ÜniKuir: 'Let's Establish Safe Zones at Universities'

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"Today, we have our first volunteer meeting. We are excited, so I have other phone calls as well. As rights defenders who are always on the streets, we couldn't get used to Zoom meetings.

Özgür Gür from the Middle East Technical University (METU) LGBTI+ Solidarity talks about the University Queer and LGBTI+ Solidarity Network they have founded. One of the activities of the association is doing verbal history studies at universities.

The association was founded on February 14 and they had a hard time making the Associations Desk accept the name of the association, Gür says, adding that they even submitted academic articles to them.

"Our starting point is, of course, to strengthen the LGBTI+ movement in universities. Our door is open to all students, academics and laborers who have become part of the universities somehow and are against LGBTI+phobia and hatred.

"Frankly, we were also surprised when the associations' desk approved it and we immediately moved our efforts to the legal ground. We rented our association building. We were going to work there but we are not opening it because the pandemic period started.

"Media projects, verbal history projects... We want to do and support all kinds of projects that you can think of that strengthen the LGBTI+ movement.

"The association was founded in Ankara but students from different provinces of Turkey and even from universities where there are no LGBTI+ organizations. We hope that it will continue like this."

Saying that the members of the association will hold an online meeting today, Gür remarks, "Let's fight discrimination, violence and hatred in our universities altogether and establish safe places where we can freely breathe."

"As ÜniKuir, we call on you to join us in our goals such as reporting discriminations, doing academic studies, participating in politics and lobbying, making our voices heard in the media, and producing words and dong activism in many areas that we will diversify together..." (EMK/VK)

"ÜniKuir olarak sizleri yaşanılan ayrımcılıkları raporlamak, akademik çalışmalar yürütmek, siyasete katılım ve lobicilik yapmak, medyada sesimizi duyurmak ve söz üretmek gibi çeşitli hedeflerimizde bize katılmaya ve birlikte, çeşitlendireceğimiz birçok alanda aktivizm yürütmeye çağırıyoruz..." (EMK)