04/05/2026 | Writer: Kaos GL
LGBTI+ people who took to May Day rallies across Turkey voiced their demands against unemployment, poverty, and rights violations despite bans and attacks.
Across the country, LGBTI+ people took part in May Day demonstrations, taking their place in the contingents despite pressure and obstruction. Carrying rainbow flags, they voiced demands for both labor rights and equality. Raising their voices against unemployment, poverty, and discrimination, LGBTI+ people refused to leave the streets despite police violence and bans.
We have compiled May Day demonstrations in Turkey for KaosGL readers.
Ankara
At May Day celebrations in Ankara, LGBTI+ people gathered in front of the AKM Metro to march to Tandoğan Square. They then marched to Tandoğan as a contingent, chanting slogans throughout. LGBTI+ participants chanted slogans such as “Defne Güzel is not alone!”, “The world would shake if lubunyas were free!”, “I’m a worker, I’m a fag, I’m angry at the boss,” and “Get used to it, we’re not going anywhere!” During the march, murdered trans people were commemorated, while LGBTI+ participants also drew attention to economic precarity and inequalities in the field of labor.
İstanbul
In Istanbul, police attacked those attempting to march to Taksim. Throughout the day, marches were blocked by barricades and police cordons. According to official statements, 575 people were detained. Field reports shared by Demir Leblebi indicated that many people, including 20 queer feminists university students, were detained under torture. Journalist Yusuf Çelik, who was reporting from the scene, was also detained.İzmir
At May Day celebrations in İzmir, police attempted to prevent entry to the area with LGBTI+ flags. Officers intervened at security checkpoints and tried to block activists from entering. Despite all obstructions, LGBTI+ people entered the area with their flags and voiced their demands for labor and equality.Bursa
At May 1 celebrations in Bursa, a person was not allowed to enter the march area with a rainbow-colored umbrella. Due to the rain, the person did not want to give up their umbrella; police then provided them with a black umbrella.Kocaeli
In Kocaeli, queer feminists gathered in İzmit as part of May 1. University women and LGBTI+ people who assembled at Human Rights Park chanted throughout the march: “Women are poor, lubunyas are unemployed, this is your system!” The march, drew attention to the invisibilization of domestic labor, workplace harassment, and economic precarity. Queer feminists filled the square on May 1, emphasizing struggle against cis-heteropatriarchal capitalism.Aydın/Kuşadası
In Kuşadası, LGBTI+ people were present in the march area. Activists marching with a rainbow flag reported that police warned them they could face official reports being filed against them. Despite all obstructions and threats, the rainbow flag was unfurled in the square, and LGBTI+ people emphasized visibility and struggle on May 1.Çanakkale
In Çanakkale, LGBTI+ people were present despite pressure and obstruction. In a social media statement, Çanakkale Pride said that, as in previous years, they faced state and law enforcement pressure, stressing that they would not abandon the squares despite censorship and efforts to render them invisible. The statement highlighted barriers to fundamental rights such as access to secure employment and hormones, and conveyed a message of struggle against detentions and arrests. LGBTI+ people expressed their determination to continue the struggle.Van
At May Day celebrations in Van, LGBTI+ people were present in the march area. Marching against labor exploitation, heteronormativity, and inequality, they emphasized expanding their struggle. LGBTI+ people chanted “Long live May 1” and “Bijî Yek Gulan.” The LGBTI+ Initiative for Peace also thanked the organizing committee for showing solidarity against potential attacks in the area.Denizli
In Denizli, the Radyan Queer Feminist Collective was also in the streets. Marching behind a banner reading “Lubunyas are here!”, the collective entered the May Day area with the statement: “Against the invisibilization of our labor, the seizure of our right to work and live, and the criminalization of our existence, lubunyas are in the streets, our resistance rises from the streets.”Tags: human rights, women, media, life, labour, lgbti
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