CIVICUS discusses the recent Istanbul Pride amid the deterioration of LGBTQI+ rights in Turkey with LGBTQI+ activists Çağıl, Can Kortun and Jiyan Andiç.

The Turkish state’s systematic suppression of LGBTQI+ rights has further intensified, with authorities increasingly deploying violence and legal restrictions to silence LGBTQI+ people. The government’s declaration of 2025 as the ‘Year of the Family’ signals an escalation of repressive policies, fundamentally threatening democratic values and human rights.

What happened on 30 June?

On 30 June, the date for this year’s Pride march, authorities placed Istanbul under blockade, banning the march and related events without official notice. The governor announced on social media that the march would not be allowed, and public transport and ferry terminals were shut down for hours.

Those who tried to gather faced surveillance by plainclothes and uniformed police. Lawyers and journalists had access obstructed, and 15 people who tried to make a press statement were violently detained. Although the constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly without the need to request authorisation, authorities ignored this protection, disregarded legal procedures and deployed state violence. Many people were wrongfully detained, and some were followed even after release.

The Istanbul LGBTQI+ Pride Committee documented the process, informed the media, worked with lawyers and monitored health, food and water conditions for those in detention.

Why did authorities ban the Pride march?

The Pride march was first banned in 2016, supposedly because it coincided with Ramadan. Subsequent bans have been justified with vague reasons such as public order, security and public sensitivities. However, these are part of a broader ideological attack on LGBTQI+ people’s existence. Turkey’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention – a European treaty on preventing violence against women – was justified with claims that the convention would ‘legitimise homosexuality’ and ‘destroy the family’. Following this, violence against women and LGBTQI+ people increased. The authorities criminalised rainbow flags and arbitrarily banned LGBTQI+ events, including breakfasts, picnics, film screenings and press statements.

In 2022, with state support, Great Family Gatherings – anti-LGBTQI+ rallies – were organised under the claim that LGBTQI+ people ‘target the family’, normalising organised hate. During the 2023 presidential election, the government built its campaign on anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric.

This has had severe consequences for LGBTQI+ people. LGBTQI+ rights are deteriorating year by year. Fundamental rights are systematically violated, while public visibility and freedom of association are increasingly restricted. Recent Istanbul Pride marches have been banned and brutally repressed by police. This year, dozens of people were arbitrarily detained. Some were arrested even though it was their first detention. Three of our friends were held in prison for five weeks.

Repression extends beyond physical force. In some Istanbul streets, facial recognition systems are used to identify people from images of past protests, leading to targeted arrests. Before the 11th Istanbul Trans Pride March, two people were detained in their neighbourhoods hours before the event began.

What other rights are being restricted?

Restrictions go far beyond the right to protest, affecting basic rights such as freedom of expression and the right to health. For example, in 2024 the authorities severely curtailed access to hormone treatment for trans people. On 20 November, the Trans Day of Remembrance for Victims of Hate Crimes, the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency introduced a new e-prescription requirement for some hormones used in gender-affirming care. Around the same time, the Ministry of Health limited access to hormones for people under the age of 21.

Earlier this year, a draft law amending the Penal Code and other legislation proposed penalties of three to seven years in prison for those performing unauthorised gender-affirming surgery. Trans people undergoing surgery abroad could face criminal sanctions when applying for gender recognition in Turkey.

This shows that LGBTQI+ people are being criminalised simply for existing, and their rights are openly violated. The government’s declaration of 2025 as the ‘Year of the Family’ has further provided an ideological framework for these repressive policies. All these policies aimed at erasing LGBTQI+ visibility from public life are inconsistent with national and international human rights norms.

How is this affecting LGBTQI+ activism and what support is needed?

Hate-driven laws and policies have made organising much harder. Pride weeks in Istanbul, both LGBTQI+ and Trans+, now struggle to find and retain volunteers. Participation was much higher in the past. In a context where LGBTQI+ people lack legal protection, right-wing populists in power can easily cast them as the public enemy and criminalise their existence to reinforce their legitimacy.

Nevertheless, resistance continues. In Turkey, Pride is still not a celebration but a space of protest and resistance. Pride committees keep operating as grassroots, autonomous groups that are entirely volunteer-based, in contrast to more formal civil society organisations. Since 2015, repression has reduced their capacity for policy debate and collective reflection. However, thanks to their horizontal and autonomous structures, they connect directly with communities and document their lived experiences, which is crucial for international documentation.

International support should include direct links with Pride committees, legal assistance, security mechanisms, visibility, solidarity networks and sustainable funding. This would enable the community to go beyond reacting to act as a transformative force. The real question is how to strengthen networks of solidarity against this repressive regime and how to sustain demands for freedom.