Another One

On the 13th of July 2009 the LGBTTQI community of Istanbul had to march again in the streets to condemn another hate crime and ask for justice. This last murder of a transsexual has been the last in a line of visible crimes committed against the LGBTTQI community in Turkey. As such as being the most visible part of the LGBTTQI community transsexuals have been the ones who have suffered the most in attacks. They have been either severely beaten up, arrested or killed. And nobody seems to carry.

This is as such explainable that in a paternalistic and sexist society like the Turkish one where women are perceived as lesser individuals the transformation from man to women is believed to be despicable act. It can even be perceived as a threat to mere male power and certain gender roles. But that doesn’t justify the inhuman reactions, treatments and discrimination the LGBTTQI community is facing every day. It is as such even despicable that governments are refusing to take actions so the Human Rights of LGBTTQI’s is secured. A true failure of this so-called democracy.

These hate crimes will never stop unless Human RIghts are secured by law and the execution of these laws by the police and the judiciary system. It is about time that these actions are undertaken as every death is one too many. No More. No More. Act the fuck now.

Who’s next?

Yesterday morning  Çağla was stabbed to death in her own home. Every time we mourn a lost friend, we are witnesses to another one’s death. Our hearts are bleeding. And we are tired of screaming as we are not being heard. Transphobia and homophobia have made society deaf and blind. Society has forgotten to be human as they have forgotten that we are human too.

What are government officials waiting for to finally act? How many people more need to die? Who’s government is this? Who’s parliament is this if they can not protect our basic human right; the right to live?

By protecting the killers and by wrongly accusing LGBTT’s the incitement to murder they reduce the impact of the crime committed towards LGBTT people. Where’s the justice in this?

What are the governments organisations to protect human rights doing to prevent honor killings? Why aren’t they acting to prevent these kind of horrible acts? Aren’t LGBTT worth it?

The killers are not only the ones holding guns or knifes. The real killer is the system that deprives gay and trans people of their basic rights and freedoms and forces them to live in deprivation.

To solve this problem the authorities who keep these murders hushed up and neglect to make legal arrangements are also considered killers.

To stop hate crimes against LGBTT, to stop hate and murder we will continue to illustrate our protest each week on Thursday at 18:30 in from of the Prime Ministers Advisory Committee on Human Rights in Yüksel.
Don’t stay silent to hate crimes. Don’t partner up with crime.

In Turkish:

Sıra Hangimiz de?

Dün sabah Çağla evinde bıçaklanarak öldürüldü. Bir arkadaşımızı kaybetmenin acısını içimize sindiremezken bir başkasının ölümüne şahit oluyoruz. İçimiz kan ağlıyor. Artık bağırmaktan yorulduk. Feryatlarımızı duymuyorsunuz. Transfobi ve homofobi gözlerinizi kör, kulaklarınızı sağır yapmış. Bizim insan olduğumuzu unutarak kendi insanlığınızdan kaybediyorsunuz.

Yetkiler harekete geçmek için neyi bekliyorlar? Kaç kişinin daha öldürülmesi gerekiyor?
Bu hükümet kimin hükümeti? Bu meclis kimin meclisi?

Katilleri koruyarak, Lezbiyen Gey Biseksüel Travesti Transeksüel (LGBTT) bireylere karşı işlenen suçlarda haksız tahrik indirimleri yaparak katilleri suça teşvik etmiyor musunuz?

TBMM İnsan Hakları İnceleme Komisyonu, Başbakanlık İnsan Hakları Danışma Kurulu, Ankara Valiliği İnsan Hakları Kurulu, Çankaya Kaymakamlığı İnsan Hakları Kurulu nefret cinayetlerini incelemek için neden harekete geçmiyor? Ölen gey ve trans bireyler sizin yurttaşınız değil mi?

Katil sadece, silahı, bıçağı tutan ellerin sahipleri değildir.
Katil, gey ve trans bireyleri temel hak ve özgürlüklerinden mahrum ederek yaşamaya zorlayan sistemdir.

Bu sorunları çözmek için çaba göstermeyen ve bu cinayetlere sesiz kalan, yasal düzenlemeler yapmayan yetkililer de katildir!

LGBTT Bireylere yönelik nefret suçlarını durdurmaya yönelik gerekli önlemler alına kadar ve LGBTT bireylere yönelik nefret cinayetleri aydınlatılana kadar biz her hafta Perşembe günü saat 18:30’da Yüksel’de Başbakanlık İnsan Hakları Danışma Kurulunun önünde toplanmaya devam edeceğiz.
Nefret Cinayetlerine Sessiz Kalma! Suça ortak olma!

