On April 16, Turkish citizens will vote for or against building a "New Turkey," as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called the monumental constitutional reform package currently tearing the country in two. The reform would increase the president's powers to declare laws by decree and eliminate the role of the prime minister. Critics, from human rights watch groups to Turkey's main opposition parties, fear a "yes" vote will place Turkey under one man's rule. Many fear it could also bring consequences for all sorts of marginalized groups there, significantly so for the country's LGBTQ community.
Advertisement
The referendum has unfolded amid rising nationalism, wide-reaching dismissals of government employees, and detentions and arrests of activists and organizers in the wake of the country's failed government coup last July. Since the attempted coup, Turkey has existed under a state of emergency; according to Human Rights Watch, over 47,000 people have been jailed and 160 independent media outlets have shuttered since July, and the amendment would cement many of the ruling powers Erdoğan has taken on since the state of emergency was declared.For the LGBTQ community in Istanbul, the stakes of the vote are high. Turkey already sees the highest rate of transgender homicides in Europe, and while Turkey has been praised for having one of the most visible LGBTQ communities among majority Muslim countries, its gay pride festival has been banned for the last two years on grounds of coinciding with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Last year, ultra-nationalist groups vowed to prevent the marches, calling them "immoral," and marchers were violently dispersed in 2015 by riot police with rubber bullets and water cannons. If a "yes" vote prevails, there is little doubt that nationalist fervor will intensify in the country, which could lead to more of the same kind of discrimination.As Turkey braces for its referendum vote, we spoke to four members of the LGBTQ community in Istanbul about what place they might have in a "New Turkey."
Advertisement
Esra Ece, 34, sex worker
Advertisement
Çagla Akalin, 27, actress
Advertisement