Monday, March 4, 2013

Turkey and LGBT Rights: A Historical and Global Perspective

Here is an excerpt of my latest in Turkish Policy Quarterly, in its Winter 2013 edition:

During the last decade, LGBT rights has transformed into an international issue, making it more urgent for Ankara to address issues of its own LGBT community. When placed in the domestic context, the LGBT struggle has followed the path of other communities demanding freedoms. However, on the international front, the issue becomes much more complex. Further, if checked in a historical context, the promotion of LGBT rights by international organizations and the U.S. State Department can be seen as an extension of European intervention in Ottoman affairs in the mid-19th-century, and the early years of the Turkish Republic. This fact could lead some to perceive their agenda as a type of Western exclusivism or cultural imperialism.   Due to these reasons, it seems that if change is to come in Turkey, it will be a result of domestic activism and Turkey’s choice to continue with EU reforms.

To read more, here is the link

And, here is the link to Turkish Policy Quarterly's Winter 2013 edition, Gender rights and freedoms in Turkey and the Arab world: Spring or Winter

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