LGBTT Hakları Platformu
Kaos GL Derneği
Kaos GL İzmir Oluşumu
Lambdaistanbul LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği
MorEL Eskişehir LGBTT Oluşumu
Pembe Hayat LGBTT Dayanışma Derneği
Piramid LGBTT Diyarbakır Oluşumu
Siyah Pembe Üçgen Derneği

Destekleyen Kuruluşlar,
Amargi kadın Kooperatifi, Anarşi Kolektifi Ankara, Ankara Kadın Platformu, Çeviri Eylem Kolektifi, DSİP, EHP’li LGBTT’ler, Eskişehir Demokratik Kadın Platformu, Feminist(B)iz,  Filmmor
Halkevci kadınlar, GLADT, Berlin-Brandenburg Türkiyeli Escinseller Dernegi, İnsan Hakları Gündemi Derneği, İstanbul LGBTT Sivil Toplum Girişimi, İzmir Amargi Grubu, Ka-der, Kadın Dayanışma Vakfı, Kadının İnsan Hakları- Yeni Çözümler Derneği, Kardeşime Dokunma İnsiyatifi, Kırkörük Kadına Yönelik Şiddetle Mücadele Kooparatifi, Nefret Cinayetlerini Duyuruyoruz İnsiyatifi, Sosyal Kalkınma ve Cinsiyet Eşitliği Politikaları Merkezi, TCK Kadın Platformu, Türkiye Ayıları, Uçan Süpürge Kadın Örgütü, Yeşiller İzmir

Young Greens for an All Inclusive Europe

In the week before the 17th of May, the International Day against Homophobia (IDAHO), gay prides took places all around Europe celebrating freedom and diversity. Still, we are warned once again that Human Rights’  violation towards LGBTQI  is still present in Europe.

Yet again the organisation of prides has been precarious. In Moscow the pride has been forbidden as this has been a common practice. And in Riga the pride had to go through hard times as only 3 days before the permission to organise it had been revoked. This happened under the false pretence of morality and conservatism. Thankfully the court decided against this outrageous act and the pride will take place.
For the Young European Greens these situations are  is unacceptable. We do not want a Europe that discriminates people who do not fit in to certain mainstream norms. We do not want a Europe of intolerance. The Young European Greens strive towards Europe that values diversity and considers it as an enrichment that should be celebrated; towards Europe in which all citizens will have equal rights, regardless their differences, not only on paper, but also in practice. We strive towards Europe of inclusion and respect.

This Saturday 16th of May, day prior IDAHO, FYEG will participate in the gay pride in Brussels to show that there is an alternative, namely a Green alternative.

Young Greens do not merely pay lip service to equal rights and anti-discrimination:.Green MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg headed the anti-discrimination directive that was finally adopted by the European Parliament. This directive protects all European citizens against different forms of discrimination, including the ones  based on sexuality.

We are fully aware that fight for equality and inclusion will not end with the adoption of the anti-discrimination directive. It offers legal protection and a useful standpoint from which we continue to promote our vision of an inclusive society in which equal rights will be granted for all. Therefore, Greens will continue this battle along side all the others that strive towards an all inclusive Europe.

Pride – in the name of what?

Every year the same thought comes to my mind when it is that time of the year that the BLGP proceed through the city of Brussels celebrating diversity; what about the others? What about all those other countries where human rights are merely a piece of paper that can be thrown away.

This year was different as the BLGP was in the same weekend as the Baltic Pride (in Riga) and the Slavic Pride (in Moscow during the Eurovision Song Contest). Weeks on forhand there were rumours or officials speaking out to forbid both prides. The outcome was that over the whole of Europe Human Rights activists were scandalized and that at least the Baltic Pride could continue in a so-called peacefull place. The Slavic Pride however was brutally put down and activist were arrested (if only that).

The Belgian Lesbian and Gay Pride showed solidarity with those 2 prides who faced difficulties but is that enough? Is it enough to write to you government officials and ask them to react to these violations of Human Rights? Is it enough to react in such a manner when people are threathend to be arrested, beaten up or convicted solemly becaus ethey ask for equality? Is this where activism has come to today?

I’d rather say no, but all signals are not so positive as we naieve Western European would like to believe. It’s as such a very sad reality where yet and answer needs to be found for.

Lambda Istanbul

After Istanbul the journey took me to Ankara. The capital of the Turkish Republic. It was not only to visit my sister and some friends, but foremost to witness the courthearing of the case the Turkish state put up against Lambda Istanbul.

Lambda Istanbul is the biggest LGBTQ organisation in Turkey and has done an immense job during the past few years in the whole process of LGBTQ emancipation in Turkish society. No wonder that if Lambda Istanbul would be closed Turkey would lose one of its biggest players on the Human Rights level. The actual charges the Turkish state brought upon Lambda were therfor also ridiculous. In what kind of democracy can an organisation be closed down on charges that the name isn’t Turkish enough and that the organisation would go against the Turkish family values. At least one could say it would be idiotic.

But thank God it didn’t work out. The Turkish state lost the case in the end and Lambda Istanbul was not shut down. What surprised me the most was the amount of people actually present at the courthearing. From all over Turkey people, activists gathered in front of the courtbuilding. All they (and me) wanted to do was to listen to the court and express their support to Lambda Istanbul. More suprising was the reaction of the security forces. Not only did they embarace themselves by trying to chase the activists away, but the amount of security forces shown was again ridiculous. A huge amount of policemen followed the activists whilst they quietly spread into the city.

But still, this looked to me as a kind of intimidation and certainly as a fuck up for the freedom of speech. It was again that kind of Turkisch state that can only survive by intimidating opposition. Is this then that what we would accept into the EU?