Thousands of Turkish people held a protest rally in Istanbul on Sunday ‘saying no to family without gender’ demanding ban on LGBT in the country.
Carrying banners with slogans _ “protect your family and your generation”, the participants demanded a ban on associations advocating for the rights of gay and transgender people.
Many of the marchers supporting associations close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were veiled women and they raised slogans such as “Say no to society without gender” and “Father + mother + baby = family.”
Anti-LGBT Turkish converged in district of Fatih for a rally which earlier had gained the seal of approval from the Turkish broadcasting council in passing a TV advert for it.
Although homosexuality was decriminalised in Turkey in 1858 it is widely frowned on by large swathes of society, including Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, while same-sex couples are not legal.
One minister previously referred to gay people as “deranged”. Last year, the government dropped the Istanbul Convention on protecting women’s rights, claiming it encouraged homosexuality and threatened the traditional family structure.
In addition, after Istanbul had in 2014 hosted more than 100,000 people for a Gay Pride march it has since clamped down on similar gatherings citing security issues.
Those who have sought to rally have found themselves battling severe restrictions, including arrest.
