2020, sharing the reasoned decision. The reasoned decision once again highlighted the censorship of LGBTI+ individuals. The relevant section of the reasoned decision was as follows:
"In the reviewed products and promotions, all sexual orientation-related products containing sexuality and eroticism should be sold with the '18+' label in order to protect children. However, despite the presence of 'LGBT' labels in these advertisements, they were sold without any warnings, and as such, this situation negatively affects the mental, moral, psychological, and social development of children and young people, and is aimed at disrupting and changing cultural and moral social behaviors..."
Tags: human rights, media, life
