Alarm bells are ringing for the LGBTQ+ community in Türkiye and across Europe. A leaked draft of a new judicial reform package has revealed the Turkish government's plan to launch an unprecedented legal assault on queer and trans people, threatening them with years in prison simply for being themselves.
The proposal, dubbed the "11th Judicial Package," seeks to amend the country's penal and civil codes with language so vague and hostile it could effectively erase LGBTQ+ people from public life. Under the guise of protecting "the family" and "public morals"—rhetoric frequently used by President Erdoğan's government to justify rights rollbacks—the law would create new crimes and erect cruel barriers to essential healthcare.
A New Weapon to Criminalize Queerness
The most alarming proposal is a new article in the penal code that would punish anyone who “engages in attitudes or behaviors contrary to biological sex and general morality.” This deliberately ambiguous wording is a weapon designed to target the entire LGBTQ+ community. The potential consequences are devastating:
- Up to three years in prison for ill-defined "behaviors contrary to biological sex."
- Criminalization of the "promotion" of LGBTQ+ identity, a clause that could be used to shut down advocacy groups, censor journalists, and prosecute individuals for posting online.
- A specific penalty of up to four years in prison for anyone participating in a symbolic same-sex marriage or engagement ceremony.
“This isn't just a law; it's a state-sanctioned campaign of oppression,” said Hugh Williamson of Human Rights Watch, who warned that the proposal would leave LGBTQ+ people in constant fear of arrest.
An Assault on Transgender Healthcare and Autonomy
The draft law takes special aim at the transgender community, seeking to make accessing gender-affirming care nearly impossible. The proposed changes would gut existing legal protections and replace them with a system of control and punishment.
Under the new rules, a person seeking gender-affirming medical care would face:
- A new minimum age requirement of 25 years old, a significant jump from the current age of 18.
- A cruel and medically unnecessary requirement of permanent infertility before being allowed to proceed with care.
- A bureaucratic nightmare of evaluations from multiple government-approved hospitals.
Even more shocking, the law would criminalize both doctors and patients who operate outside these new restrictions. Healthcare professionals could face up to seven years in prison, while trans people receiving care could be jailed for up to three years. This would inevitably drive essential healthcare underground, exposing vulnerable people to immense danger.
A Pattern of Hate and a Call for Solidarity
This proposed law is the latest and most dangerous step in the Turkish government's escalating war on LGBTQ+ rights. It follows years of Pride bans, hateful rhetoric from officials, and the country's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on violence against women.
Human rights experts have stated that these proposals are a blatant violation of international law, including the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Türkiye is a signatory. The European Court of Human Rights has previously condemned similar "propaganda" laws, ruling that they are discriminatory and violate fundamental freedoms.
For us in the Netherlands, this development in a country on Europe's doorstep is a grim reminder that progress is not guaranteed. As Turkish LGBTQ+ groups bravely organize to fight this legislation, their call for international solidarity has never been more urgent. The European Union and its member states must apply immediate pressure on Türkiye to abandon this hateful and regressive plan before it becomes law.
