26/10/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak
Lawyers from İzmir, Ankara, İstanbul, Mersin and Eskişehir bar associations gathered at the May 17 Association’s event. The lawyers discussed a wide range of LGBTI+ rights from HIV to intersex and from mental health to transition.
17 May Association held a workshop on LGBTI+ rights in Eskişehir with lawyers from the bar associations of Izmir, Ankara, Istanbul, Mersin and Eskişehir. Nearly thirty lawyers attended the workshop, which took place on 21-22 October.
The first day of the LGBTI+ Rights Workshop began by presenting “Basic LGBTI+ Concepts”. The basic concepts of LGBTI+ people and their rights were explained by Anjelik Kelavgil, Capacity Development Coordinator of the May 17 Association.
The workshop continued with a session presented by lawyer Hatice Demir and Utku Kutbay from Muamma LGBTI+ Association on “Gender Transition Process and Peer Counselling Experiences”. Lawyer Benan Molu spoke about the “Criteria for the admissibility of applications to the Constitutional Court”.
The second day of the workshop began with a session on “The Situation of Intersex People in Turkey and Legal Problems” by Belgin Günay, Intersex Studies Coordinator of the May 17 Association. Günay presented sample cases anonymously to the lawyers and discussed how these cases could be resolved under Turkish law, after providing basic information about intersex. Günay stated that they would be happy to work with the lawyers to find solutions to the violations of the rights of intersex people. Asking the lawyers to attend the workshop, Günay said, “We would like to analyze sample laws from abroad that prohibit non-consensual intersex surgeries and prepare a draft law for Turkey together with you in a workshop.” Günay got promise from legal experts to attend the workshop.
In the “Basic HIV Concepts and Law” session of the program, Defne Güzel and lawyer Enes Salar from the Positive Space Working Group of the May 17 Association spoke about the relationship between HIV and the law and provided information on relevant legislation.
The workshop ended with the session “Lawyer-Client Relationship from the Perspective of Psychology” by psychologist Alp Kemaloğlu from May 17 Association. Kemaloğlu explained the purpose of the session as follows: “We wanted to raise awareness about the mental health of LGBTI+ people, who are both targets of social hatred and prejudice and do not have equal access to existing rights, and to provide information about the things that should be taken into account when interviewing LGBTI+ clients.”
May 17 Association’s workshops for a range of professional groups will continue throughout the year with both online and face-to-face sessions.
Tags: human rights
