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(Ankara) Turkey's sole LGBT civil rights organization could be shut down after the deputy governor of the capital, Ankara, petitioned a court to rule the group is breaking the nation's immorality laws.

Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Organization applied for official government status as "a non governmental agency" on July 15. The group had been in existence since 1994 but until now had not sought official approval.

The Ministry of Interior accepted the application and forwarded it to its local branch in Ankara which functions under the Mayor of Ankara.

This week, Selahattin Ekremoglu, the deputy governor of Ankara, asked a court at the Principal Registry to order Kaos closed. 

"The Turkish Civil Code states that associations against law and morality cannot be established," Ekremoglu's petition to the court said. 

"This association1s title and purposes were found to be against this."

[...]

Erol said that if Kaos is closed the group will take its case to the European Court.

The International Lesbian & Gay Association of Europe said it would support Kaos if it went to the European Court.

"We would like to remind the Turkish authorities about their obligation to provide freedom of association under their own constitution as well as under the European Convention on Human Rights and accession negotiation process with the European Union," said Patricia Prendiville, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe.

[...]

The court has not indicated when it might rule. Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but discrimination against gays and lesbians is common.

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[ 21 September 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

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Originally posted by goatlips:
Call George, get him to have a talk with them on your behalf.
Or the good ship Canada could blast them with a full broadside of strongly worded memos. Why not try the new Canadian developed 'Stealth' memo?

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Originally posted by Canadian Socialist:
I don't, normally, express these feelings but you have pushed a button.

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Originally posted by Canadian Socialist:

What the hell is your problem? Is it with GLBT people? Or with the present Canadian government? I'm really having a hard time repressing my outrage at your homophobic, racist, sexist attitude. I don't, normally, express these feelings but you have pushed a button. Just exactly do you want done? You trash the government (and I agree it sucks, big time), but at the same time you give nothing back. Heph has done tremendous, nay, wonderful work towards human rights issues vis a vis GLBT Canadian citizens. And still you mock. I am done with you, sir. Done.

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And yet who's marching naked to protest the invasion of a country that would stone women to death for showing an ankle?

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Originally posted by goatlips:
I just have to piss my pants

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I think your friend is kinda cute, but you're right, she's probably more Mr. Lips' type. Not really the kind of relationship I'm looking for right now.

[ 23 September 2005: Message edited by: obscurantist ]

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(Ankara) A judge has refused grant an order closing Turkey's only LGBT civil rights organization - a decision being hailed as a the first gay victory since the country applied for entry into the European Union.

[...]

In his ruling Kursat Kayral noted that the American Psychiatric Association does not consider homosexuality as a disorder and said that the words "gay" and "lesbian" were widely used in daily life and scientific research.

"This is a big step forward for homosexuals in achieving the equality and justice they deserve and in abolishing discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in all fields of social life," Kaos said in a statement.

Homosexuality has never been illegal in Turkey, but the government has refused to grant specific rights to gays. An attempt was made last year to introduce an anti-discrimination bill in the Parliament, but it was later dropped by the government.

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Schtoccckkkkeeeerrr!!! Zis is KAOS... at KAOS vee do not deschriminate!!!

-- Zeigfried

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[ 13 October 2005: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

We keep hearing about repressive initiatives from the one side and then brave resistance actions from the other (and the government structure is such that there are people from all sides with some effective influence). What can we do but keep supporting the good guys?

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Originally posted by goatlips:

I just have to piss my pants when I watch the left rave on about multi-culturalism and then bitch about what these other cultures actually stand for. Female genital mutilation, anyone?
The funny thing is that most of the Islamic terrorists hate the West for all the things that are part of the left's agenda.
And yet who's marching naked to protest the invasion of a country that would stone women to death for showing an ankle? The left.
So I'm having a really hard time repressing my anger at your stupidity. Take your head out of your hate-filled ass and look at the cultures you are defending.
You guys are so busy trying to bend over backwards to show how tolerant you are, you seem not to have noticed that people you are defending are homophobic, racsist and sexist.
So who's supporting those attitudes, you or me? Here's a hint, it aint me.

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As for this notion that "the left" is soft on particular forms of oppression, well, that's just bunkum. The way that "Islamic societies" get lumped in together as misogynist, etc. etc. is far more troubling and well, Islamophobic and often explicitly racist. Especially since the opening post deals with Turkey -- but the unthinking kneejerkers who rush to blame Islam for everything from bad weather to Marie Osmond's divorce ignore the authoritarian rule that's been boosted by NATO & other Western powers for several decades. They simply can't deal with the notion that a country might actually be secular and Muslim (by and large), and that it's repressive, militarized state might have a whole lot more to do with Westernizing nationalism and a whole lot less to do with "Islamic extremism."

And mersh, thank you for posting this:

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Originally posted by mersh:
The way that "Islamic societies" get lumped in together as misogynist, etc. etc. is far more troubling and well, Islamophobic and often explicitly racist.

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