LGBTI+ groups mark the start of Pride Month

Photo: SPoD

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

With the start of June, LGBTI+ associations and organizations in Turkey have started their Pride Month celebrations.

Pride Month is celebrated annually in June to honor the first pride parade, which took place simultaneously in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles on June 28, 1970, marking the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

This year, the theme of the Pride Month celebrations in Turkey is centered around the May elections and the pressures faced by the LGBTI+ community.

Throughout his election campaign, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan frequently resorted to anti-LGBTI+ rhetoric, and member parties of the ruling People's Alliance threatened to close LGBTI+ associations in the country.

Releasing a statement, the Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD) said, "The rebellion at Stonewall now echoes across every corner of the world. Turn back to those who soared in Egypt, who experienced sisterhood in Iran, who challenged in Gezi, who refused to look down in Boğaziçi, who stood by our side on March 8, and those who have been fighting relentlessly for years. Look back, remember. Our pride lies in our unstoppable rebellion.

"Remember and remind: Our struggle is not new; it didn't go through hardships for the first time; we weren't scared for the first time; we didn't wage war on the world for the first time! Let them not think we forgot; we remember...

"Wishing you a joyful LGBTI+ Pride Month, remember that nothing can harm us!"

"Did you think we would disappear?"

UniQueer, an organization aiming to combat discrimination, violence, and hatred against LGBTI+s at universities and establish free and safe spaces for all university students, emphasized the resilience of the community, stating, "Did you think you could steal our May and we wouldn't show you June?"

"Once again, you were mistaken! We cannot escape the despair we face, nor can we disappear for a while. Hear us shouting! We are here. We are each other's hope."

The committees of İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week and the 9th İstanbul Trans Pride Week also announced their themes for this year.

The 9th İstanbul Trans Pride Week declared, "Our theme is clear; we are turning around!"

The Turkish version of the statement creates a wordplay using the verb "dönmek," which can mean both "turning" and "gender reassignment." The word "dönme" has historically been used as a derogatory term for trans people. However, in recent years, there has been a reclaiming of this word by the trans community. (TY/VK)