The Turkish government is preparing a judicial reform bill that would criminalize individuals who promote or express their gender identity and whose behavior could be considered "gender-contradictory" and "violating public morals," Turkish news site T24 reported, quoted by BTA.
The proposal, known as the "11th Judicial Package," would amend Article 225 of the Turkish Penal Code, which currently covers indecency in the public sector. According to the bill, anyone who "acts against their biological sex" or "encourages or praises such behavior" could face a sentence face a sentence of one to three years in prison. The reform also amends another article of the law to criminalize engagement and marriage ceremonies between same-sex couples - an act punishable by up to four years in prison.
In its justification for the proposal, the Turkish government said that “the measures aim to protect the institution of the family and to ensure the upbringing of physically and mentally healthy generations“. According to government officials, the reforms are part of a broader effort to counter what they call “gender neutrality movements“ and to strengthen “moral and social values“.
The bill also introduces new restrictions on gender reassignment procedures. The minimum age for the procedure is expected to increase from 18 to 25, and applicants must be unmarried and receive a report from a medical commission approved by the Ministry of Health hospital in confirmation that the procedure is medically necessary for mental health reasons. The innovation also states that in the event of unauthorized gender reassignment surgeries, a penalty of three to seven years in prison for the patient and a heavy fine for medical professionals found to have performed such an intervention outside the legal framework is foreseen.
The proposed amendment has drawn strong criticism from human rights activists and public figures. LGBT+ journalist and politician İrfan Değirmencı condemned the bill in a post on the social network Ex, where he wrote: “What are you going to do, create concentration camps? We will oppose this regulation, which violates fundamental human rights and freedoms, to the end. The existence of anyone cannot be a reason for imprisonment. Your repeated rhetoric fuels hate crimes. Enough!“
Human rights lawyer Ms. Eren Keskin also condemned the proposal, writing in his social media profile: “A hate crime is being organized not through words, but through a written law. And this is happening despite the international conventions that Turkey has signed. This is exactly what the patriarchal and militarized state mentality looks like.“
At the moment, homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but homophobia is widespread, and it is not uncommon for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other politicians from his party to attack LGBT+ people and accuse them of perversion and destruction of family values, commented the website “Turkish Minit“.