LGBTQ culture in Istanbul

Last updated
Istanbul Pride, Taksim Square, 2013 21. Istanbul Onur Yuruyusu Gay Pride (37).jpg
Istanbul Pride, Taksim Square, 2013

Istanbul is generally tolerant of LGBTQ people, at least compared to elsewhere in Turkey. [1]

Contents

Erin Cunningham of The Washington Post has called Istanbul "a hub for gay and transgender life", but also acknowledged, "outside of elite Turkish society and the trendy Istanbul quarters where homosexual and transgender Turks live somewhat comfortably, life remains difficult for the LGBT population". [2]

The city's Beyoğlu district has seen the LGBT community "[reach] a critical mass". [3]

Events

Istanbul Pride, 2014 2014 Istanbul LGBT Pride (52).jpg
Istanbul Pride, 2014

Istanbul Pride has been organized since 2003. [4] The 2009 event saw approximately 3,000 march participants, [5] and the 2013 and 2014 events were among the largest LGBT celebrations in a majority-Muslim country, attracting approximately 100,000 participants. [6] [7] [8] According to The New York Times , "since 2014, the authorities have banned Pride parades in major cities, including in Istanbul, where crowds in the tens of thousands used to participate". [9] Police used tear gas and water cannons on Istanbul Pride participants in 2015. [1] Authorities said the ban was because of "security and public concerns". [10] Bans continued through 2019, [11] and the 2020 event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [12] Police detained approximately 300 attendees at Pride events in 2022. [1] In 2023, a few hundred people defied the ban, organizing a march in Nişantaşı. [13] [14]

In 2016, several dozen transgender rights activists gathered in Istanbul in defiance of a march ban. [4] Boğaziçi University has seen LGBT protests. [9] [15] In 2023, after police blocked access to Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue (spaces traditionally used by Istanbul Pride), hundreds of people gathered in the Şişli district's Mistik Park. [16]

The Queer Olympix is an annual sports event organized by activists since 2017. Activities have included association football, dodgeball, and volleyball. The group faced a police ban in 2019 for using "queer" in an event title. The group has encountered some difficulties organizing activities; according to NPR, "the owners of some fields refuse to rent to them, and when they're able to hold the games, they do so in near-total secrecy and without online promotion". [17]

Anti-LGBT demonstrations

In 2022, an anti-LGBT march was organized in Istanbul. The Big Family Gathering's slogan was "Protect Your Family and Generation, Stop Perversion". [18] The demonstration was the largest of its kind in Turkey, attracting several thousand participants, and Kürşat Mican said organizers had collected approximately 150,000 signatures "to demand a new law from Turkey's parliament that would ban what they called LGBTQ propaganda, which they say pervades Netflix, social media, arts and sports". Ahead of the event, organizers circulated a video using images from past Pride events in Turkey. This was criticized by LGBTQ associations and other rights groups; Istanbul Pride organizers asked the governor's office to ban the event and for authorities to remove the video, deeming both "hateful". [19]

Businesses and organizations

Interior of the LGBT-friendly Pinokyo Bar, 2023 Istanbul, Turkey (November 2023) - 481.jpg
Interior of the LGBT-friendly Pinokyo Bar, 2023

According to USA Today , the city's gay bars and clubs are concentrated in Taksim Square and Beyoğlu: "As in most major cities, gay establishments come and go. A trip to Taksim Square guarantees a good cross-section of gay restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, bars and dance clubs. A majority of Istanbul's establishments cater to men, but a few offer an all-lesbian or mixed atmosphere." [20] Xtra Magazine has said, "In the many gay clubs and bars to be found around the Taksim/Beyoglu area you'll likely feel quite at home... That said, people in public places tend not to kiss on the mouth, or hold hands, especially outside the gay neighborhoods." [21]

XLarge Club, 2013 XLarge - Istanbul 01.JPG
XLarge Club, 2013

Ziba has been described as a gay-friendly bar. [9] Sahika Teras (formerly Uzumbar) in Beyoğlu has been described as "a fixture of the young queer community in Istanbul". [22] Other LGBT-friendly establishments have included: Arjin Cafe, Cemal, [2] Chianti Cafe and Pub, Club 17, Durak Bar, Haspa Cafe Bar, KappaK Club, Love Dance Point, Mor Kedi, the lesbian-owned Palamutis Coffeeshop, Pinokyo Cafe and Bar, Prive Club, Sahra Bar, Şiirci Cafe, SuperFabric, Tekyön, and XLarge Club. Defunct establishments include Bigudi Club, Cheeky Club, Club 1001 Gece, Club eKoo, and Neo Club. [21]

Among accommodations approved by the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association are Grand Hyatt Istanbul, Kumru Hotel, and Park Hyatt Istanbul. [20] Firuz Ağa Hamamı is popular with gay men and bears. [21]

The Istanbul LGBTI+ Solidarity Association works to advance transgender rights. [2] In 2022, the nongovernmental LGBTQ advocacy and outreach organization Social Policy, Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) reportedly stopped posting their addresses online after receiving threatening calls. [9] [23]

