20/06/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
Police detained eight people in side streets following the conclusion of the Ankara Pride March.
The Ankara Pride March took place despite all attempts to prevent it. After the march had ended, police detained eight people in side streets around the area. The detainees were released after their statement procedures were completed.
In the statement read during the march, participants condemned discrimination against LGBTI+ people, anti-LGBTI+ hate policies, and anti-LGBTI+ provisions included in the proposed 12th Judicial Package.
The statement said:
“For years, LGBTI+ people in Türkiye have been subjected to a systematic politics of hatred, targeting, discrimination, violence, and policies of erasure. Since the day we have existed on these lands, we have been fighting not only for our identities, but also for our right to life, housing, healthcare, freedom of expression, and freedom of association.”
The statement also criticized the anti-LGBTI+ provisions reportedly included in the 12th Judicial Package, particularly those targeting trans people’s access to gender-affirming healthcare:
“Forcing a person to give up their reproductive rights in order to live in peace with their own body is a direct attack on bodily autonomy, the right to health, and human dignity. Our bodies are not spaces for the state to control, regulate, decide upon, or govern through systems of permission. Trans lives are not a matter of regulation. Our bodies are not testing grounds, our identities are not subjects for debate, and our lives are not tools for political calculations.”
“We will continue the struggle”
The press statement also addressed recent access bans imposed on the social media accounts of LGBTI+ associations and rights organizations. It emphasized that these restrictions go beyond digital platforms:
“The blocking of social media accounts belonging to LGBTI+ associations and rights organizations is not merely the closure of a few digital platforms. These decisions are part of broader censorship policies aimed at silencing LGBTI+ voices, weakening solidarity networks, and rendering organized struggle invisible.”
The statement also recalled the attacks against trans women in Esat and Eryaman and the years-long struggle for justice that followed, stressing that transphobia has become an organized form of violence.
LGBTI+ people concluded their statement with the following message:
“You cannot control our bodies. You cannot erase our identities. You cannot prevent our organizing. You cannot silence our voices. LGBTI+ people are a reality of this country. We are here. We are alive. We are resisting. With our pride, our anger, our love, and our solidarity, we will continue to defend our lives."
Tags: human rights, media, life, lgbti
