While the jury is still out on whether the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has really understood the message from the Gezi Park protesters, people continue to speak up for their individual rights. On Sunday [June 30], for example, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups had a record number of participants at about 20,000 at their 10th annual parade at Taksim Square in Istanbul, demanding better treatment and equal rights.
“It’s difficult to be a member of the LGBT community anywhere around the world, but it’s even more difficult in Muslim countries and in places where democratic culture has not really been established,” Deniz Yurdakul, an activist on LGBT rights for many years, told Al-Monitor. Yurdakul attended the Sunday parade with heavy eye makeup resembling a rainbow flag, symbol of the pride march as a sign of diversity, inclusiveness and hope. She said she just wanted to transform herself for a day into looking like a tranvestite, as they’re the most isolated of all in this community.
