Gay rights in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Turkey may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT
residents. Homosexuality is legal in the Republic of Turkey
, but the law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity in its civil rights laws and there is no legal recognition for same-sex couples.
Turkey
, like most countries in Eastern Europe, tends to be socially conservative when it comes to such issues as homosexuality.
. In 1994, the Freedom and Solidarity Party
banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
and gender identity
within the party and nominated Demet Demir, a leading voice of the community, to successfully become the first transgendered candidate for the local council elections in Istanbul
.
In 1996 the Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling and removed a child from her lesbian parent, on the grounds that homosexuality is "immoral".
Gay rights groups claim that there are frequent homophobic incidents in Turkey. In 2008, a homosexual Turkish student, Ahmet Yildiz, was shot outside a cafe and later died in the hospital. Sociologists have called this Turkey's first publicized gay honor killing. The desire of Turkey to join the European Union
has put some pressure on the government to grant official recognition to LGBT rights. The report on progress in Turkey for the accession to the European Union of 14 October 2009 the European Commission for Enlargement wrote:
Although Turkey is a country with Muslim majority, Turkey became the first Muslim majority country in which gay pride march is held. In Istanbul
(since 2003) and in Ankara
(since 2008) gay marches are being held each year with a small but increasing participation. Gay pride march in Istanbul started with 30 people in 2003 and in 2010 the participation became 5,000. The pride march of 2011 is considered as the biggest until now, with more than 10.000 participants. Politicians of the biggest opposition party, CHP
and another opposition party, BDP
also lent their support to the demonstration. The pride march in Istanbul does not receive any support of the municipality or the government.
On the 21st of September 2011 Minister of Family and Social Policy Fatma Şahin
met with an LGBT organization. She said that the government will actively work together with LGBT organizations. She submitted a proposal for the acceptance of LGBT individuals in the new constitution that the parliament plans to draft in the coming year. She is calling on members of the Parliament to handle the proposal positively. She asserted that “if freedom and equality is for everybody, then sexual orientation discrimination should be eliminated and rights of these [LGBT] citizens should be recognized.”
The major LGBT community-based civil rights organization is KAOS GL
, established in 1994 in Ankara. Lambda Istanbul
, a member of ILGA-Europe
, established in 1993 in Istanbul, was dissolved in May 2008. The prosecution argued that its name and activities were “against the law and morality.” That ruling, sharply criticized by Human Rights Watch
, was finally overturned by the country's Supreme Court of Appeal on 22 January 2009.
During the early 1990s, the organizations' proposals for cooperation were refused by the Government Human Rights Commission. April 1997, when members of Lambda Istanbul
were invited to the National Congress on AIDS, marked the first time a Turkish LGBT organization was represented at the government level. During early 2000s, new organizations began to be formed in cities other than Istanbul and Ankara, like the Pink Life LGBT Association in Ankara
, the Rainbow Group in Antalya
and Piramid LGBT Diyarbakir Initiative
in Diyarbakir
.
In 1996, another LGBT organization, LEGATO
, was founded as an organization of Turkish university students, graduates and academicians, with its first office in Middle East Technical University
in Ankara. The organization continued to grow with other branches in numerous other universities and a reported 2000 members. In March 2007 LGBT
students organized for the first time as a student club (gökkuşağı - in English: rainbow) and Club Gökkuşağı is officially approved by Bilgi University.
During June 2003, the first public LGBT pride march in Turkey's history, organized by Lambda Istanbul
, was held on the Istiklal Avenue
. In July 2005, KAOS GL
applied to the Ministry of Interior Affairs and gained legal recognition, becoming the first LGBT organization of the country with legal status. During the September of the same year, a lawsuit by the Governor of Ankara was filed to cancel this legal status, but the demand was rejected by the prosecutor. In August 2006, the gay march in Bursa
organized by the Rainbow Group, officially approved by the Governor's Office, was cancelled due to large scale public protests by an organized group of citizens.
The organizations actively participate in AIDS
-HIV
education programs and May Day
parades.
In September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused KAOS GL
of “establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality.” It also attempted in July 2006 to close the human rights group Pink Life LGBT Association (Pembe Hayat), which works with transgender people, claiming to prosecutors that the association opposed “morality and family structure.”. Both charges were ultimately dropped.
