In Türkiye, the government presented a draft of the 11th judicial reform package (11th Judicial Package, or the 11. Yargı Paketi), which includes stricter penalties for people who publicly express being LGBTQIA+, as well as for those conducting same-sex ceremonies.
As was first reported by Türkiye Today, the proposed amendment states that “any person who engages in, publicly encourages, praises, or promotes attitudes or behaviors contrary to their biological sex at birth and public morality shall be punished with imprisonment of one to three years.”
Illegal to love
For same-sex couples who hold engagement or wedding ceremonies, prison sentences range from one-and-a-half to four years; while those found engaging in “public sexual acts or exhibitionism” could be jailed from one to two years (up from the current prison sentence of six months to one year).
Same-sex marriage is not legal in Türkiye.
Controlling trans bodies
Another key amendment focuses on restricting access to gender affirmation surgeries (GAS). Particularly: the legal age for GAS will be increased from 18 to 25, just as the requirements would be tightened, including:
- Applicants must be over the age of 25 and unmarried;
- Must obtain a medical board report from a full-fledged training and research hospital designated by the Ministry of Health to confirm that the GAS is “psychologically necessary”;
- Must undergo four separate evaluations (at least three months apart) before receiving approval; and
- Must have the court order the amendment of their civil registry after the medical report is verified.
In a statement, Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty’s deputy director for Europe, said that “these proposals present a grave threat to the rights of LGBTI people and those who advocate for LGBTI rights and they must never see the light of day. ”
