04/11/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
According to reports by Kaos GL Association, LGBTI+ people were forced to pursue strategies of remaining closeted in both the public and private sectors and faced discrimination. Their most fundamental demands were freedom, visibility, and equality.
The 2025 findings of Kaos GL Association’s employment research, carried out to understand the situation of LGBTI+ employees in Türkiye’s private and public sectors and to ensure their full, equal and free participation in the labor force, have been published in two languages, Turkish and English.
The report, prepared by Prof. Dr. Mary Lou O’Neil, Dr. Reyda Ergün, Dr. Selma Değirmenci, Dr. Kıvılcım Turanlı, Doğancan Erkengel and Öykü Deniz Aytemiz, was edited by Defne Güzel. The results of the report were announced on 30 October in an online launch event, which was attended by 27 people.
Click-The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in the Public Sector in Türkiye, 2025 Research
Click-The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in the Private Sector in Türkiye, 2025 Research
“LGBTI+ employees follow a forced closet strategy”
At the launch event, Reyda Ergün spoke. Ergün stated:
“It is difficult to analyze the real extent of discrimination against LGBTI+ people. This study, conducted consistently, is highly important.”
Highlighting the concealment strategy followed by LGBTI+ employees in workplaces, Ergün said:
“LGBTI+ employees follow a strategy of forced closedness starting from the job search process in order to avoid discrimination and hate speech. Therefore, collecting data on LGBTI+ employees is very difficult. LGBTI+ people are unable to use formal complaint mechanisms against discrimination. This makes it challenging to analyze the real extent of discrimination.”
“LGBTI+ people do not pursue formal complaint mechanisms against discrimination”
Following Ergün, Öykü Deniz Aytemiz presented findings from the private sector report. Aytemiz stated:
“LGBTI+ people feel compelled to take precautions in order not to face discrimination. In the private sector, one in every three LGBTI+ employees either witnesses discrimination or is subjected to hate speech. LGBTI+ individuals do not consider seeking formal remedies against discrimination. The main reason is their distrust in formal mechanisms.”
“LGBTI+ employees in the public sector try to remain invisible”
After Aytemiz, Kıvılcım Turanlı shared findings from the public sector report.
Turanlı said:
“LGBTI+ employees in the public sector report trying to remain invisible. This goes beyond the strategy of forced closedness. This year, the most emphasized issue was the ‘Family Year’. Because of the Family Year, hate speech has become more openly expressed in the public sphere. We think that self-censorship among LGBTI+ employees in the public sector has increased this year. All rights of LGBTI+ people are being violated.”
What do the report findings say?
According to The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in the Public Sector in Türkiye, 2025:
Only 4 percent of participants stated that they were partially open at their workplace regarding their gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics. No participants stated that they were fully open. In the private sector, this rate is 21,9 percent.
The report notes:
“The consistently lower rates of openness regarding gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics in the public sector compared to the private sector suggests that the risk of encountering discrimination and hate speech is significantly higher for LGBTI+ employees in the public sector.”
58 percent witnessed hate speech in public institutions
According to the same research, 58,6 percent of respondents reported encountering hate speech targeting LGBTI+ people in the workplace.
The report notes that LGBTI+ employees in public sector concealed their gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics during recruitment processes to avoid discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, and continued this strategy of forced closedness after being hired to avoid discrimination.
“Information disseminated under the Family Year constitutes explicit hate speech”
According to the report, 71,8 percent of LGBTI+ employees in the public sector said they faced discrimination during recruitment processes, while 83,8 percent reported facing discrimination during working life.
The report also includes statements from LGBTI+ employees in the public sector regarding the declaration of 2025 as the “Family Year” and the accompanying LGBTI+ hostility:
“Especially after the Family Year, they say we are sick individuals who must be isolated, and that such a person cannot be a state employee.”
“Information disseminated under the Family Year constitutes explicit hate speech.”
Economic instability, fear of losing one’s job…
According to the report, 20,2 percent of LGBTI+ employees in the public sector stated that economic instability and uncertainty affected their working conditions.
The report highlights that fear of losing one’s job is very common among LGBTI+ employees in the public sector.
58 percent of LGBTI+ employees in the private sector face discrimination
According to The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in the Private Sector in Türkiye, 2025:
56,9 percent of LGBTI+ employees in the private sector faced discrimination during recruitment processes; 58 percent faced discrimination in the workplace.
43,1 percent said they did not face discriminatory attitudes, discourse, behavior, or practices during recruitment; 48,8 percent attributed not facing discrimination to concealing their gender identity, sexual orientation, or sex characteristics, or to these characteristics not being apparent.
According to the report, only 15,9 percent of LGBTI+ employees in the private sector stated that there were effective rules or committees in their workplaces to prevent discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and sex characteristics.
In workplaces where such mechanisms exist and are effectively implemented, the rate of those who are fully open is 55,6 percent.
Demands of LGBTI+ employees: Freedom, visibility, and equality
In the 2025 research on The Situation of LGBTI+ Employees in Türkiye, key demands included freedom, visibility, and equality.
LGBTI+ employees emphasized the need for legal guarantees against discrimination both generally and in the context of working life. In this respect, they demanded strengthened legal regulations and that public institutions and employers assume responsibility.
LGBTI+ employees pointed to concerns created by government discourse and policies on LGBTI+ rights. In addition to legal reforms, they called for increased social awareness, distancing from gender and sexual-orientation-based stereotypes, and strengthening social inclusion through education.
Furthermore, LGBTI+ employees stated that they expect universities, professional organizations, trade unions, and civil society organizations working in the field of LGBTI+ rights to play a more active role in promoting equality and inclusion.
Tags: human rights, life, labour, lgbti
