Lambda Istanbul is a
Turkish LGBT organization. It was founded in 1993 as a cultural space for the
LGBT
LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
community, and became an official organization in 2006. Clandestine
Pride events were held in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
starting in 1993, and with Lambda
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
participation, they became public marches.
The organization was ordered dissolved in May 2008 following a court decision. The prosecutors claimed that Lambda Istanbul's objectives were "against the law and morality". The order has been criticized by
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...
and
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
. The Supreme Court of Appeals overturned this order on November 25, 2008, and on April 30, 2009, a lower court granted Lambda Istanbul permission to continue operating.
World News Briefs
Gay and Lesbian Times, May 7, 2009.
The agenda of Lambda includes:
* Reporting human rights violations
Human rights are universally recognized moral principles or norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both national and international laws. These rights are considered inherent and inalienable, meaning t ...
.
* Helping change the 10th article of the Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
, pending its amendment. According to the Article No.10 of the Constitution of Turkey
The Constitution of Turkey, formally known as the Constitution of the Republic of Türkiye (), and informally as the Constitution of 1982 (), is Turkey's fundamental law. It establishes the organization of the government, and sets out the pr ...
, discrimination based on language, race, skin color, gender, political opinion, religion, denomination and similar reasons is prohibited but it does not directly refer to sexual orientation or sexual identity.
See also
* LGBT rights in Turkey
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Turkey face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents, though the overall situation is considered to be less repressive when compared to most other LGBT people and ...
References
External links
Official website
LGBTQ political advocacy groups in Turkey
LGBTQ culture in Istanbul
Organizations established in 1993
Organizations disestablished in 2008
1993 in LGBTQ history
2008 in LGBTQ history
May 2008 in Turkey
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