"A draft of a recent set of Turkish legal reforms known as the 11th Judicial Package was leaked to the press, and, much to our distress, it adds all kinds of nasty difficulties to the already tough lives of gay and trans Turks, as well as Turkish citizens in general. Human Rights Watch called it "one of the most alarming rollbacks of human rights in decades." Mr. Erdogan has never been sympathetic to our community, but he seems to have shifted into a new gear."
"Anyone holding a same-sex marriage ceremony is subject to four years in prison. Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Turkey, so any such ceremonies would be expressions of commitment, symbolic parties if you will, that would nonetheless be subject to horrific punishment. As for anyone who "engages in attitudes or behaviors contrary to biological sex and general morality," or "who openly encourages, praises, or promotes such attitudes or behaviors," they face up to three years in prison. Jail time is also possible for organizations and media who help the GLBT community or report favorable on GLBT issues. Transgender health care will be banned before the age of 25."
"In an annoying detail, Human Rights Watch insists on calling Turkey "Türkiye." This, of course, is the Turkish spelling of Turkey, much as everyone started saying "Keeve" instead of Kiev back in the day because that's how the citizens of Kiev say the name of their city. But, so what? We don't call Paris "Paree" and other countries don't call us "The United States," because we all use different languages!"
A leaked draft of the 11th Judicial Package proposes sweeping legal changes that would criminalize many aspects of LGBT life in Turkey. The proposal includes prison sentences for holding same-sex marriage ceremonies and criminal penalties for those who "engage in attitudes or behaviors contrary to biological sex and general morality" or who praise or promote such behaviors. Media outlets and organizations that assist or report favorably on LGBT issues could face jail time. The proposal would bar transgender healthcare before age 25. Human Rights Watch described the measures as among the most alarming human-rights rollbacks in decades. The text also criticizes the use of native-language spellings like "Türkiye" as mindless political correctness blamed for alienating centrist voters.
Read at San Francisco Bay Times
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