Izmir Metropolitan Municipality's response to Kaos GL's question: ‘We do not have specific services for LGBTI+'s’

11/03/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL

In its response to Kaos GL's request for information, the municipality stated that it has been conducting rights-based activities since 2020 and said, ‘We do not have specific service programmes for LGBTI+’s’.

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality responded to the request for information made by Kaos GL Association. In response to Kaos GL's question on LGBTI+‘s access to social services, the Urban Justice and Equality Branch Directorate stated that there are no specific services, projects or programmes for LGBTI+’s within the active work of the municipality.

The questions of whether there is a complaint mechanism regarding the discrimination faced by LGBTI+ persons in accessing local services and whether studies are carried out to encourage poor LGBTI+ persons to benefit from social assistance provided by the municipality remained unanswered.

The response of the directorate, which says that it has been providing rights-based services since 2020, is as follows:

"Our Urban Justice and Equality Branch Directorate under the Department of Social Services of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has been carrying out its activities since 2020 with the vision of providing accessible services that support inclusive, rights-based, equal and coexistence culture in the city. Among the working objectives of our Directorate is to strengthen capacity and raise awareness in the rights-based field. There are no specific services, projects or programmes for LGBTI+ citizens within our active work."

Kaos GL's questions to Izmir Metropolitan Municipality

1. Does your municipality carry out any specific services, projects or programmes to increase LGBTI+ citizens' access to social services, health services or employment support? If there are such studies, can you share the details?

2. Does your municipality have a specific complaint mechanism or intervention policy to prevent discrimination faced by LGBTI+ citizens in accessing local services? Is the staff trained?

3. Are there any measures taken to encourage LGBTI+ poor to benefit from the social assistance (food, cash assistance, fuel support, etc.) provided by your municipality? Can you share detailed data on these supports?

Tags: human rights