01/06/2021 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz

The conference "LGBTI+'s Freedom of Expression and Censorship" has begun: the censorship of dialogues in films in parallel with lynching campaigns against LGBTI+'se sums up our point

Freedom of expression is the locomotive of all production Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+

The conference organized by the Kaos GL Association and the Speak Up Platform to discuss the LGBTI+'s freedom of speech and the censorship of LGBTI+'s in media, publishing and the arts started with opening speeches at 29th May.

Alican Acanerler of the Speak Up Platform was the first speaker at the conference, which was attended by more than fifty people. Announcing the details of the conference, Acanerler reminded that they have been trying to keep a record of censorship and self-censorship as the Speak Up platform since 2015 in the ever shrinking civil society.

"Freedom of expression is the locomotive of all production in media, culture, art, as we all know. We need it to make our work visible, to carry our truth into tomorrow," Acanerler said, and explained the purpose of the conference:

"That's actually why we're here today. To follow a common path from two different branches at the intersection of two platforms, striving for a more visible struggle."

After Acanerler’s speech, Yıldız Tar of Kaos GL Association took the floor by commemorating the children's rights activist Dilek Kumcu, who have passed away. Emphasizing the experiences of LGBTI+ movement in the past few years are essential to understand censorship and the freedom of speech, Tar finalized the session with words on social transformation and the struggle for equality:

"Society in general stands far ahead of the opposition and unfortunately the civil society. This is where my trust and hope lies, the social transformation that the LGBTI+ movement has stitched together in time. The social struggles, all struggles for equality and freedom, will sooner or later get their rights not only because they are right, but with the legitimacy that the rightness provides and with the alliances they have formed."
The conference then continued with the “Freedom of speech and censorship in the media” session.


Tags: human rights, media
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