are lesbians and gays socially accepted?? if daughters/sons are lesbians/gays in turkish families, how would the parents react?
are there any bars for these people to hang around in turkey?? where are these places mostly located?

Wow Lululy! What a question! I love to hear answers from that one, too. That is making me curious as well. Please post reply soon people!!!!

Hi

Maybe this thread is worth taking a look at

Turkishclass forum on homosexuality

I don'T know other cities, but in İstanbul, in Beyoğlu (Taksim), there're quite a lot gay bars, well I've never been in one, but curious

Are they socially accepted?? errmmm, I don't think so...

i've been Taksim Square b4, but i could not find any...might be i did not know there much, so i could not find the way!!
anyway, i was curious about it also, haha~

u no wha i no 1 of ma family memebers is a Gay.. its nuffin 2 b ashamed about.
i dont tink the family accepts it!

i read once that in taksim there r some gay bars..
and i havent heart anything about lesbians bars...

i saw a "colors" bar in samsun.. but i dont think that people knew it was a gay bar...

pp could be gay or lesbian but generally they ide their sexual choice..
it is still taboo..
and God created two sexes..so, why ppl still gay or lesbian..
i dont understand

Well by default, God also created the sexuality of his creations - NO? Ooops getting to close a religious discussion here!

there was a gay bar opposite to our dormitory in Taxim... it was called Vat 69... it was funny to watch ppl from my window...

This sounds a bit like we are talking about some kind of animal or something!! They are just human!!

And i think 20 years ago, there were also lesbians and gays but the society wouldn't let them. Society pushes you in a way of thinking, and 20 years ago, society said NO to lesbiand-gays. Nowadays, there is more space and people have, luckily, become more open-minded. I don't think that there are more lesbians and gays now, than 20 years ago. But i think more of them have the guts to tell it.

Plus i would like to add.. 20 years ago, those lesbians and gays probably did what society forced them to: marry someone of the opposite sexe and live an unhappy life.

I think it is much more human to be able to marry the one you LOVE, no matter what gender he or she is.

and I think a question like "why do people choose to be lesbian or gay" is not very logical, because it's not something like you wake up one morning and say that "I will be a gay". It's not even a choice I think. Choice sounds like you can be either one or the other. People call themselves gay because they can't be heterosexual. But it's just about sex, and humans do other things than sex in their daily life.

Yes i'd like to know the same thing.

how they behave? they are human though as us.. it was funny becoz it was one of the most attracted street in taksim... and drunk ppl.. it was funny to watch them.. however it wasnt nice to see they were fighting.. yeah ppl need to learn how to drink...

- I'll drink to that!

Lesbian, gay or straight - we are all human beings

in fact dis thread about lesbain and gays in turkiye but mmmm when we discuss lesbian and gays in general...everybody should respect dis....maybe in turkey dis is hard...like bod said its sth like race discrimination....

i dong ding doe, i ding dum bibol dong ding enof about dodaieti, helt and lith, I ding dey dust ding about dir dass and dit werr id dose.
der r dings you dong have a choice in lith dike weder you r made or femade, wide or dulerd, tmard or dupid, ... bud do shoose do bebave dike dam-inals id not dormol and dats y dodaieti named idself ad STRAIGHT and dem as domos, dueers and pobtes.
der dis a dig dendendy dat bibol sdanding ub bor pobtes dav dum ding do do wid id ad well.
id idnd dum ding u wond do aav ad roomls, oderwide domos widbe after youd add adwell.
eben danimals didnd dare do dav dueer addivdies dike diis.

Translations are available upon request

Can I just say that 20 years ago is not that long - unless of course you are only in your 20's!! . Gay's have been around alot longer than that. It has only beome a more recently open due to the law against being gay becoming obsolete (UK I am talking about).

I would quess that homosexulality has been around since time began otherwise why would it be ostracised in scriptures??

I read abt this topic and realise that someone dint read enough history in his or her life.
Gay people exist since a lot of time ,not 20 years ,not 100 ,not 1000,more then all of this.
if u just read abt the great armies of the antic world,lesbos island,poems which are real,no matter where and what religion,gay existed.
I will answer if you need to know ,yes in Turkey are lots of places for gay people ,and when i say gay here are inclued also the lesbians.
U can find places in Istanbul-most of them,Antalya for beach holidays,etc.
I am in Uk now ,in one day here was a tv show abt the gay muslim(abt some pakistan people
) and their life in Uk ,was sad to see what life they have even here ,where freedome is for each one of us.
A family found out abt their son and they forced him to pray to Alah to make him streight again!
A priest told that u must be stoned to death cos this is the punishment for beeing gay,and then i listen to that gay man.he asked priest ,pls tell me what is the punishment for adultery? priest answered is 100 beat,and what is the punishment for killing? god will forgive u my son....
"why shall i be stoned to death ?when at the end of the day ,i dint harm anyone ,or cheat ,or kill?"i am just gay
I dont know if anyone saw that tv show,it was a real documentary ,anyway i dont want to get into religion and be missunderstood,also i dint make any research to read abt the punishments to see if they are right or not.
Anyway i am sure that Turkey is more open to this subject and see with different eyes the situation.

I dont make any propaganda ,it was an ideea which i wrote it down here ,we can express ourselfs so i v done it.
also u must consider that between pedophiles and homoxexuality is a big difference,the first one harm kids even if is made with "love" cos in many cases it is done by their own parents and i think this is the worst thing on earth and the second make harm just in case of a rape ,which it happens,but i am sure not in a big procentage.
i read ur post and i see how much anger u have inside of u ,may be also hate ,but i wonder if in one day ur child will say look mom i am gay ,what u will do? like in that tv show that a mother said is better to lie my relatives that my daughter died in a crash car accident instead of: she is lesbian?
if you cant accept them is ur problem ,they exist and they will exist with or without ur wish and here again i am talking abt homesexuality not the other which i see u always mix them in the same pot.

i have a gay son AND yes for me at first it was a little hard to except it took me about six months to lets say ,adjust to this fact i have to other sons also they have carried on their lives excepting this fact , it takes a very strong person to admit at 15 years of age to his parents and family that he has a differentsexual prefrence than the so called norm .yes it would make my life and his life easier if he was straight but why live a lie ,he knows how difficult life can be towards him and he was strong and manly enough to take this on so i my eyes he is a stronger man than many men i have met that have a problem with it, he dosent go around hurting anybody¬s feelings he is kind caring and an extremly clever person we all have to learn to except other peoples differences and move on lifes to damn short

Bravo Deli - you are a wonderful mum and must be proud to have such a lovely, mature son

boop sonsuz tesekkurlerimi sunuyorum thanks for your kind words

Deli, may i say :u are great !!!!!! fantastic answer.

I have visited Türkiye once - and I found no discrimination against women.......but I was in a very tourist orientated area of the country!

But I did get some strange looks from men at the airport as I was wearing a top that showed my tummy, tatoo and belly peircing - the sort of strange looks that I would not generally get in England.......

Assuming I manage to learn Türkçe well enough - I intend to explore the country a bit more next time and get away from the tourist areas, at least for a short time. Perhaps then I will get a better idea of 'real' opinions as opposed to those that are driven by a need to make money from visitors.......