LGBTQ rights in Turkey
The human rights of LGBT people in Turkey is one of the more controversial human rights issues in Turkey. As secular republic that seeks membership in the European Union homosexuality is not technically illegal, but it remains a taboo topic in a nation where most people are Muslim.
Civilian Criminal Code
Gay sexual conduct between consenting adults in private is not a crime. The age of consent for heterosexual conduct is fifteen, while the age of consent for homosexual conduct is eighteen years old. However, adultery was a crime until the law was repealed in 2005 by the parliament.
Turkish towns and cities are given some leeway to various public morality laws, and in Adana male homosexuals are prohibited from kissing in public.
Articles 428 and 428 prohibit "obscene" and "indecent" books, songs, literature, etc [1].
Military Law
Turkish military law bans homosexuals from military service as a mental illness, and those homoesxuals discovered to be gay in the armed forces will face 3 to 6 months and then will be discharged.
Antidiscrimination Law
No laws exist in Turkey that protect LGBT from discrimination in employment, education, housing, health care, public accomodations or credit.
Family Law
Turkey does not recognzie same-sex marriages, civil unions or domestic partnership benifits.
LGBT Civil Rights
The two major LGBT community-based civil rights organizations are The Lambda Istanbul, and the KAOS GL. When these groups first became organized in the 1990s the Government Human Rights Commission refused to work with them, but recently has allowed them to participate in AIDS-HIV education programs and May Day parades.