President Erdoğan once again accuses opposition politicians of ‘being pro-LGBT’

Duvar English

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 21 addressed his Justice and Development Party's (AKP) parliamentary gathering for the initial occasion subsequent to the elections and carried on with his discourse targeting opposition politicians including his opponent in elections Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for “being pro-LGBT.” 

The increasing anti-LGBTI+ discourse during the election period was also reflected in Erdoğan's speeches. In his first speech after winning the elections on May 28, he had his supporters boo the LGBTI+ community and all opposition parties that he claimed to support them.

In his parliamentary speech, Erdoğan accused Kılıçdaroğlu of not refuting the “support messages” of terrorist organizations during the elections and added that the opposition has been “collaborating” with terrorist organizations such as Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ).

He also stated, “In order to get 'well done' from global powers, you tried to legitimize the LGBT calamity that threatens the survival of our society. Mr. Kemal, you are pro-LGBT. Those with you are also pro-LGBT. But neither the AKP nor the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) nor the other members of the Peoples’ Alliance has such a calamity."

President Erdoğan created an anti-LGBTI+ coalition in recent years siding with nationalist and radical Islamist groups. His speeches also resonate as a comprehensive ban on all LGBTI+ events and constant police attacks toward pride marches.