Art and film

In 2023, Kaya Genç of ArtReview wrote:

Since 2014, when Erdoğan became president, verbal and physical violence against LGBTQ communities has slowly risen and Pride and Trans marches have been banned. Last year, Turkey's president branded Turkey's queer communities 'deviants' who threaten Turkey's 'family structure'. He promised to 'tackle' the LGBTQ 'issue' for good. In response, many NGOs collaborated with and supported LGBTQ causes... Not so Istanbul's sleek art institutions and museums, many of which are partly funded by the government. While local bars and clothing brands added rainbow symbols to their social media avatars to express solidarity, Istanbul's major art institutions have remained silent on LGBTQ rights for years. [24]

In 2021, four students in Istanbul were arrested over an artwork "that reportedly combined LGBT symbols with an image of an Islamic site". According to BBC News, "protesters hung an artwork opposite the new rector's office depicting the Kaaba in Mecca, one of Islam's holiest sites, and images of the LGBT rainbow flag". Authorities accused the students of "inciting hatred" and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu called them "LGBT deviants" on Twitter. The social networking service flagged the post for violating its "rules about hateful conduct", but kept it accessible "for public-interest reasons". [12] For Pride Month in 2023, DEPO was the city's only major artistic venue to host a queer exhibition, and the Pera Museum's film department curated a program. DEPO's Resurgence in Fragments showcased works by Okyanus Çağrı Çamcı, Üzüm Derin Solak, and Furkan Öztekin, and featured pride flags. Among queer films screened at the Pera Museum's Who Wouldn’t Want a Better Story? were Peter Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy (2014), Isabel Sandoval's A Common Language (2020), and Tsai Ming-liang's Days (2020). [24]

Crime and safety

According to a report submitted to the United Nations, local rights groups documented approximately 40 "hate murders" against LGBT people between 2010 and 2014. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ community</span> Community and culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

The LGBTQ community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBTQ activists and sociologists see LGBTQ community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBTQ community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBTQ community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBTQ community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Turkey</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Turkey face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, though the overall situation is considered to be less repressive when compared to most other Muslim-majority countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Atlanta

Atlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) pride festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest and largest pride festivals in the United States. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee, as of 2017, attendance had continually grown to around 300,000. Originally held in June, Atlanta Pride has been held in October every year since 2008, typically on a weekend closest to National Coming Out Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ history in Turkey</span> Overview of the history of LGBT people in the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey

LGBTQ history in Turkey covers the development, contributions and struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the history of Turkey and their relation between Turkish politics from the abolition of the Caliphate to modern-day Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Istanbul Pride</span> Annual LGBT event in Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul Pride is a pride parade and LGBTQ demonstration held annually in Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul since 2003. Participants assemble in Taksim Square before marching the entire length of İstiklal Avenue. It has been described as the first and biggest LGBT event in Muslim-majority countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in Boston</span>

Boston is a hub of LGBT culture and LGBT activism in the United States, with a rich history dating back to the election of the nation's first openly gay state representative, Elaine Noble, in 1974. The city is home to notable organizations like GLAD and Fenway Health, and it played a pivotal role in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Various neighborhoods, including the South End, are known for their sizable LGBT populations, while numerous LGBT bars and entertainment venues offer spaces for community gatherings. Boston hosts an annual Pride Parade, and despite challenges, it continues to be a prominent event. Noteworthy organizations like The Welcoming Committee and the Boston Gay Men's Chorus contribute to the city's vibrant LGBT community, while The History Project preserves its rich history through an extensive LGBTQ archive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in Portland, Oregon</span>

LGBTQ culture in Portland, Oregon is an important part of Pacific Northwest culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in San Francisco</span>

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) community in San Francisco is one of the largest and most prominent LGBT communities in the United States, and is one of the most important in the history of American LGBT rights and activism alongside New York City. The city itself has been described as "the original 'gay-friendly city'". LGBT culture is also active within companies that are based in Silicon Valley, which is located within the southern San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in New York City</span>

New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBTQ advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."

The LGBTQ community in Tokyo is one of the largest in Asia. While Japan does not assign as much moral or social weight to sexuality as in the West, it is still difficult for Japanese people to come out in society as being LGBT; the community reportedly experiences homophobia even amongst those in the community. Only 5% of Japanese people report they know somebody who is LGBT.

The city of Shanghai, China, a global center for finance, technology, manufacturing, and transportation, has a presence of LGBT people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBTQ topics</span>

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:

A Wider Bridge is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community. AWB connects the LGBT communities in the U.S. and Israel and advocating for LGBT rights in Israel. The organization has activists across North America and around the world. It sponsors a campaign Queers Against Antisemitism which is described as "a movement of queer activists who pledge to fight antisemitism as it spreads around the globe."

