Turkey is a predominantly conservative country, where morality is based primarily, although not exclusively, on Islamic beliefs and traditions, especially when it comes to sexuality. A secular outlook on life, however, and related libertarian concepts of ethics and individual rights also have a history in Turkey going back more than a century. It is because of this that gay pride pageants, unthinkable in other preponderantly Muslim countries, can be held in Istanbul without the kinds of homophobic attacks one sometimes sees at such events, including in some conservative Orthodox Christian communities in the region.

This does not, however, mean that there is broad social acceptance of homosexuality or that life is easy for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Ekin Keser and Emrullah Tuzun, two gay men in their 20s, found this out the hard way after they decided in early September to publicly “marry” in Istanbul. It was not going to be an official marriage, of course, because Turkey is far from accepting such marriages, let alone providing legal protection for members of the LGBT community.

Some minor changes have recently been introduced to amend a blatantly homophobic article in the penal code after a case was lodged with the Constitutional Court. It is also true that technically speaking, homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, although statutes relating to public morality and obscenity are often used against gays.

Despite this difficult environment, Keser and Tuzun nevertheless wanted to go through with a public wedding ceremony, where they would exchange vows, expressing their love and commitment to each other. In a September interview in KaosGL magazine, which focuses on issues pertaining to Turkey’s LGBT community but also deals with other human rights issues, Keser revealed that he had felt very special the day Tuzun proposed to him. “When I came to Istanbul four years ago, I had two dreams: an art education and marriage. At the moment, I'm studying in the fine arts faculty of a university. Together with my marriage, my dreams have come true,” he said.