ATCA crew members Serkan, Kerem, Hattice, and Eric Dayi, meet up in the “TRNC” on a special mission…
Turkish Cypriot gays battle for respect
By Simon Bahceli
TURKISH Cypriot gays will take to the streets of central Nicosia today to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and to raise awareness about homosexuality in general.
“The World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the list of mental and behavioral disorders on May 17, 1990, but attitudes and laws in this country, especially in the north, remain archaic,” one of the organisers of today’s “awareness campaign” told the Cyprus Mail.
The group behind the campaign, which calls itself the Initiative Against Homophobia and boasts 20 “core members” and around 300 sympathisers, will be distributing a leaflet in Turkish, Greek and English outlining the significance of May 17. It also carries information on what it means to be gay, and how people come to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual.
“The main message is that it is not an illness,” another of the organisers told the Mail, but added: “It’s also a serious legal issue, because as things stand what we do is forbidden by the law as being ‘unnatural’.”
Indeed, the law on homosexuality in the north stems from colonial times and makes sex between two males punishable by up to five years in jail. There is no law prohibiting sexual relations between women however.
Today’s campaign is by far the Initiative’s most public action to date in what is known to be a deeply conservative society. But it follows a move earlier this week when the group applied to register their Initiative as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the Turkish Cypriot authorities.
“This will cause a stir because by law they have to afford us the right to express our views, but at the same time homosexuality is illegal. So we don’t really know what they will decide to do. But one way or another it will lead us to the next step in our campaign to make homosexuality both legal and acceptable,” an organiser said.
Although the current law on homosexuality is rarely invoked, the threat posed by its existence is keenly felt by gays in the north.
“We know of a guy who was blackmailed by his gay lover who threatened to tell his wife and children about their relationship. When he went to the police to tell them about the blackmail he was arrested, sent for a medical to establish whether he had committed so-called unnatural and illegal acts. He was totally humiliated. He had gone to the police as the victim of a crime and was treated like a criminal. He has now left the country, despite the court case pending,” an organiser said.
And beyond the scrapping of the ancient law, gays in north Cyprus also want protection within society against persecution or prejudice.
“We can be fired from jobs, abused in the military, denied access to privileges that others consider normal, all because we are gay, and we have no recourse to justice,” a member of the Initiative explained.
Several of the members of the Initiative say they are active homosexuals who live with their partners. However, very few have actually “come out”.
“We can live together without getting much reaction from people in general. People just think we are friends. But how they would treat us if we actually told them we were gay is another matter. People don’t seem to mind as long as they aren’t confronted with it,” one of the campaigners said.
Another says, “I’m sure my parents know I’m gay. We even joke about it, but no one ever discusses it seriously.”
While the temptation remains to stay “in the closet”, some of north Cyprus’ gay community now say they wish to live in a society that knows who and what they are and does not disapprove.
“I’ve lived in Europe and there you can be totally comfortable with what you are. I want it to be like that here.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=39231