LGBT culture in St. Louis is characterized by a long history of progressive activism as well as racial divisions and the city/county divide. St. Louis city is relatively liberal with multiple gayborhoods and several LGBT organizations. In 2019, Realtor.com dubbed St. Louis the 8th most LGBT-friendly city. Due to hostile legislation at the state level, however, it has become common for LGBT residents to relocate to Illinois for better protections and healthcare access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the LGBT community</span> Impact of COVID-19 on the LGBTQ+ community

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted inequities experienced by marginalized populations, and has had a significant impact on the LGBT community. Pride events were cancelled or postponed worldwide. More than 220 gay pride celebrations around the world were canceled or postponed in 2020, and in response a Global Pride event was hosted online. LGBTQ+ people also tend to be more likely to have pre-existing health conditions, such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, cancer, or obesity, that would worsen their chances of survival if they became infected with COVID-19. They are also more likely to smoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in Washington, D.C.</span>

In Washington, D.C., LGBT culture is heavily influenced by the U.S. federal government and the many nonprofit organizations headquartered in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ culture in Cardiff</span>

The LGBT community in Cardiff is the largest in Wales. The 2021 census found that 5.33% of people aged 16 and over identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other. It has also been ranked as the 8th most accepting city in the world for the LGBT community.

Bigudi Club is a lesbian and queer nightclub and bar located at Mis Sokak No. 5 in the Beyoğlu area of Istanbul, Turkey. It is the first lesbian-exclusive nightclub in the country of Turkey, established December 2006. Around 2017, they redefined the space as a queer bar, not exclusively for women.

LGBTQ communities have been present in the American state of Vermont since the 1970s. Local legislation has granted protections to LGBT residents since the 1980s, and the state's first Pride parade was held in the state's capital, Burlington, in June 1983.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Garry, John (June 8, 2023). "What LGBTQ travelers need to know before visiting Turkey". Lonely Planet. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cunningham, Erin (2023-04-11). "In Turkey, it's not a crime to be gay. But LGBT activists see a rising threat". The Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  3. ↑ "(PDF) Reading the LGBT Movement through its Spatiality in Istanbul, Turkey".
  4. 1 2 "Turkey LGBT: Scuffles at banned Istanbul transgender event". BBC News. 2016-06-19. Archived from the original on 2023-06-23. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  5. ↑ "Tips for Gay and Lesbian Travelers in Istanbul | Frommer's". www.frommers.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-02. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  6. ↑ Shafak, Elif (2016-06-23). "Turkey's LGBT community is fighting for freedom. That's why it's a target for extremists". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  7. ↑ Gordon, Klara. "Inside Istanbul's underground queer scene". i-d.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  8. ↑ "Turkey's LGBTQ community at risk amid rise in homophobic rhetoric". POLITICO. 2020-07-24. Archived from the original on 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "After Erdogan's Attacks, Fear Spreads Among L.G.B.T.Q. People in Turkey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  10. ↑ Karakas, Burcu (2023-06-25). "Fear among Turkey's LGBT community after hostile election campaign". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  11. ↑ Mitchell, Hilary (2022-03-08). "Turkey is waging war against its LGBT+ population. And the violence is gathering terrifying pace". PinkNews . Archived from the original on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  12. 1 2 "Turkey's Erdogan denounces LGBT youth as police arrest students". 2021-02-02. Archived from the original on 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  13. ↑ "Istanbul gay pride activists stage annual rally in defiance of ban". The Guardian. 2023-06-25. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  14. ↑ "Istanbul gay pride activists rally despite ban". France 24. 2023-06-25. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  15. ↑ Logroño, Rafael (2021-03-26). "Students in Turkey Are Standing Up for LGBT Rights". ISSN   0027-8378. Archived from the original on 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  16. ↑ "Turkey police detain 50 after LGBT Pride march in Istanbul". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-06-25. Archived from the original on 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  17. ↑ "Istanbul's Queer Olympix let LGBTQ+ athletes have fun and feel safe". Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  18. ↑ Turan, Alper; Karakaya, B. Toprak; Darıcıoğlu, Leman Sevda; Space, Koli Art (2022-10-06). "When Hate Becomes an Instrument: 4 Queer Culture Workers From Turkey Respond to the Anti-LGBT+ Rally in Istanbul". Artnet News. Archived from the original on 2023-01-31. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  19. ↑ "Thousands march in Turkey to demand ban on LGBTQ groups". AP News. 2022-09-18. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  20. 1 2 "Istanbul's Gay & Lesbian Travel". Travel Tips - USA Today. Archived from the original on 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  21. 1 2 3 "Daily Xtra Travel - Your Comprehensive Guide to Gay Travel in Istanbul". www.dailyxtratravel.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  22. ↑ "Istanbul's Hottest Queer Bar Is Owned By a Badass Transgender Woman". Them. 2018-11-13. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  23. ↑ "Turkey: Anti-LGBTQ display reflects nation's political shift". NBC News. 2022-09-23. Archived from the original on 2023-08-14. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  24. 1 2 "What Is the Future of Istanbul's LGBTQ Art Scene?". artreview.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.