In 2006 Lambda Istanbul
was evicted from its premises as the landlady was not happy with the fact that the organization was promoting LGBT rights. In 2008, a court case was launched to close down Lambda Istanbul
, and although a lower court initially decided in favour of closing down the association, the decision was over-ruled by the Turkish Constitutional Court and Lambda Istanbul
remains open.
sexual conduct between consenting adults in private is not a crime in Turkey. The age of consent
for both heterosexual and homosexual sex is 18. The criminal code also has vaguely worded prohibitions on "public exhibitionism,” and “offenses against public morality" that are used to harass gay and transgender people. Turkish towns and cities are given some leeway to enact various "public morality" laws. For example, it was once reported that in Adana
males were prohibited from kissing in public, on the cheek. However, there has been no evidence of enforcement of this regulation. Men kissing as a form of greeting is common in Turkey.
applies to all male Turkish citizens between the ages of 18 and 41. However, the Turkish military openly discriminates against homosexuals and bisexuals by barring them from serving in the military. At the same time, Turkey - in violation of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights
- withholds any recognition of conscientious objection to military service. Some objectors must instead identify themselves as “sick” – and are forced to undergo what Human Rights Watch
calls "humiliating and degrading" examinations to “prove” their homosexuality.
In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated:
people from discrimination in employment, education, housing, health care, public accommodations or credit. In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated:
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals are among the most vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in Turkey today.
has ruled that homosexuals should not have custody of children, but it is not a must under the law.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
residents. Homosexuality is legal in the Republic of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, but the law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity in its civil rights laws and there is no legal recognition for same-sex couples.
Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, like most countries in Eastern Europe, tends to be socially conservative when it comes to such issues as homosexuality.
History
In the 1990s, the LGBT movement fought against government bans on LGBT conferences. This prompted the creation of Lambda IstanbulLambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
. In 1994, the Freedom and Solidarity Party
Freedom and Solidarity Party
Freedom and Solidarity Party is a left-wing party in Turkey. The party has had limited electoral success, although it controls a number of town halls and is influential in some unions of public employees...
banned discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
within the party and nominated Demet Demir, a leading voice of the community, to successfully become the first transgendered candidate for the local council elections in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
In 1996 the Supreme Court overturned a lower court's ruling and removed a child from her lesbian parent, on the grounds that homosexuality is "immoral".
Gay rights groups claim that there are frequent homophobic incidents in Turkey. In 2008, a homosexual Turkish student, Ahmet Yildiz, was shot outside a cafe and later died in the hospital. Sociologists have called this Turkey's first publicized gay honor killing. The desire of Turkey to join the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
has put some pressure on the government to grant official recognition to LGBT rights. The report on progress in Turkey for the accession to the European Union of 14 October 2009 the European Commission for Enlargement wrote:
- The legal framework is not adequately aligned with the EU acquis...
- Homophobia has resulted in cases of physical and sexual violence. The killing of several transsexuals and transvestites is a worrying development. Courts have applied the principle of ‘unjust provocation’ in favour of perpetrators of crimes against transsexuals and transvestites.
Although Turkey is a country with Muslim majority, Turkey became the first Muslim majority country in which gay pride march is held. In Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(since 2003) and in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
(since 2008) gay marches are being held each year with a small but increasing participation. Gay pride march in Istanbul started with 30 people in 2003 and in 2010 the participation became 5,000. The pride march of 2011 is considered as the biggest until now, with more than 10.000 participants. Politicians of the biggest opposition party, CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
and another opposition party, BDP
Peace and Democracy Party
The Peace and Democracy Party ) is a political party in the Republic of Turkey. It succeeded the Democratic Society Party following the closure of the latter party for its alleged connections with the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU.The BDP has observer status in the...
also lent their support to the demonstration. The pride march in Istanbul does not receive any support of the municipality or the government.
On the 21st of September 2011 Minister of Family and Social Policy Fatma Şahin
Fatma Şahin
Fatma Şahin is a Turkish chemical engineer and politician. On July 6, 2011 she was appointed as the Minister of Family and Social Politics in the third cabinet of Erdoğan...
met with an LGBT organization. She said that the government will actively work together with LGBT organizations. She submitted a proposal for the acceptance of LGBT individuals in the new constitution that the parliament plans to draft in the coming year. She is calling on members of the Parliament to handle the proposal positively. She asserted that “if freedom and equality is for everybody, then sexual orientation discrimination should be eliminated and rights of these [LGBT] citizens should be recognized.”
LGBT civil rights organizations
KAOS GL
KAOS GL is a Turkish LGBT rights organisation founded in 1994. The organisation has been publishing the journal KAOS GL since its founding. The group operates the KAOS Cultural Center, which hosts cultural activities, meetings, and showings of films...
