21/04/2025 | Writer: Oğulcan Özgenç
The proposal titled "Bill on Amendments to the Turkish Penal Code and Certain Other Laws" introduces new crimes that explicitly target LGBTI+ individuals. The offenses under the heading "indecent acts" are associated with LGBTI+ individuals, and it is proposed to increase penalties for these actions.
Photo by: Serra Akcan / csgorselarsiv.org
HÜDA-PAR, a partner of the People’s Alliance (Cumhur İttifakı), has submitted an anti-LGBTI+ bill of law to Parliament. In February, KaosGL.org obtained a draft version of the bill, which planned to introduce anti-LGBTI+ amendments to the Civil Code and Penal Code. The draft proposed adding the term “biological sex” to the Penal Code, criminalizing LGBTI+ expressions in public spaces, and making the legal procedures for gender transition more difficult.
The bill of law, titled “Bill on Amendments to the Turkish Penal Code and Certain Other Laws,” is signed by HÜDA-PAR Chair Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, Gaziantep MP Şahzade Demir, Batman MP Serkan Ramanlı, and Mersin MP Faruk Dinç.
The proposal includes a revision of the offense titled “Indecent Acts”
The proposal increases the penalties for the offenses listed under the title “Indecent Acts,” such as “engaging in sexual intercourse in public” and “exhibitionism,” and defines the act as a more severe offense when “committed by individuals of the same sex,” doubling the penalty.
The bill submitted to Parliament includes the following statements:
“In addition, penalties are proposed for individuals who engage in, encourage, promote, disseminate in any way, or propagate sexual relations or behavior between individuals of the same biological sex. It is also proposed that the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) supervise and regulate such acts when committed via radio, television, or any communication media, including cinema, films, series, advertisements, and similar channels.”
The proposed article to be added to the Penal Code reads as follows:
“Anyone who encourages, promotes, disseminates in any way, or propagates sexual relations or sexual behavior between individuals of the same biological sex shall be sentenced to imprisonment from three to five years. If this offense is committed through any written, visual, audio, traditional, or digital means of communication and information, the penalty shall be increased by half.”
The proposal also aims to amend the RTÜK Law
If the bill is passed, Article 8 of the Law on the Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Television would be amended as follows:"Sexual relations or behavior between individuals of the same biological sex cannot be encouraged, promoted, propagated, or disseminated. Programs that promote oppression of women or exploit women cannot be included."
LGBTI+ associations openly targeted!
In addition, the bill explicitly targets LGBTI+ associations.Referring to the statement, “Penalties are also foreseen for individuals who engage in, encourage, promote, disseminate in any way, or propagate sexual relations or sexual behavior between individuals of the same biological sex,” the proposal introduces specific security measures if such actions, defined as crimes, are carried out by legal entities.
The proposal introduces a new crime: “Marrying someone by concealing one's biological sex”
The proposal adds a new paragraph to Article 230 under the section “Crimes Against the Family Order” in the Turkish Penal Code, introducing a new offense titled “carrying out a marriage by concealing one's biological sex.”
If the bill is passed, the following article is expected to be added to the Penal Code:
“A person who carries out a marriage by concealing their biological sex shall be sentenced to imprisonment from one to three years.”
In the justification for the bill, LGBTI+ individuals were targeted by being described as “destructive activities”
The reasoning behind the bill claimed that the current “Indecent Acts” article in the Penal Code only criminalizes public sexual intercourse and exhibitionism, and argued that it has become insufficient and ineffective due to changing conditions, the increase and variety in similar types of crimes, and the allegedly corrupting and destructive effects of such acts.
In the proposal, HÜDA-PAR targeted LGBTI+ individuals with the following statements and defended what can be described as a hate law:
“Corruptive acts, attitudes, and behaviors that defend, promote, and propagate sexual relations between individuals of the same sex are destructive activities against human nature, offspring, the family, and ultimately the social structure and its values. Although these ideologies, which place genderlessness at the center under the guise of ‘gender choice and freedom,’ appear in marginal forms, the damage they cause is growing each day. These mindsets and movements, which dismiss and devalue family unity, marriage, and every kind of social, moral, and spiritual value, are aggressively trying to impose their deviant ideologies and lifestyles on society. Considering that those who adopt this mindset act in an organized and coordinated manner with the support and direction of global powers, it is clear that such ideologies and formations pose a serious threat to public order, social unity and integrity, and public morality.”
The justification claimed that the institution of the family was being harmed
In the bill, HÜDA-PAR used expressions like “perverse mentality” and argued that the family institution and population policies were being damaged:
“Groups that defend the marriage or partnership of people of the same sex are exploiting concepts such as equality and women’s rights to spread their perverse ideologies and thoughts through powerful propaganda tools. These groups are expanding their influence day by day using television, radio, and other communication and information channels, including social media, press, cinema, TV series, films, and advertisements. What began as an individual perversion and indulgence of desire has, with the encouragement and direction of global powers, turned into an imposed lifestyle and an ideology aimed at collapsing the social structure. Therefore, combating this serious offense against public morality and the family structure has become an urgent necessity.”
It was stated that gender should only be recognized as “female” and “male”
In the justification of the bill, it was emphasized that gender should be recognized solely as female and male, and that a marital union can only be established between a man and a woman. LGBTI+ individuals were targeted with references to “degenderization”:“Humans are created as female and male, and can only form a marital union with someone of the opposite sex. Thoughts and activities that advocate otherwise aim to distort and destroy human nature and existence, the family, and social order. Considering actions of degenderization or gender denial, it becomes necessary to define as crimes those acts that harm marriage and the institution of family.”
Tags: human rights, life, family
