We’ve Asked Bursa Free Colors About LGBTI Bans: We’ve Learned to Develop New Practices

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Semih Özkarakaş from the Bursa Free Colors LGBTI+ Association, has evaluated the LGBTI bans spreading from Ankara to Bursa for bianet.

Explaining that a film screening in Bursa was cancelled without any written notice following the indefinite ban in Ankara, Özkarakaş said, “We are learning to struggle and develop new practices despite all bans”.

As far as we’ve heard, your event to be held on November 20 was banned without a written notice. What happened that day?

We would organize a film screening for November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance. A day before the event, two people from the security directorate came to the event area and said that they would “intervene in if they met a resistance”. But there is no written notice.

Our lawyer made the necessary applications. We filed a complaint to the Governorship. The Security Directorate referred us to the Security Bureau but we couldn’t receive any response. This is a very arbitrary practice. It seems that this is a stance maintained after the ban in Ankara.

Have any of your events been banned in Bursa in the past?

There was no intervention in any of our event in Bursa since 2013 until this summer. At the end of the process that has begun with Bursa City Council’s notice targeting the LGBTI, our event in the Nilüfer Music Festival was cancelled. Besides, as you know, there were some debates going on over LGBTI quota of the Nilüfer City council. Finally, the incident on November occurred.

It is an open violation of the Constitution Article No.10. This is a ban aiming to suppress the LGBTI+s, and prevent them from going out to the street and become visible. This matter doesn’t concern Ankara only but all of us.

Have you organized any event following the film screening that was obstructed?

Yes, we had three events. The first one was at the university for the Psychological Counseling and Guidance. As the December 1 World AIDS Day approached, we held a sexual health training and also a solidarity party but we were worried if “it would be intervened in” before holding the party.

One of our greatest achievements in Bursa since 2013 is the LGBTI friendly places being formed. But after the obstruction, we are worried about how these places will approach this matter and how we will hold our events.

Did you encounter any problems in these events?

We had no issues but there was a psychological uneasiness. The people who wanted to come to the event were worried.

The Felicity Party held demonstrations against the LGBTIs in Bursa. They denounced both the LGBTI quota and carried banners reading “the AK Party (Justice and Development Party) legalized, the CHP (Republican People’s Party) popularized”.

Have the lives of LGBTI individuals changed in Bursa following the ban?

No change occurred at some districts but places like Yıldırım are difficult for the LGBTI+s to be visible.

There have always been interventions in trans sex workers’ housing right and their work. Police recently attacked a trans sex worker.

Are you in touch with other LGBTI organizations in other cities? Do you have a strategy against the bans?

We try to keep together and act in solidarity because they want to silence us.

We were trying to increase the LGBTI+ visibility in Bursa knowing all the difficulties. We will continue to struggle and develop new practices despite all bans. 

(ÇT/TK)