21/03/2012 | Writer: Kaos GL

Kaos GL Association is monitoring mainstream media for nearly 4 years and share this information with public via www.kaosgl.org news portal. Reports are printed each year as a book. These reports are available in kaosgl.org. Here is Fabruary’s Report.

February 2012 Media Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+
Kaos GL Association is monitoring mainstream media for nearly 4 years and share this information with public via www.kaosgl.org news portal. Reports are printed each year as a book. These reports are available in kaosgl.org. Here is Fabruary’s Report.
 
We scanned 243 news in which the words ''gay, lesbian, transexual, transsexual, transvestite, homosexual, bisexual, fagot, butch, queer, sexual orientation, sexual preference, sexual identity'' are mentioned.
 
30 news took place in local newspapers, whereas 16 news did in magazines. 134 news are those where the words written above are mentioned, while 109 news are those related with LGBT people and written directly about homosexuals. There are 5 headlines in the newspaper supplements in February. 71 columns, 90 news, 32 art and culture news and the rest, that is, 45 magazine news are made. While looked at the content of these news, it can be said that only 74 news are sensitive to human rights. 41 of these news included the explanations of LGBT organizations and the opinions of experts. 30 news are homophobic and the language used in 48 news is wrong.
 
Rupert Everett was in If Istanbul Independent Film Festival for the movie ''Zenne/The Dancer''
Rupert Everett participating in If Istanbul Independent Film Festival as a famous actor lives with his open identity. That participation was announced in newspapers with such titles: ''Rupert Everett will present Zenne'' (Habertürk, 1 February 2012). In this news, it was said that Rupert Everett is known for his struggle for the rights of homosexuals and that he will be awarded due to the contribution he makes by means of cinema to the world where every people can be themselves fearlessly. On the same date, the newspaper Hürriyet presented this news with the title ''Everett will present Zenne''. In that news, only the information of Everett's participation in the festival in which Zenne takes place was mentioned. The news was also announced under the title of ''Rupert Everett will go to Istanbul for Zenne'' (Günboyu, 3 March 2012). The explanation made by Everett during awarding was given with the title ''If Istanbul finished with Everett'' on 28th February, in the newspaper Taraf. In addition, a long reportage in which the murder case of Ahmet Yıldız is mentioned took place with the title ''The gay actor outspoke'' on 26th February, in the newspaper supplement Hürriyet Pazar.
 
''My Child'' set off on the journey
My Child is a project in which the parents of LGBT people participate. That project refers to a long documentary film directed by Can Candan. 3 news were made about that documentary in the website of Kaos GL between 1st and 7th February with such titles as ''The roads of My Child (Benim Çocuğum) andBus (Otobüs) intersect'', ''Zenne (The Dancer) is also My Child'' and ''The shooting of My Child started''. The news of that film also took place inthe journal Sinema with the title of  ''These movies are waiting for your contribution'' and in the newspaper Cumhuriyet under the title of ''Bus is on the way for My Child this time''. It was also mentioned in the column of Esmeray in the newspaper Taraf.
 
In February, we followed Baki Koşar Fighting Against Hate Crimes Week in Izmir
The newspaper Özgür Gündem made a news about ''Baki Koşar Fighting Against Hate Crimes Week'' and walk organized by Black Pink Triangle Association in Izmir (Siyah Pembe Üçgen İzmir Derneği) on26th February in a way sensitive to human rights. Kaos GL website also followed these activities due to its reporters trained in the The Local Gay-Lesbian Reporter Network Education.
 
In February, Kaos GL Association took part in media.
 
News about Meeting Against Homophobia
 
Announcement of Kaos GL in terms of the cultural activities within the scope of Meeting Against Homophobia took part in the newspaper Gündem. This news was presented with the title ‘‘The Call from Kaos GL to the Artists’’ on 1st February. In the news, it is indicated that ‘‘Kaos GL calls for cultural activities which will be carried out from March to May within the scope of Meeting Against Homophobia. It is stated that the purpose of the call titled as Getting Beyond Limits that is made for Art Against Homophobia program is to decode the despotic existence of the limit in the language, body, space and world as well as to reveal the fact that the limiting logic is not that precise’’ This news was taken from Kaos GL website.
 
