• LGBTQ Nation: 56-year-old Frank Hobbs Jr. was caught on camera stealing pro-LGBTQ yard signs last June, eventually claiming that local officials had given him permission to remove “pedophile symbols.” But now he’s being charged with violating state civil rights laws and could face thousands in fines.
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey (screen capture) Turkey’s virulently anti-LGBTQ President Tayyip Erdogan had a hissy fit on Thursday, saying he was “uncomfortable” with the United Nations building being decorated with what he described as “LGBT colors.” In fact, what Erdogan saw was not the rainbow Pride flag but the 17 different colors associated with the Sustainable Development Goals, which were used throughout the building for a summit held at the U.N. earlier this week. Continue reading “President Erdogan Of Turkey Complains Of ‘LGBT Colors’ At UN”
Christian Borle and J. Harrison Ghee in ‘Some Like It Hot’ (photo: Marc J. Franklin) Some news stories you might have missed: • Broadway News: The hit musical Some Like It Hot scored 8 Drama Desk Awards this week including Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical for the show’s star J. Harrison Ghee, who identifies as non-binary. Continue reading “News: 2023 Drama Desk Awards, Digital Pride Events + More”
Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: UK Olympic gold medal diver Tom Daley said it’s his “mission” to stop countries where being LGBT+ is punishable by death from competing in the Olympics. Continue reading “News Round-Up: October 11, 2021”
(screen capture via Global News) Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at participants of a Pride March in Instanbul on Saturday, arresting 25 people. Among those detained was AFP photographer Bulent Kilic. From Deutsche Welle:
While thousands gathered peacefully in Berlin, Paris, London, Rome, Milan and elsewhere in Europe for Pride parades, the authorities in Istanbul reacted with a heavy hand to those who gathered in the central Beyoglu district of Istanbul.
The march participants comprised several civil society groups that gathered under the motto “the street is ours.” Footage and photos of demonstrators showed some being pushed and dragged by riot police on Istiklal Avenue in the heart of the city.
Images posted on social media showed photographer Kilic pressed to the ground with police holding him down with their knees.
Reporters Without Borders in Turkey tweeted in support of Kilic, demanding his immediate release. AFP reported Kilic had been released later in the evening.
Authorities in Instanbul have banned Pride events since 2014 when 100,000 showed up for the festivities. Officials say “public safety” was a concern.
It’s been a rough year for LGBTQ advocates in Turkey as elected officials have grown more and more vocal in their opposition to queer communities. “There is no such thing as LGBT,” said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in February during an address to his party. “This country is national, spiritual and walking toward the future with these values.” In March, Erdoğan abandoned the landmark Instanbul Convention because it “normalizes homosexuality.”
Appalling scenes emerging from #Turkey. Despite last-minute banning of @istanbulpride, police brutally attack peaceful #LGBTI+ activists. Our colleague @sariyilmz has taken shelter in a local bar and is currently surrounded by police. pic.twitter.com/glX5FvoiTR
— Civil Rights Defenders Europe (@CRDEurope) June 26, 2021
Thousands turned up to celebrate LGBTQ #Pride in cities and towns across the world. In Turkey, police in riot gear fired tear gas, blocked streets, and arrested more than 25 in an attempt to thwart the parade. pic.twitter.com/lcFztg60SC
Officials in Turkey reportedly pressured Netflix to remove a gay character from its new series titled, If Only, and so the streaming platform canceled the project. From Deadline:
The eight-part relationship drama was announced in March and was set to be made by Turkish production outfit Ay Yapim, with screen star Özge Özpirinçci leading the cast. But Netflix has scrapped the plans after producers were refused a filming license because of the existence of a gay character.
Per a translation in the Financial Times, If Only’s creator Ece Yörenç told Turkish film website Altyazi Fasikul: “Due to a gay character, permission to film the series was not granted and this is very frightening for the future.”
Responding to a request for comment from the FT, a spokesman for Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party acknowledged that concerns were raised about If Only. Deadline understands that rather than caving to creative changes, Netflix decided to abandon the project.
Netflix hasn’t commented on the issue directly, but a spokesman told Deadline the streaming platform “remains deeply committed to our Turkish members and the creative community in Turkey.” “We currently have several Turkish originals in production — with more to come — and look forward to sharing these stories with our members all around the world,” added the spokesman. No word on if any of those other shows in production have LGBTQ characters or storylines. Turkey is one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East. While homosexuality isn’t illegal, same-sex marriage is. Additionally, there are no legal protections for LGBTQ people in the areas of housing, adoption or employment, and gay Turkish citizens are no allowed to serve openly in the military. Özpirinçci posted a photo on Instagram over the weekend from the set with a rainbow series of hearts.
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