24/04/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak
“Pride Marches on Campuses” report prepared by ÜniKuir is out.
Photograph: METU Pride March, 2018, Yıldız Tar
UniKuir Association launched the report entitled “Pride Marches on Campuses”, which is an examination on Pride Marches at Bilkent University, Boğaziçi University and METU.
The report, which narrates the history of ban decisions on LGBTI+ Pride Marches, reveals that ban decisions of the Governorships, which didn’t include campuses formerly, has been cast in concrete on campuses as well.
“Marches are constitutional rights”
The unlawfulness of ban decisions are justified by acquittals in the cases brought against the pride marches within the scope of the report:
“It is no coincidence that lawsuits filed against the marches that took place after all the bans, resulted in acquittals. No concrete evidence of a real danger is determined in any of the bans. Therefore the bans are unlawful and the marches are constitutional rights.”
“There are also something they are not able to destroy”
The association summarized the experiences from the preparation of the marches and afterwards, by conducting interviews with university students in order to prepare the report. According to the report, LGBTI+ students are going on to be exist and resist on campuses at streets against the ban decisions and police attacks:
“Well, there is something they destroyed. However there are also things they are not able to destroy. I will march next year as well, even if I am alone. The are many lubunyas (queers) who think the same way.”
Click here to read the report in Turkish.
Tags: human rights, education
