03/08/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli targeted LGBTI+ people in an interview with the newspaper Türkgün. Bahçeli claimed that LGBTI+ people have a negative impact on the family structure.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli made anti-LGBTI+ remarks in an interview with Türkgün newspaper.
While listing what he described as factors affecting the "family structure" in Turkey, Bahçeli included LGBTI+ people alongside television programmes, the internet and social media platforms.
"At present, as in the rest of the world, various factors have emerged in Turkey that profoundly affect the family structure. Television programmes, computer and internet networks, social media platforms made possible by technological developments, and factors such as LGBTQ+ are negatively affecting the Turkish family structure."
Arguing that Turkish nationalism is rooted in the Turkish family structure, Bahçeli added:
"Today, it is evident that this root has become a target and that various groups are systematically attacking this fundamental pillar."
"The family is the smallest unit of the state"
In the interview, Bahçeli described the family as "the smallest unit of the state" and said:
"In Turkish thought, the family is the smallest unit of the state and at the same time constitutes the foundation of statehood. Population projections for our country in the coming years are raising serious alarm, with a decline in our population growth rate that cannot be ignored. This situation is described at every opportunity as a matter of national survival, and it is recommended that urgent measures be taken to address it."
Tags: human rights, women, media, arts and culture, life, family, lgbti
