Not An Illness Nor A Crime

'Not An Illness Nor A Crime' - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Turkey demand equality

Amnesty International, 2011, 41 Seiten

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) solidarity organizations in Turkey have fought a long campaign for equality before the law. There is no law in Turkey which explicitly prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientiation or gender identity.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Turkey suffer discrimination in employment, housing and access to public services. The rights of LGBT solidarity organizations to freedom of expression and association have been repeatedly threatened.

Discriminatory statements by public officials and in the media lead to an official toleration of homophobia and transphobia. In this discriminatory climate, violence and harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals by police officers and in the military remains unchecked. Effective measures are also lacking to prevent and investigate suspected hate crimes targeting people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In this report, Amnesty International shows what the lack of anti-discrimination legislation means in the daily lives of people from this community in Turkey.

Amnesty International calls on the Turkish authorities to explicitly prohibit Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, to take immediate steps to counter hate crimes and to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people's rights to freedom of expression and association.

Also available as PDF at amnesty.org.