The İstanbul Governor’s Office sealed the office of Lambdaistanbul LGBTI+ Solidarity Association on Nov 11 over an allegation that it was operating an "unauthorized venue."
The association, which has worked on LGBTI+ rights for 33 years, said the office was a community space where LGBTI+s gathered, built solidarity and carried out volunteer activities.
Lambdaistanbul said the sealing was a continuation of measures targeting LGBTI+s’ living and organizing spaces following the Sep 12 "My Family Is Safe" operations.
"We do not accept that our association activities, which we have carried out openly, transparently and on record for years, are now being cited as grounds for the allegation of 'operating an unauthorized venue,' or that our living spaces are being restricted," the association said.
"We are not giving up the collective solidarity spaces of lubunyas," it added, using a Turkey queer community term.
Active since 1993
Lambdaistanbul’s history dates back to the "Sexual Freedom Events" planned in İstanbul in 1993, which were banned by the governor’s office.
After the event was banned and members of the organizing committee were detained, the group continued meeting. It adopted the name Lambda İstanbul that same year and joined the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA).
In its early years, the group met in homes and at venues belonging to other organizations. In 2002, it opened its first office in Terkos Çıkmazı and established the Lambdaistanbul Culture Center.
The center hosted meetings, workshops, talks and solidarity events.
Lambdaistanbul was among the organizations that held İstanbul’s first Pride March in 2003.
Closure order overturned by Court of Cassation
The group obtained association status in 2006. A closure case was later filed against it.
A court decision ordering the association’s closure was overturned by the Court of Cassation in 2009.
Lambdaistanbul left its Beyoğlu premises in 2014 and closed the Lambdaistanbul Culture Center in 2016. It continued its activities in different venues and through online meetings in subsequent years.
The association says it works to help LGBTI+s come together, build solidarity networks and strengthen their rights advocacy. It says its work is based on solidarity against discrimination, horizontal organizing, nonviolence, volunteerism, participation and transparency.
