CIVICUS discusses Turkey’s crackdown on LGBTQI+ rights with Gökçe Baltacı, LGBTQI+ activist and general coordinator of Tarlabaşı Toplum Merkezi (TTM), a civil society organisation that defends the rights of excluded groups.

Tolerance of LGBTQI+ relationships used to be the norm in Turkey, but LGBTQI+ people and organisations have been systematically targeted under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in power since 2014. They have faced public vilification, criminalisation and bans on Pride marches and symbols. The TTM is the latest target, with the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, the İstanbul Governor’s Office, government politicians and pro-government media pushing for the organisation’s closure.

What does the TTM do and why is it important?

The TTM was launched in 2006 as a pilot project of the Istanbul Bilgi University Centre for Migration Research in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu Tarlabaşı district to support the equal participation of new migrants in urban life. In 2007, the Tarlabaşı Community Support Association was established to ensure the TTM’s long-term sustainability. Today, the association manages the TTM’s activities.

With a rights-based approach and a focus on children and women, the TTM undertakes protection, empowerment and advocacy activities to create a more inclusive environment in one of Istanbul’s most deprived areas. It provides safe spaces and a refuge from discrimination. It also works with experts, staff and volunteers to share its experience with a wider audience and strengthen a rights-based civil society.

Despite external pressure, the TTM has persisted in defending the rights of excluded groups. Over 18 years, hundreds of Tarlabaşı residents have participated in its programmes. However, ongoing repression and the threat of closure are jeopardising our work. If we close, children and women in Tarlabaşı will be deprived of vital opportunities.

Why is the TTM under pressure?

In June 2021, the TTM planned an event for volunteers to address issues related to LGBTQI+ children, based on a guide published by the Kaos GL association to protect LGBTQI+ students from family and school pressure. Shortly after the event was announced on social media, a reporter published an article in the Milat newspaper targeting the TTM and the facilitators involved. In the following months, the reporter and newspaper systematically targeted the TTM with defamatory content, with similar reports circulating in other media. These attacks led to an inspection by the Ministry of the Interior, which eventually took administrative and legal action against the TTM.

The challenges we face are part of a wider trend of deteriorating human rights protection in Turkey. Judicial institutions and public services, once seen as guardians of fundamental rights, have largely weakened in their commitment to human rights. Since 2021, when Turkey withdrew from the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, violence against women and LGBTQI+ people has increased. Rights violations, restrictions on girls’ education and direct pressure from anti-rights political forces and their allies on activists defending gender equality have reached dangerous levels. As an organisation focused on protecting multiple rights and freedoms, the TTM’s mission and activities now face serious risks.

Why has the situation for LGBTQI+ people in Turkey deteriorated in recent years?

LGBTQI+ rights have come under severe attack due to a rise in right-wing discourse, as seen all around the world. Public institutions and citizen groups have organised anti-LGBTQI+ campaigns, while media outlets have amplified hateful narratives. Visible LGBTQI+ communities have been systematically evicted from some areas.

Discussions on gender issues have also become a target, with right-wing groups framing them as synonymous with LGBTQI+ ‘propaganda’. These groups often use threats to shut down such initiatives. Anti-LGBTQI+ campaigns such as the so-called ‘Great Family Marches’ and hateful public service announcements have further fuelled hate speech, disinformation and social prejudice against LGBTQI+ people.

The media, politicians and senior public officials help spread hate speech. This has led to a dramatic increase in freedom of expression violations. In the absence of measures to curb hate speech, violations have only increased.

How is the TTM responding?

Our daily activities have become acts of resistance. Maintaining our presence in the neighbourhood, continuing our community work and engaging with local residents are now forms of defiance. Our staff, volunteers and board members have shown resilience, drawing strength from the strong bonds of solidarity they’ve built within Turkey and internationally.

To counter the hate speech and legal action they’re facing, we brought together 100 civil society representatives in March 2022 to share knowledge and experiences, build mutual support and strengthen rights-based civil society. We also received support from a coalition of organisations, including Amnesty International Turkey, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, KAOS GL, Sivil Toplum Geliştirme Merkezi Derneği and Women for Women’s Human Rights. Internationally, the Freedom of Expression Association and the International Federation for Human Rights have also provided valuable support. This is a recognition of our important role as a force for change that makes a broad impact on gender equality and human rights in Turkey.

But the pressure continues. Police and municipal authorities recently raided our premises. This made them unsafe and we were forced to move. Unresolved legal cases have also restricted our access to funding and forced us to reduce our team. Nevertheless, we forge ahead. But to keep going, we need the support of the international community, including funding.