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Protesters hold rainbow pride flags during a demonstration in Antalya, Türkiye during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya on November 14, 2026.
(Photo by Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
'Organizing Is Not a Crime': Turkish LGBTQ+ Rights Defenders Defy Crackdown With COP31 March
“It feels like I am living in a prison in this country," said one protester. “We can do this because the eyes of the international media are here.”
Nov 15, 2026
Defying an escalating government crackdown, LGBTQ+ rights defenders marched in Antalya, Türikye on Saturday, surrounded by thousands of activists in town for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Intersectional solidarity was on full display in the streets of Antalya as COP31 climate campaigners formed a protective cordon around the LGBTQ+ activists, shielding them from potential police suppression as they displayed rainbow flags and placards.
"Őzgür," a 20-year-old Turkish LGBTQ+ activist who marched with a rainbow flag draped over her shoulders, told The Guardian that displaying the banner "feels a bit dangerous."
“It feels like I am living in a prison in this country. I am running all the time,” she said. “We can do this because the eyes of the international media are here.”
Another activist, who identified herself only as Beren, said she was excited to wave the rainbow flag but lamented the absence of a friend who was detained because she is transgender.
“I would love my friend to be here,” she said.
Saturday's march took place amid a sweeping campaign by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan targeting LGBTQ+ organizations, activists, and public expressions of queer identity.
In September, police launched coordinated raids on LGBTQ+ organizations, HIV-support groups, bars, and nightclubs in five cities. At least 112 people were arrested, including at least 24 LGBTQ+ activists, organizational founders, and executives, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The government called the crackdown “My Family Is Safe,” invoking Erdoğan's campaign to promote what his administration calls traditional family values. The president designated 2026-35 the “Decade of Family and Population."
“This crackdown is a blatant attempt to criminalize and marginalize LGBT people and silence the groups that stand up for their rights,” Benjamin Ward, HRW's deputy Europe and Central Asia director, said at the time.
In an article published last month by The Nation, Turkish human rights lawyer Levent Pişkin described the September raids as an escalation of a decadeslong campaign against queer visibility and organizing.
“What this month showed is a state that has found other ways to criminalize queer life and now presents such measures as family policy,” Pişkin wrote.
Turkish Minute reported Wednesday that prosecutors were seeking to dissolve the Istanbul-based Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), the third LGBTQ+ rights organization targeted for closure in less than two months.
Prosecutors cited the organization's 15 years LGBTQ+ advocacy, with four members facing potential prison sentences of one to three years, while two have been held in pretrial detention since September.
“Yes, we did all of these things," SPoD defiantly declared. "And we would do them all again!”
“Organizing is not a crime; it is a right," the group added. "Defending LGBTI+ rights, showing solidarity, and coming together are not crimes."
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Defying an escalating government crackdown, LGBTQ+ rights defenders marched in Antalya, Türikye on Saturday, surrounded by thousands of activists in town for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Intersectional solidarity was on full display in the streets of Antalya as COP31 climate campaigners formed a protective cordon around the LGBTQ+ activists, shielding them from potential police suppression as they displayed rainbow flags and placards.
"Őzgür," a 20-year-old Turkish LGBTQ+ activist who marched with a rainbow flag draped over her shoulders, told The Guardian that displaying the banner "feels a bit dangerous."
“It feels like I am living in a prison in this country. I am running all the time,” she said. “We can do this because the eyes of the international media are here.”
Another activist, who identified herself only as Beren, said she was excited to wave the rainbow flag but lamented the absence of a friend who was detained because she is transgender.
“I would love my friend to be here,” she said.
Saturday's march took place amid a sweeping campaign by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan targeting LGBTQ+ organizations, activists, and public expressions of queer identity.
In September, police launched coordinated raids on LGBTQ+ organizations, HIV-support groups, bars, and nightclubs in five cities. At least 112 people were arrested, including at least 24 LGBTQ+ activists, organizational founders, and executives, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The government called the crackdown “My Family Is Safe,” invoking Erdoğan's campaign to promote what his administration calls traditional family values. The president designated 2026-35 the “Decade of Family and Population."
“This crackdown is a blatant attempt to criminalize and marginalize LGBT people and silence the groups that stand up for their rights,” Benjamin Ward, HRW's deputy Europe and Central Asia director, said at the time.
In an article published last month by The Nation, Turkish human rights lawyer Levent Pişkin described the September raids as an escalation of a decadeslong campaign against queer visibility and organizing.
“What this month showed is a state that has found other ways to criminalize queer life and now presents such measures as family policy,” Pişkin wrote.
Turkish Minute reported Wednesday that prosecutors were seeking to dissolve the Istanbul-based Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), the third LGBTQ+ rights organization targeted for closure in less than two months.
Prosecutors cited the organization's 15 years LGBTQ+ advocacy, with four members facing potential prison sentences of one to three years, while two have been held in pretrial detention since September.
“Yes, we did all of these things," SPoD defiantly declared. "And we would do them all again!”
“Organizing is not a crime; it is a right," the group added. "Defending LGBTI+ rights, showing solidarity, and coming together are not crimes."
From Your Site Articles
Defying an escalating government crackdown, LGBTQ+ rights defenders marched in Antalya, Türikye on Saturday, surrounded by thousands of activists in town for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Intersectional solidarity was on full display in the streets of Antalya as COP31 climate campaigners formed a protective cordon around the LGBTQ+ activists, shielding them from potential police suppression as they displayed rainbow flags and placards.
"Őzgür," a 20-year-old Turkish LGBTQ+ activist who marched with a rainbow flag draped over her shoulders, told The Guardian that displaying the banner "feels a bit dangerous."
“It feels like I am living in a prison in this country. I am running all the time,” she said. “We can do this because the eyes of the international media are here.”
Another activist, who identified herself only as Beren, said she was excited to wave the rainbow flag but lamented the absence of a friend who was detained because she is transgender.
“I would love my friend to be here,” she said.
Saturday's march took place amid a sweeping campaign by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan targeting LGBTQ+ organizations, activists, and public expressions of queer identity.
In September, police launched coordinated raids on LGBTQ+ organizations, HIV-support groups, bars, and nightclubs in five cities. At least 112 people were arrested, including at least 24 LGBTQ+ activists, organizational founders, and executives, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The government called the crackdown “My Family Is Safe,” invoking Erdoğan's campaign to promote what his administration calls traditional family values. The president designated 2026-35 the “Decade of Family and Population."
“This crackdown is a blatant attempt to criminalize and marginalize LGBT people and silence the groups that stand up for their rights,” Benjamin Ward, HRW's deputy Europe and Central Asia director, said at the time.
In an article published last month by The Nation, Turkish human rights lawyer Levent Pişkin described the September raids as an escalation of a decadeslong campaign against queer visibility and organizing.
“What this month showed is a state that has found other ways to criminalize queer life and now presents such measures as family policy,” Pişkin wrote.
Turkish Minute reported Wednesday that prosecutors were seeking to dissolve the Istanbul-based Social Policy, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation Studies Association (SPoD), the third LGBTQ+ rights organization targeted for closure in less than two months.
Prosecutors cited the organization's 15 years LGBTQ+ advocacy, with four members facing potential prison sentences of one to three years, while two have been held in pretrial detention since September.
“Yes, we did all of these things," SPoD defiantly declared. "And we would do them all again!”
“Organizing is not a crime; it is a right," the group added. "Defending LGBTI+ rights, showing solidarity, and coming together are not crimes."
From Your Site Articles
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