If Command is Theirs, Country is Ours
Hate Crimes Law Campaign Platform discussed with Leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) within the scope of discussions with political parties and commission. In this platform, there were representatives of Pink Life and Kaos GL Associations. On 9th February, the newspaper Yeni Çağ announced this news with the headline  ‘‘If Command is Theirs, Country is Ours’’ and indicated the names of all organisations.
 
Real GL – Kaos
On 10th February, the newspaper Yurt announced a news about a parental case and divorce issue between homosexual parents in England with a title ‘‘Real GL Kaos’’ The newspaper presented that news which is marginal for them through correlating it with the name of our association. The news website Azhaber gave place to that news, too. You can read it below.
 
    In England, a gay father sued his former lesbian wife and her current girlfriend in order to get his son’s custody. The judge got confused and trial was cancelled. However, the lesbian mother rejects this in order to protect her threesome nuclear family which consists of her girlfriend. The mother states that once the father did not obey the agreement on seeing the child for a couple of hours at night. The judge must be decide on whether or not a marriage life with three parents can provide a child with a much better future. The names of  these three people all of whom have significant positions are hidden. The judge cancelled the trial in order to examine similar cases as well as discuss with the psychologists.  
          
Marriage news of Barış and Aras
Aras Güngör and Barış Sulu from Pink Life and Kaos GL have been struggling for eight mounts in order to obtain marriage right. Aras is trans-man and Barış is gay. One of them has pink identity card and the other has blue one. Barış and Aras who took people’s attention by saying ‘We want legal equality for LGBT people’ gave an interview for Sunday Magazine of Newspaper Hürriyet on 12th February. News was announced as ‘a complicated situation’ at the first page. On inner surface, interview was broadcasted by some subtitles like ‘Is Turkey ready for this situation?’, ‘A man, a woman and a gay marriage’. News with the title ‘Love Has No Gender’ was prepared by Çiçek Tahaoğlu in Newspaper Bianet and was also published on Kaos GLwebsite.
 
Media report of Kaos GL on January and different news
Our media report of January was reported as news by Bianet website news with the headline ‘LGBTs for 357 times’ at 20th January and by the Newspaper Gündem with the title ‘LGBT members and media’ at 21th January.
In her article on Reproduction of hegemonic masculine gender on advertisements: advertising the appearances of seductive man, Assoc. Doc. Billur Ülger gave an example like ‘non-hegemonic (for example: homosexuality)’. Even if she questions gender roles and manhood, term ‘homosexual’ was improper because of its impression. We, LGBT people, don’t use the word ‘homosexual’ because it refers to illness.
 
With the eyes of the Media, LGBT members, Hate Crimes, Constitution and Law Draft in Turkey
The Newspaper Şalom, on 1th February, had prepared news about ‘Hate Crime Law’ and took the views of experts and also organizations about this issue. In news which is not only about LGBT members and is covered inclusively, it is stated that LGBT members are also the ‘most popular’ victims of hate crime’. Furthermore, the Newspaper Radikal’s news dated 9 February, with the headline ‘Hate Crime Law should come into force immediately’, by taking experts’ views, introduced ‘Campaign Against Hate Crime.’
 
The Newspaper Aydınlık announced that Constitutional Committee had the privacy decision- makingand while declaring institutions of which opinions have been received up until now, they didn’t skip to mention LGBT Right Organizations. However, within the same day, the title ‘smart strategy from new constitutionalists’ was seen in the same newspaper. With the headlines ‘Smart strategy from new constitutionalists: NGO’s attempt to get result by putting pressure on Committee’, ‘nondescript NGOS’, same newspaper contains sentences like ‘it is stated that Justice and Development Party (AKP), in order to adopt the ‘new constitution’ by motivating some ‘nylon’ associations and organizations, tries to effect Constitutional Reconciliation Commission by suppressing it.’
 
