17/10/2022 | Writer: Selma Koçak
“LGBTI+s are neither ill, either pervert or immoral, they are just human beings as everybody. They have dignity and surely rights as all human beings. Discrimination is a crime and the major immorality is keeping silent against discrimination.”
29 journalists submitted questions to former People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, who will complete his sixth year of imprisonment in Edirne Prison on November 4, and Demirtaş replied the questions from journalists.
Yıldız Tar, the chief editor of KaosGL.org, was among the journalists who submitted questions for the columnist of Artı Gerçek İrfan Aktan’s interview. Reminding the ever-increasing state violence against LGBTI+s, Tar asked about the conspiracy silence of opposition parties and the roadmap they should follow.
Demirtaş said: “Discrimination is a crime and the major immorality is keeping silent against discrimination.” Tar’s question and Demirtaş’s answer are as follows in full:
You had become prominent as the single candidate defending LGBTI+ rights, in the presidential elections. Since then, oppressive policy of the state against LGBTI+s went through the ceiling, almost a war was waged against LGBTI+s. On the other side this is not usually among the agenda topics of the opposition parties, including HDP. In the present case, what should be the roadmap of the opposition parties in your opinion?
I think, no one prefers to provoke and scare the conservative power base due to the ascribed historical significance to the election, and also to avoid being lynched by the partisan press of the government. That is why they remain silent against aggression and unlawfulness against LGBTI+s. To be frank, it is not an easy task to explain LGBTI+ human rights to such an agitated society, before a historic election. I don’t think any political party is able to do it. At least, I can say aloud from here that LGBTI+s are neither ill nor pervert or immoral; they are just human beings as everybody. They have dignity and surely rights as all human beings. Discrimination is a crime and the major immorality is keeping silent against discrimination. The main immorality is keeping silent against rape in children at the cult-run dormitories. The real immorality is keeping silent against robbery, corruption and being a part of these crimes.
Click here to read the full text of the interview.
Tags: human rights
