TURKEY: LGBT ORGANIZATIONS OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001683 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT ALSO FOR EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV TU SUBJECT: TURKEY: LGBT ORGANIZATIONS OVERCOMING CHALLENGES REF: A. ISTANBUL 169 ¶B. 08 ISTANBUL 452 ANKARA 00001683 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) organizations in Turkey identify the major problems facing the LGBT community as restrictions on freedom of expression, unfair implementation of Turkish laws, and systematic abuse by security forces. Both formal and informal LGBT organizations exist in cities across the country, although coordination between them is minimal. Societal discrimination is pervasive, and transgender individuals face the biggest problems. Despite these challenges, however, LGBT community leaders in Turkey are diverse and active. END SUMMARY. Groups Exist Across the Country -------------- ¶2. (SBU) LGBT organizations, both formal and informal, are present in many cities across Turkey, from large metropolitan Istanbul in the West to the small, provincial town of Van in the East. There are two groups in Ankara, Pembe Hayat ("Pink Life") and KAOS GL, that work on the issues of LGBT individuals and show strong leadership and organization. Of these, KAOS GL focuses strongly on the gay and lesbian communities and publishes a monthly magazine to raise issues of concern, while Pembe Hayat focuses on the needs of the transgender community. Both organizations work together to create yearly LGBT-rights reports. Lambda Istanbul works with LGBT issues as well, and receives heavy funding from foreign organizations, especially from Europe, although it seems to suffer from a lack of strong leadership and organization. Other groups in the country have complained that Lambda does not coordinate with them, focusing only on Istanbul-specific issues while ignoring the greater needs of the LGBT community in the rest of the country. Lambda, for its part, considers itself the representative of the LGBT community in Turkey to the rest of the world. Other LGBT groups are located in Izmir, Eskisehir, Diyarbakir, and Van. Challenges Abound -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Izmir-based Siyah-Pembe Ucgen (Pink-Black Triangle) works with the LGBT community in Izmir and surrounding areas. It works closely with the local chapter of the Human Rights Foundation in fighting against abuse by security forces, especially of transgender individuals. The group has run into problems with registration as an official organization with the government of Izmir, which claims that the association should be closed because it works "against public morality." KAOS GL reported similar challenges when it first registered, but has not had problems since. Lambda Istanbul has been closed numerous times for similar reasons (REF B). The Izmir Prosecutor opened a case against Siyah-Pembe Ucgen in November; the first hearing will be in February 2010. ¶4. (SBU) Most groups reported a serious lack of inter-group cooperation and coordination. Although most of the groups work on the same issues, they do not work together on issues of national significance. Much of this seems to be personality based; people from one organization do not get along with others and the work of the organizations suffers. Another issue is that most of the groups focus strongly on individual cases of infringements on the rights of LGBT individuals, distracting them from working on broader underlying conditions that contribute to the prevalence of incidents of discrimination. ¶5. (SBU) All of the organizations explained that in Turkey LGBT individuals often face extreme social pressure to keep their identities hidden from family, friends, and work colleagues. The consequences of these social pressures for organizations is low attendance at meetings and political events due to fear of revealing LGBT identities at the work place or in public life. One activist said, "so long as we remain invisible, we are spared problems." KAOS GL reported high attendance for sponsored night club parties, and low attendance in public parades. Pembe Hayat alleged that people in their organization had lost their jobs after coming out as gay or lesbian -- transgender individuals would not even receive an interview most of the time. Organizations in Istanbul and Ankara report that 99 percent of transgender women participate in sex work at some point in their lives out of financial necessity. Legal Obstacles Cause Problems ANKARA 00001683 002.2 OF 002 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) KAOS GL told us that one of their largest challenges was addressing abuse of LGBT individuals by security forces. Earlier in the year protestors threw stones at members of KAOS GL when they were giving a press conference on LGBT issues. When the police arrived at the location, they reportedly stood by and did nothing. KAOS GL members asked the police for help and the police told them that stone throwing was just the "consequence of their actions." Similar problems were reported by other groups involving the police. ¶7. (SBU) Izmir based Siyah-Pembe Ucgen told us that many of their members had been prosecuted under Article 37 of the Misdemeanor law which punishes individuals for violating public morals. According to media reports, LGBT groups and the Human Rights Association, Huseyin Capkin, former Izmir police chief and current Istanbul Police Chief continues to implement a "point system" to encourage police officers to target transgendered individuals with fines, arrests, and beatings. The police base this activity on violations of "morals laws." Incidents documenting cases of arrests and abuse of transgender women have been increasingly covered by the media. Transgender women have reported numerous cases of arrest and fines while walking on major streets in the daytime and while occupied in routine tasks such as shopping for groceries, in some cases being fined 59 Turkish Lira several times in one day. A media report indicated that one transgender woman in Istanbul was fined twice in the same day, while at a hair salon and while grocery shopping. Pembe Hayat explained to us that if transgender women (male to female) resist the police they are generally charged with "resisting arrest" as well. ¶8. (SBU) All the groups complained that gay men are precluded from participation in compulsory military service for "health reasons." However, in order to prove they are gay, men are required to submit very explicit and embarrassing proof: explicit photos of themselves in overt sexual positions, a medical report from a doctor testifying to their homosexuality, and an embarrassing interview with a military doctor. This preclusion can have an effect on other parts of their lives as well. On May 20, Halil Ibrahim Dincdag, a soccer referee, was fired from his job because of his self-identity as gay (REF A). According to the sport's regulations, anyone who fails to complete his military service for health reasons is unfit to perform as a referee. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) While diverse and healthy in numbers, Turkey's LGBT community faces difficult challenges due to a lack of organization and coordination and serious social pressures compounded by anti-LGBT government policies. Police abuse targeting LGBT individuals is systematic and widespread, although there has been a higher amount of coverage of such actions in the media recently. The good news is that the people working in the various organizations across the country are motivated and committed to making a difference despite the challenges facing them as they forge ahead. There is also increasing awareness of LGBT identity in Turkish society. A few of Turkey's top entertainers are transgendered and the widely-seen and critically acclaimed film Gunesi Gordum ("I Saw the Sun") included a major subplot discussing the plight of the transgendered in Istanbul. Post will continue to work with these organizations to find ways to strengthen their coordination and organizational structures. A Pembe Hayat organizer described the situation with a few words, "Our war is to love, and we will continue fighting." JEFFREY "Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.intelink.s gov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turkey"