In the Newspaper Gündem dated 6 February, an interview about Violence Draft Law was made with Gülsen Ülker from Foundation for Women’s Solidarity, and it is underlined that inscriptions about sexual orientation and gender identity are deficit in Draft Law.
 
Before Statutes Congress, members of the Republican People’s Party CHP came together and evaluated their expectations and opinions. The Newspaper Hürriyet published news dated 14 February with the headline ‘Adjustment to the Statutes about gender identity’ and wrote the suggestions offered in Congress.
 
Other news coming forward on 6th February is from the Newspaper Milliyet. News with the title ‘there is wrathful censorship to homosexuals’ was quoted from an English economic journey. Content of news is about Aliye Kavaf’s definition of homosexuality as an ‘illness’ and İdris Naim Şahin’s views about homosexuality which he see as an example of improbity, immorality and inhumanity.
 
European Court of Human Right adjudges that homophobic and trans-phobic speeches are not in the scope of freedom of expression. This news published first in the website of Kaos GL on 16th February, and the next day, the news appeared also in the Newspaper Cumhuriyet on 17th February. News announced by Kaos GL in their website with the title ‘historical decision about hate speech from ECHR’, is also announced by the Newspaper Cumhuriyet with the headline ‘historical decision from ECHR’. In the flyers mentioned in the lawsuit, homosexuality is described as ‘a deviant sexual orientation’ and it is defended that ‘homosexuality has an immoral effect on the ground of the society.’ In the flyers, there are also claims like ‘homosexuality causes AIDS and HIV become widespread’ and ‘‘homosexual lobby’ tries to underestimate pedophilia.’ Even if these sentences don’t call for hate speech, Court approved that these are the serious and biased claims. Court emphasized on the severity of the gender orientation-based discrimination as serious as ‘race, origin and color-based discrimination.’
 
60 Non-governmental Organizations constitutedHate Crimes Law Campaign Platform in order to propose the requirement of enacting a law about hate crimes for the agenda of Assembly and the Public opinion. The Newspaper Agos published interviews about platform and the company of ‘You are different too, don’t hate’ on 10th February. In these interviews, it is also asked about the sexual orientation and the gender identity. On 4th February, the Newspaper Şalom made an interview with Cengiz Aktar. On 20th February, the Newspaper Habertürk published an interview made with public speaker of Platform, Yasemin İnceoğlu. ‘World Health Organization hasn’t regarded homosexuality as an illness since 1990’ was the intermediate line of this interview. In the Newspaper Radikal, on 15th February, Neval Oğan Balkız’s Column named as ‘Language of Policy is also contaminated by hate speech’ is about hate crime and also sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
On 13th February, the Newspaper Milli, with the title ‘Will a generation grow up like that?’ make Nilüfer Kuyaş’s book, Ada’daki Ev, as news. There were headlines about this news like ‘there are pornography, obscenity, aberrancy, and riot, how a book it is!’ and ‘while homosexuality is praised, marriage contract is insulted’.
 
Member of Parliament (CHP-İstanbul), Melda Onur, asked İdris Naim Şahin for answer about application of police ranking system known as ‘Bonus System’ by Public opinion. On 19th February, the Newspaper Birgün and on 19th February, Kaos GL in its website published this parliamentary question.
 
World Journal and Marriage News
Criminal accuse suing oppose to two adult convict about having sex in the North of the Cyprus is condemned by YKP-Fem. This section of law is applied for the third time in the North of the island, while repealing of this section on the South of the island after going to the European court human rights. This statement appeared in the Newspaper Africa (in Cyprus) on 2nd February. Ilga’s report was published by the Newspaper Star Cyprus on 5th February, and by the Newspaper Halkın Sesi on 3th February.

