Turkish family minister condemns anti-LGBTI+ 'hate' march

Duvar English

Turkey's Family and Social Services Minister Derya Yanık has condemned the anti-LGBTI+ "hate march" that was held in Istanbul last week.

Saying that she does not approve "hate speech," Yanık expressed that the state has a "duty to protect fundamental human rights of all citizens."

However, Yanık told journalist Hande Fırat from the daily Hürriyet that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) "has values and does not have the luxury of normalizing homosexuality."

"Every group has the right to protest. But, I find hate speech wrong. I am a lawyer and most of my profession has been based on human rights. We find hate speech wrong no matter who it is against. Recall the trans people who were brutally murdered," she said.

"You can see it wrong and sinful. But, hate speech is unacceptable, no matter who it is against. Because with hate speech, you hinder the right to life," she added.

However, she described queerness as "pathological."

"Authorities point out that the issue of gender is psychological, not a biological pathology. By the age of three, the sexual identity begins to become clear, and at the age of five it becomes definite. If there is a problem in the parent model, pathology develops. For this reason, we are working on the early childhood parent role model," she added.

An anti-LGBTI+ “hate” rally named “Great Family Gathering” was held in Istanbul’s Fatih district on Sept. 18 with state support.

Turkey's Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK) labeled the march’s promotion video as “public service announcement."

The rally and march stirred huge reaction on social media and public figures days before the event.

#NefretYürüyüşüneHayır (No to hate march) became trending topic on Twitter.