, established in 1994 in Ankara. Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
, a member of ILGA-Europe
ILGA-Europe
ILGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.ILGA-Europe is a non-governmental umbrella organisation which represents its members, principally organisations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, at the European level.Its...
, established in 1993 in Istanbul, was dissolved in May 2008. The prosecution argued that its name and activities were “against the law and morality.” That ruling, sharply criticized by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, was finally overturned by the country's Supreme Court of Appeal on 22 January 2009.
During the early 1990s, the organizations' proposals for cooperation were refused by the Government Human Rights Commission. April 1997, when members of Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
were invited to the National Congress on AIDS, marked the first time a Turkish LGBT organization was represented at the government level. During early 2000s, new organizations began to be formed in cities other than Istanbul and Ankara, like the Pink Life LGBT Association in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, the Rainbow Group in Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
and Piramid LGBT Diyarbakir Initiative
Piramid LGBT Diyarbakir Initiative
Piramid LGBT Diyarbakir Initiative is a Kurdish LGBT rights organisation founded in 2008.Although various LGBT organizations were founded all over Turkey, Piramid LGBT Diyarbakir Initiative has become the first Kurdish LGBT organization in Turkey...
in Diyarbakir
Diyarbakir
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
.
In 1996, another LGBT organization, LEGATO
Lesbian and Gay Inter-University Organization
The Lesbian and Gay Inter-University Organization is an LGBT organization in Turkey aimed at university students. It is Turkey's largest LGBT organization.-History:...
, was founded as an organization of Turkish university students, graduates and academicians, with its first office in Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
in Ankara. The organization continued to grow with other branches in numerous other universities and a reported 2000 members. In March 2007 LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
students organized for the first time as a student club (gökkuşağı - in English: rainbow) and Club Gökkuşağı is officially approved by Bilgi University.
During June 2003, the first public LGBT pride march in Turkey's history, organized by Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
, was held on the Istiklal Avenue
Istiklal Avenue
İstiklal Avenue or Istiklal Street is one of the most famous avenues in Istanbul, Turkey, visited by nearly 3 million people in a single day over the course of weekends...
. In July 2005, KAOS GL
KAOS GL
KAOS GL is a Turkish LGBT rights organisation founded in 1994. The organisation has been publishing the journal KAOS GL since its founding. The group operates the KAOS Cultural Center, which hosts cultural activities, meetings, and showings of films...
applied to the Ministry of Interior Affairs and gained legal recognition, becoming the first LGBT organization of the country with legal status. During the September of the same year, a lawsuit by the Governor of Ankara was filed to cancel this legal status, but the demand was rejected by the prosecutor. In August 2006, the gay march in Bursa
Bursa, Turkey
Bursa is a city in northwestern Turkey and the seat of Bursa Province. The metropolitan area in the entire Bursa province had a population of 2.6 million as of 2010, making the city fourth most populous in Turkey. The city is equally one of the most industrialized metropolitan centers in the...
organized by the Rainbow Group, officially approved by the Governor's Office, was cancelled due to large scale public protests by an organized group of citizens.
The organizations actively participate in AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
education programs and May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
parades.
In September 2005, the Ankara Governor’s Office accused KAOS GL
KAOS GL
KAOS GL is a Turkish LGBT rights organisation founded in 1994. The organisation has been publishing the journal KAOS GL since its founding. The group operates the KAOS Cultural Center, which hosts cultural activities, meetings, and showings of films...
of “establishing an organization that is against the laws and principles of morality.” It also attempted in July 2006 to close the human rights group Pink Life LGBT Association (Pembe Hayat), which works with transgender people, claiming to prosecutors that the association opposed “morality and family structure.”. Both charges were ultimately dropped.
In 2006 Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
was evicted from its premises as the landlady was not happy with the fact that the organization was promoting LGBT rights. In 2008, a court case was launched to close down Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
, and although a lower court initially decided in favour of closing down the association, the decision was over-ruled by the Turkish Constitutional Court and Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul
Lambda Istanbul is a Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the LGBT community, and became an official organization in 1996. Clandestine Pride events were held in Turkey starting in 1993, and with Lambda Istanbul participation, they became public marches.The...
remains open.
