Pride Week in Digital: We Don’t Say ‘We are Here, Too,’ We Say ‘We are Here’

* Photos - video: e-bar.com & Evrim Kepenek / bianet 2019 - İstanbul Pride Parade

Click to read the article in Turkish

"It is important to keep the legacy of Pride Week alive. Because, every year, Pride Week also means a new archive for us. Both the LGBTI+ Movement and individual and collective memories build their own archives and memories... 

"I still have some banners from the İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Weeks. It is like opening the chests of our grandmothers and look at the old pictures there. We have such things in our personal chests. The memory of 2020 Pride Week will now also be a bit digitalized.."

Ali Yıldırım from the İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee has spoken to bianet about the 28th Pride Week events this year.

The first Pride Week in the history of Turkey was attempted to be held along the İstiklal Avenue in Taksim in 1993. However, it was prevented and several people were taken into custody. When the calendars showed the year 2003, the first Pride Parade was held again in İstiklal Avenue.

'Government follows the LGBTI+ movement'

Before sharing details about the Pride Month events, Yıldırım has referred to the mounting hate speech and discrimination against the LGBTI+ in Turkey, which has almost turned into a lynch campaign:

"There is a roof, an umbrella in Turkey: LGBTI+phobia... The subjects outside the binary gender are threatened and targeted by this roof, by this umbrella. This threat has been in Turkey for decades. It is not a current issue. I think that the violence, which has especially increased in the recent period, is closely related with the statements of the politicians.

"As you would also remember, an LGBTI+ child protest was held on social media on April 23 Children's Day. But, after that, LGBTI+s and HIV positive people were targeted in the Friday sermon of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

"The state is, in fact, following the areas of resistance like a shadow. It is following the collectives and groups. We know that the government, or governments, use social media quite well. They are following the campaigns in digital media. The campaign of LGBTI+ children on April 23 came to the fore in social media in Turkey. At the same night, a counter-reaction was developed. We were subjected to online bullying.

"The Friday sermon of the Presidency of Religious Affairs came after the LGBTI+ children campaign. Governments are following the LGBTI+ movement like a shadow. I think that our movement itself is creating this contrast. I say it in a good way. Our resistance is also bothering them a lot."

'The festivity of the street is taken to the digital'

Yıldırım has told bianet that this year's Pride Week will be held in digital due to the pandemic. He has said that it is a first in the history of İstanbul Pride Week events and a necessity. Yıldırım has emphasized the following points:

"The events will be held via zoom and youtube channels. A very colorful and diverse program will be shared again. I think it will be announced to the public in a week. It will be an İstanbul Pride Week full of color and festivity.

'Our theme: Where am I?'

"No parade is planned, I mean, no parade in the physical sense of the term. There is no parade that will be held from Taksim Square to the Tunnel Square as it was in the past, but there will be statements for the press. Events and different forms of marches will be held in the digital.

"A statement for the press is planned for June 28. It seems that its form will be a bit different. But it has not yet been certain. Our theme is 'Where am I' this year. Don't think about it only geographically or physically...

'We will be very inclusive'

"We have some keywords, like being at home, being a family, arts, belief, the intersection of sexuality, Alevi LGBTI+ events... We will have a week which is inclusive of several civil society figures and organizations on LGBTI+related issues. 'Hormonal Tomato Awards' will also be there. We will throw the tomatoes in the digital this year."

When we ask him 'Why does Pride Week matter, why is it important?', Yıldırım has answered our question as follows:

"We celebrate our existence. We are here, too. Even that 'too' is too much. We say we exist, we say we are here. Crying this out loud at a certain time of the year is very, very important to celebrate this existence..."

(EMK/SD)