The Union for a Popular Movement(UMP), which is the leader party in France, will expell a parliamentarian from party who spoke against homosexuals. UMP central executive board condemned Christian Vanneste who says “People should be narcissist in order to be homosexual.” and will decide to expel from party at the end of next meeting. About this issue on 16th February; the Newspaper Akşam’s title was“Homosexual hostility scorched French parliamenter”, the Newspaper HaberTürk’s was “Parliamenter who is against homosexuals is being expelled”, the Newspaper Hürriyet’s was “Denier parliamenter was expelled from party.”

California Appellate Court found homosexual marriage prohibition  contrary to laws and smooth the way of these marriages. This news appeared in the Newspaper Akşam with the title ‘’Equality Won’’, in the Newspaper Cumhuriyet and Günboyu with the title ‘’A good news for the homosexuals in USA’’, and in the Newspaper Milliyet with the headline ‘’Homosexual marriage is a birthright’’ and in the Newspaper Taraf with the headline ‘’Cancelation of homosexual marriage prohibition’’. The Labor Party and The Green Party also offered a law proposal for homosexual marriages in Australia. This news appeared in the Newspaper  Taraf with the headline ‘’Law proposal race for homosexual marriages’’
Governor of Washington in USA approved permission of homosexual marriage. Washington governor Chris Gregoire satated that he is proud of that discrimination against homosexual people will end up and LGBT people will be treated as equal to other people by signing the law allowing homosexual people to marry in the state. The law will come into force on the 7th June.

In Turkish media: “Green light to homosexual marriage by Washington – the Newspaper Taraf”, “Homosexuals will be able to get married in Washington – the Newspaper Akşam (15th February)”, “Green light to homosexual marriage in Washington – the Newspaper HaberTürk (15th February)”

Esmeray is commenting about news and events of LGBT movement in the column of Taraf newspaper named Cadının Bohçası (package of witch)
 On 8th, 15th and 22th February, Feminist transsexual column writer of the Newspaper Taraf, Esmeray, in her column named Cadının Bohçası, commented on sensitive news about human rights and  LGBT movement about censorship, hate crimes, sexual orientation and gender identity.
 
Two different Şok: criminalized LGBT existences in Media:
Dr. Figen Ökten from the Newspaper Şok published an informative article about homosexuality between 22th and 27th February in Sexual Healt part of newspaper that she prepared. Articles in this column were expert opinions and respectful for LGBT rights. It had become sensitive feuilleton for human rights that shows legal process and situation in Turkey. However, news published in same dates, ‘Gay-Çin-Çun’ (22th February), ‘Çarpık Aile’ (8th February), ‘Gay Sevgilinin Nedimesi Olacak’ (20th February) were the examples of news which criminalize LGBT members and which are homophobic.
 
News mentioned below are also examples of homophobic news criminalizing LGBT members and people having HIV positive.
‘AIDS panic in cinema of prostitution, Vatan-3rd February’, ‘two suspects of cinema operation have AIDS illness, the Newspaper Habertürk, 3rd February’, ‘AIDS panic in cinema of prostitution, the Newspaper Yenigün, 5th February’, ‘Once more Kızılay (Red Crescent), and once more Blood with HIV, the Newspaper Habertürk, 9th February’, ‘interesting explanation from famous breath trainer Nevşah Fidan Karamehmet, Günaydın the supplement of the Newspaper Sabah, 16th February’, ‘They are not women, but transvestite, the Newspaper Habertürk, 12th February’, ‘stylishly execution of transvestite, the Newspaper Kocaeli Demokrat, 20th February’, ‘She said it is my turn, so I stabbed her, I want provocation defense, the Newspaper Habertürk, 1st February’, ‘Homosexual priests committed suicide by hiring contract killer, Sabah, 19th February’, Transvestite killed his brother with a single bullet, the Newspaper İstanbul, 17th February’, ‘He rained bullets on his transvestite brother, the Newspaper Hürriyet, 14th February’

Tags: media
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