Penal code
GayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
sexual conduct between consenting adults in private is not a crime in Turkey. The age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
for both heterosexual and homosexual sex is 18. The criminal code also has vaguely worded prohibitions on "public exhibitionism,” and “offenses against public morality" that are used to harass gay and transgender people. Turkish towns and cities are given some leeway to enact various "public morality" laws. For example, it was once reported that in Adana
Adana
Adana is a city in southern Turkey and a major agricultural and commercial center. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, 30 kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, in south-central Anatolia...
males were prohibited from kissing in public, on the cheek. However, there has been no evidence of enforcement of this regulation. Men kissing as a form of greeting is common in Turkey.
Military law
In Turkey, compulsory military serviceConscription in Turkey
In Turkey, compulsory military service applies to all male citizens from twenty to forty one years of age. Those who are engaged in higher education or vocational training programs prior to their military drafting are allowed to delay service until they have completed the programs or reach a...
applies to all male Turkish citizens between the ages of 18 and 41. However, the Turkish military openly discriminates against homosexuals and bisexuals by barring them from serving in the military. At the same time, Turkey - in violation of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights
European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms is an international treaty to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the then newly formed Council of Europe, the convention entered into force on 3 September 1953...
- withholds any recognition of conscientious objection to military service. Some objectors must instead identify themselves as “sick” – and are forced to undergo what Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
calls "humiliating and degrading" examinations to “prove” their homosexuality.
In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated:
- The Turkish armed forces have a health regulation which defines homosexuality as a ‘psychosexual’ illness and identifies homosexuals as unfit for military service. Conscripts who declare their homosexuality have to provide photographic proof. A small number have had to undergo humiliating medical examinations.
Discrimination protections
No laws exist in Turkey that protect LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people from discrimination in employment, education, housing, health care, public accommodations or credit. In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated:
- There have been several cases of discrimination at the workplace, where LGBT employees have been fired because of their sexual orientation. Provisions of the Turkish Criminal Code on ‘public exhibitionism’ and ‘offences against public morality’ are sometimes used to discriminate against LGBT people. The Law on Misdemeanours is often used to impose fines against transgender persons.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals are among the most vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees in Turkey today.
Family law
Turkey does not recognise same-sex marriages, civil unions or domestic partnership benefits. The Turkish Council of StateTurkish Council of State
The Turkish Council of State is the highest administrative court in the Republic of Turkey and is based in Ankara. Its role and tasks are prescribed by the Constitution of Turkey within the articles on the supreme courts....
has ruled that homosexuals should not have custody of children, but it is not a must under the law.
Violence, Abuse, and Harassment
The culture of "honour killings" can be observed in Turkish society- families murdering members (usually female) who engage in sexual/moral behaviours regarded as inappropriate. The death of Ahmet Yildiz, 26, may be the first known example of an honour killing with gay male victim. Studies for the years 2007-2009 that the German Democratic Turkey Forum prepared show 13 killings in 2007, 5 in 2008 and at least 4 killings in 2009 related to the sexual identity of the victims. On 21 May 2008 the New York based organization Human Rights Watch published a report entitled "We Need a Law for Liberation". The report documents how gay men and transgender people face beatings, robberies, police harassment, and the threat of murder. Human Rights Watch found that, in most cases, the response by the authorities is inadequate if not nonexistent. In case of hate murders against homosexuals courts apply the condition of "heavy provocation" and lower the sentences.See also
- LGBT rights in EuropeLGBT rights in EuropeLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. Seven out of the ten countries that have legalised same-sex marriage are situated in Europe; a further fourteen European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of recognition for same-sex couples...
- Human rights in TurkeyHuman rights in TurkeyHuman rights in Turkey are theoretically protected by a variety of international law treaties, which take precedence over domestic legislation, according to Article 90 of the 1982 Constitution....
- Accession of Turkey to the European UnionAccession of Turkey to the European UnionTurkey's application to accede to the European Union was made on 14 April 1987. Turkey has been an associate member of the European Union and its predecessors since 1963...
(EU membership requires certain human rights standards)
External links
- Turkey LGBT History, on KAOS GL's website.
- Lambdaistanbul LGBT Solidarity Association, Istanbul based LGBT association
- TR Gay International, a Bilingual Guide to the LGBTQ Life in Turkey.
- Turk Gay Club, Turkish LGBT Community.
- Istanbul: Asia meets Europe and Ancient meets modern, a gay.comGay.comgay.com is a chat, personals, and social networking website catering to the LGBT community. The site is a digital brand of Here Media Inc. In addition to community features, the site features LGBT-related news and features. As of September 2005, San Jose Mercury News ranked gay.com as the most...
travelogue of Istanbul, including a comprehensive review of gay clubs and tips - Turkey Trans Pride Images Images of Turkey's First Trans Pride