07/02/2013 | Writer: Ali Erol
The Turkish Armed Forces is set for a new health regulation saying to gay soldiers ‘If you don’t reveal that you are gay, I won’t investigate it’. The new health regulation was published in the Official Gazette on 5 February.
The Turkish Armed Forces is set for a new health regulation saying to gay soldiers “If you don’t reveal that you are gay, I won’t investigate it”. The new health regulation was published in the Official Gazette on 5 February.
The new regulation sets forth “sexual identity and behavioral disorders” instead of “psychosexual disorders” of the former regulation and cancels Article 17. The article in question lists psychosexual disorders as “homosexuality, transvestism and others” and divides inconvenience for military service into two categories: psychosexual disorders and aggravated psychosexual disorders.
The new regulation cancels psychosexual disorders and sexual behaviour and adopts “sexual orientation and sexual behavior”. However, “aggravated psychosexual disorders” is kept in Article 33 of the new regulation with a new name: “Sexual Identity and behavioral disorders”.
According to the new regulation, “sexual identity and behavioral patterns should be dominant and apparent in every part of life”.
According to the cancelled Article with the heading of “psychosexual disorders”, the detection of the “sexual behavior disorders” used to be made by prescribed questionnaires or official documents. But the new article headed with “Sexual identity and behavior disorders” requires “medical opinion” of the military health board. The medical reports shall be approved by the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.
What is DADT (Don’t ask, don’t tell) ?
“DADT is the official policy of the USA carried out between 21 December 1993 and 20 September 2011 for gay soldiers.
DADT gives the right to gay soldiers to do their duty unless they reveal their sexual identities. Nearly 14 thousand soldiers revealed that they were gayl and barred from their duty in military.
Related news:
Officers Committing “Homosexuality Offence” to be Dismissed From the Turkish Army
http://www.kaosgl.org/page.php?id=13388
AKP and Turkish Armed Forces Agree On Gay Soldiers!
http://www.kaosgl.org/page.php?id=13139
Tags: human rights, military
