According to a leaked draft bill, Turkey’s conservative government is set to introduce repressive law proposals aimed at restricting gender recognition procedures as well as criminalising public expression of LGBTQ+ identities. The draft bill was obtained by Kaos GL, one of the oldest LGBTQ+ rights groups and news portals, whose Editor-in-Chief Yıldız Tar has reportedly been arrested by Turkish authorities.

The anti-LGBTQ+ law proposals, leaked on February 27, are part of the government’s “Year of the Family” initiative for 2025 and aim to amend Turkey’s Civil and Penal Codes. If enacted, the new measures would introduce a lengthier process for gender recognition, raising the minimum age to access the process to 21 and requiring individuals to provide extensive medical documentation.

The new process would also reintroduce mandatory sterilisation, a requirement that was previously annulled by the Turkish Constitutional Court and has been found to be in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights.

As for the proposed criminal sanctions, anyone “who publicly encourages, praises or promotes attitudes and behaviours contrary to innate biological sex and public morality” could face up to three years in prison. Activists have raised concerns about how this provision could be used to target awareness-raising, debate and any portrayal of LGBTQ+ identities.

The proposed changes are starkly reminiscent of anti-LGBTQ+ laws already enacted in Russia, Hungary, and Bulgaria. They also reflect Turkish President Erdoğan’s rhetoric, which has often portrayed the LGBTQ+ community as a threat to “traditional family values”. LGBTQ+ people are increasingly marginalised in Turkey, with Pride parades having been banned since 2015 in the country.

LGBTQ+ rights group Kaos GL condemned the law proposals, arguing that they will effectively criminalise LGBTQ+ identities in Turkey. Kaos GL’s human rights program coordinator Kerem Dikmen said: “Under these changes, a transgender person whose legal gender has not yet been recognized, or someone defying traditional gender norms through clothing, speech or self-expression, could be prosecuted.”

In addition to the proposed changes, Turkish authorities are clamping down on the LGBTQ+ community with arrests on several journalists, activists and opposition MPs. On February 18, Editor-in-Chief of Kaos GL and 2024 GALAS nominee Yıldız Tar and trans activist Erkin were among 52 people arrested as part of the crackdown.

In a statement commenting on the current situation, Advocacy Director of ILGA-Europe Katrin Hugendubel said: “This new wave of anti-LGBTI legislative amendments comes at a time when the Turkish government is institutionalising anti-LGBTI policies through action plans across different government departments.

“It is also a time in which the government is restricting democratic checks and balances, including targeting civil society organisations, journalists, and opposition politicians.

“The legislative proposals themselves run contrary to international human rights standards and jurisprudence, and now extend to restricting the freedom of expression of all people. They must be challenged.”