Bursa Bids to Close Down Gay Association

The governor's office of Turkey's western Bursa province has filed a complaint with the Republic Prosecutors Office demanding the closure of the city's month-old Association to Protect Transvestites, Transexuals, Gays and Lesbians and Develop Cultural Activities - The Rainbow Association (Gokkusagi Dernegi).

In its reason for the closure demand, the governor's office argued that the formation violated current association laws that ruled no association could be founded with intentions against the law or public moral. It claimed the Rainbow Association's targets, regulations and activities were a violation of the Constitution and the Civil Code.

Being gay is not immoral

Last year, Deputy Governor Selahattin Ekremoglu of Turkey's capital Ankara had made a similar attempt to close down the Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL) on grounds that it was against the law and public moral.

The Prosecutor's Office of Ankara had then rejected Ekremoglu's complaint and in its opinion to the decision said "in a period discrimination against sexual orientation is being debated, being gay is not immoral".

The decision concluded that neither in the name of KAOS-GL nor it its 23 point targets were any content that could be regarded as immoral and said that also taking into account international conventions, there was no need to launch a public case to close the association.

According to a report in the Bursa Hakimiyet newspaper, while citing the same reason in its closure demand, the Bursa Governor's Office claimed the regulations of Rainbow Association conflicted with current laws and the Constitution. (EZO/KO/II/YE)