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Istanbul’s LGBTQ community finds pride on soccer field

LGBTQ visibility has reached an all-time low in Turkey but Atletik Dildoa, an Istanbul-based LGBTQ soccer team, wants to increase it through sports events.
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On a fall evening in Istanbul, Elif Kaya and fellow amateur LGBTQ soccer players hit the field for their weekly practice. The air is crisp as participants run up and down the field, some wearing rainbow adorned uniforms representing their LGBTQ-friendly teams.

“We want to open a space for women and LGBTQ people who don’t have a place to play soccer,” Kaya, 30, told Al-Monitor. “Istanbul should be a safe place for us.”

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