The Turkish
capital Ankara has banned the public showing of films and exhibitions in
support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, the governor’s
office
said on Sunday, citing risks to public safety.
The move
will worry gay rights activists and Turkey’s Western allies about its record on
civil liberties under President Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party, who
is extremely anti-gay.
“Starting
from Nov. 18, 2017, concerning our community’s public sensitivity, any events
such as LGBT... cinema, theater, panels, interviews, exhibitions are banned
until further notice in our province to provide peace and security,” the
governor’s office said in a statement.
It said that
such exhibitions could cause different groups in society to “publicly harbor
hatred and hostility” toward each other and therefore pose a risk to public
safety.
Authorities
in Ankara had already banned a German gay film festival on Wednesday, the day
before it was due to start, citing public safety and terrorism risks.
Gay pride
parades have been banned in Istanbul for the last two years.
Unlike in
many Muslim countries, homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but there is
widespread hostility towards it.
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