11/03/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
The winners of the “Successful Journalists of the Year” awards by the Progressive Journalists Association have been announced. Oğulcan Özgenç, editor of KaosGL.org, was deemed worthy of the Rafet Genç News Award. Can Öztürk, a reporter for T24, received the Mustafa Ekmekçi News Award for his report that brought attention to the torture of conversion therapy.
The winners of the Progressive Journalists Association’s (PJA) “Successful Journalists of the Year-2025” awards have been announced. Oğulcan Özgenç, editor of KaosGL.org, was deemed worthy of the Rafet Genç News Award for his report titled “‘Warning’ from the Ministry of Family to general directorates targeting LGBTI+ people.”
PJA explained the reason for Özgenç’s award with the following words:
“Sometimes a single official document fully summarizes the state’s view of its citizens and the country’s political climate. By uncovering the directive of the General Directorate of Family and Community Services that bans the use of concepts such as ‘gender,’ ‘gender identity,’ and ‘sexual orientation,’ Oğulcan Özgenç documented the discriminatory approach behind the closed doors of the bureaucracy and revealed that LGBTI+ people were being targeted through official correspondence. With this report, which lays bare how public policies are being moved away from a foundation of human rights and equality, our colleague, KaosGL.org staff member Oğulcan Özgenç, has become the recipient of the Rafet Genç News Award.”
Can Öztürk, a reporter for T24, also received the Mustafa Ekmekçi News Award for his report titled “Allegations of harassment and abuse in a ‘conversion session’; children speak out” which brought attention to the torture of conversion therapy targeting children.
PJA explained the reason for awarding Öztürk as follows:
“A dean, and a dean of educational sciences, at that… Our colleague Can Öztürk exposed the scandal in which children were subjected to abuse and harassment under the name of ‘therapy.’ Thanks to Öztürk’s meticulous follow up, first Prof. Dr. Ahmet Akın was removed from his position and then a judicial process was initiated. With his report titled ‘Allegations of harassment and abuse in a ‘conversion session’; children speak out,’ through which Can Öztürk conveyed every stage of the process to the public…”
Tags: human rights, media, life, family, trans, lgbti
