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Country Overview

Türkiye

At a glance

Same-sex Relations for Men Legal Throughout the Country?

Yes

Same-sex Relations for Women Legal Throughout the Country?

Yes

Legal Gender Recognition Possible?

Yes

LGBTI Orgs Able to Register?

No

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Same-sex relations are not criminalized in Türkiye. Since the rise to power of current president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country has shifted gears from progress to increasing authoritarianism. Thousands of academics, opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society activists have been imprisoned in recent years. Civil society organizations have been shut down, and expressions of freedom of assembly have been violently suppressed. LGBTIQ people have been a particular target in this increasing hostility. Large and very successful Pride marches took place in Istanbul for almost two decades, but they have been banned and violently suppressed with tear gas and rubber bullets in recent years. Pride marches in other parts of the country have also been banned and attacked with extreme force by law enforcement authorities. The Ankara governorship even issued a blanket ban on all LGBTIQ events (overturned in court in April 2019), and anti-LGBTIQ hate speech from government officials and other authorities has increased. Instances of bias-motivated violence and conversion practices against LGBTIQ people have also soared. 

 

Global Impact

Sub-Saharan Africa

Outright supports LGBTIQ organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa and works with mainstream human rights organizations to respect human rights and influence positive changes in laws, policies, attitudes and beliefs that cause discrimination against LGBTIQ people.

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United Nations

Our work at the United Nations centers around advocating for the advancement of the rights of LGBTIQ people.

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Asia

Our work in Asia promotes acceptance of sexual and gender diversity at all levels of society.

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Middle East and North Africa

In the Middle East and North Africa, we partner with local groups in various countries as part of our international solidarity work. We also work with our local partners on different topics through capacity building, advocacy, research and holistic security.



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Europe and Central Asia

Outright International partners with activists to fight for an end to human rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Europe and Central Asia, where most of our work involves emergency responses to harassment, discrimination, violence, and most recently, Russia’s brutal and expanded invasion of Ukraine.

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Americas

Our work in the Americas continues to build on the fundamental and positive transformation of human rights protections in recent years. We partner with groups in the Caribbean that focus on ending gender-based violence and eradicating discrimination against trans people.

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Pacific

Our work in the Pacific aims to increase the visibility of activists, respond to human rights emergencies, and actively bridge local, regional, and international activism to achieve equality and justice.

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Human Rights Research

Since 1990, we have partnered with activists from all over the world to produce hundreds of groundbreaking reports.

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