The LGBTI+ movement

Abstract

When we look at the history of the development of the LGBTI+ movement that first began with small gatherings in private houses in the metropolitan cities of Istanbul and Ankara, we see that over time the movement has given way to independent structures-associations, NGOs, informal initiatives, student clubs-which differ in their organizational approaches, the issues they tackle, and their areas of expertise. As the movement institutionalized, it also assumed a more plural and multivocal character. Following the establishment of the first LGBTI+ organizations in the first half of 1990s, Lambdaistanbul in Istanbul and Kaos-GL in Ankara, today there are approximately 40 LGBTI+ organizations across Turkey that focus on local needs and issues. The LGBTI+ movement in Turkey did not emerge and develop in a vacuum, but rather has, from its onset, been in a close dialogue with a number of social movements-feminist, Kurdish, leftist, and Islamist movements.