Six NGOs paint billboards in rainbow colors

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Amnesty International, Purple Roof Women's Shelter Foundation, Association for Monitoring Equal Rights, Greenpeace, Support to Life Association and change.org have joined forces in the face of mounting restrictions and bans on Pride Marches in Turkey since 2015 and the censorship on rainbow colors, which represent the LGBTI+ community.

The six non-governmental organizations (NGO) have painted billboards in İstanbul's Bebek, İzmir and Çeşme in rainbow colors, saying, "We are honored to be together with our different colors. We are colorful like a rainbow, equal, free and stronger when we support each other."

Forming a rainbow flag by placing their ads with their corporate colors in adjacent billboards, the NGOs have shared the following messages:

• change.org: "Change is possible together"
• Support to Life: "Support to life for an equal life"
• Amnesty International: "All humans are born free and equal in terms of rights"
• Greenpeace: "All together for the earth"
• Association for Monitoring Equal Rights: "Don't turn a blind eye to discrimination"
• Purple Roof Women's Shelter Foundation: "For an equal and free life away from violence"

'Pressure, bans on LGBTI+s have increased'

Amnesty International Campaigns and Communication Director Tarık Beyhan has raised concerns that the remarks and unlawful bans targeting the LGBTI+s have been mounting with each passing day.

He has briefly said the following about the campaign:

Even though all pride marches held in Turkey were held in a peaceful manner, the public authority first tried to push pride marches to side streets to make them less visible, then tried to ban them all together. The Governor's Office of Ankara imposed a ban on all LGBTI+ events for a long period of time in an unlawful manner.

"Apart from the rainbow flag, almost everything in colors is banned. The stairs painted in colors are painted in gray; the sale of commercial products with rainbow is attempted to be hindered. In such an environment, it is an honor for us to be in cooperation with organizations working in different fields in the face of discrimination and bans." (KÖ/SD)