18/05/2023 | Writer: Selma Koçak

May 17 Association held a press conference with Human Rights Association Ankara Branch for the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Interphobia today (May 17).

“We remind everyone that the freedom of LGBTI+s is the key to democracy” Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+

May 17 Association held a press conference with Human Rights Association Ankara Branch for the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, today (May 17).

Belgin Günay from May 17 Association read the press statement.

After Günay, Sevinç Koçak from Human Rights Association held the floor. Koçak laid emphasis on combatting the ever-increasing hatred against LGBTI+s and underlined the significance of recently elected parliamentary members who signed the LGBTI+ Rights Convention prepared by Social Policies, Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD).

May 17 Association’s full press statement is as follows:

“Happy May 17 International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Interphobia, which symbolizes persistent struggle for the existence of LGBTI+ community . Since 1990, when the World Health Organization made a decision to remove homosexuality from the list of ‘mental disorders’, which has become the main justification of hatred and discrimination against our existence; LGBTI+s continue to celebrate their existence all over the world. LGBTI+s insist on existing in every aspect of life against hatred policies targeting them.

We enter the 34th year of May 17 in an atmosphere where anti-LGBTI+ propaganda has been turned into an ‘election promise’ by the top executives of the state in person; and in which the phobic mentality, that wage war against LGBTI+ organizations through hatred policies, will be ‘represented’ in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as a result of the May 14 elections.

LGBTI+s, whose daily lives were surrounded by discrimination and hatred through the conservative policies from the perspective of cisgender, heterosexist, mainstream and masculine mentality, which consider being LGBTI+ as a source of shame, receive extremely their share from the ‘heterodox’ economy policies, that impoverish the large mass of people, driven by the same political mindset. In such a period when various projections are being discussed regarding the second century of Turkey, discrimination and poverty are on our side.

LGBTI+s, who become poorer as a result of being subjected to discrimination and become more vulnerable and open to discrimination as a result of becoming poorer, are trying to be imprisoned in the closets again by being deprived of their fundamental rights, particularly right to live, such as housing, education, working and health.  

Despite all the odds, LGBTI+s continue to exist in every sphere of the life against the organized evil which aims to smother the society with the intensity of hatred. And LGBTI+s’ struggle against homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and interphobia continue to grow with solidarity and by leaving no one behind.

We urge the entire public to stand against hatred, phobia, regressive and organized evil and to be in solidarity with LGBTI+s on the occasion of May 17 International Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Interphobia. We once again underline that regressive attacks targeting LGBTI+s  are the pioneer of huge attacks encircling the whole society. We remind everyone once again that freedom of LGBTI+s is the key to democracy, freedom and equality.

We wish everyone, particularly LGBTI+s, Happy May 17 International Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Interphobia with our belief in peaceful future where hatred is dampened, phobia falls wide of the mark and everyone heaves a sigh of relief!

Get used to, we are everywhere!”


Tags: human rights
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