Turkey’s far-right Islamist Free Cause Party (HÜDA-PAR), allied with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has submitted a controversial bill to parliament that seeks to criminalise expressions of LGBT+ identity, triggering alarm among human rights groups, Kaos GL reported on Friday.
The bill proposes sweeping amendments to the Turkish Penal Code and media laws, including jail terms of up to five years for those who “promote or propagate” same-sex relationships or gender nonconformity.
Under the proposed legislation—formally titled “Bill to Amend the Turkish Penal Code and Other Laws”—acts of queer visibility in public spaces, including media portrayals and LGBT+ advocacy, would be treated as criminal offences. “Biological sex” would be enshrined in law as a fixed binary of male and female, and any challenge to this definition would be penalised.
The bill also introduces a new offence targeting transgender individuals who do not disclose their gender history prior to marriage. Individuals found guilty of “concealing biological sex to enter into marriage” would face up to three years in prison.
Backed by HÜDA-PAR leader Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu and three other MPs representing the conservative southeastern cities of Gaziantep (Dîlok), Batman (Êlih), and Mersin, the bill frames LGBT+ existence as a threat to public morality and social order. It calls same-sex relationships and queer advocacy “corruptive acts” allegedly supported by “global forces” aiming to dismantle Turkey’s family structure.
The proposal seeks to increase penalties for “indecent public acts” if committed by people of the same sex and mandates the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) to censor all media content deemed to promote LGBT+ rights—including films, TV series, and advertisements.
In its preamble, the bill argues that same-sex relationships “erode public morality” and “pose a serious threat to national cohesion”. It explicitly targets LGBT+ organisations, suggesting legal action against any group perceived as promoting queer rights, and proposes restrictions on civil society under the guise of protecting “public order and moral values”.
Human rights advocates have strongly condemned the bill. “This proposal institutionalises hatred and aims to erase LGBT+ people from public life,” said a spokesperson for Kaos GL, one of Turkey’s oldest LGBT+ rights groups. “It violates basic rights to freedom of expression, association, and identity.”
Turkey, once seen as a relatively safe haven for LGBT+ people in the Muslim world, has seen increasing repression in recent years. Pride marches have been banned in major cities since 2015, and activists have been arrested during peaceful demonstrations.
HÜDA-PAR, which holds four seats in parliament and aligns with Erdoğan’s ruling coalition, has a history of advocating policies grounded in ultra-religious ideologies. Analysts warn that its rising influence reflects broader trends of Islamisation and moral conservatism in Turkish politics, especially ahead of future elections.
While the bill’s passage is not guaranteed, its submission signals a deepening polarisation in Turkish society. Critics argue that the legislation, if passed, would legitimise state-sponsored discrimination and further endanger a community already subjected to hate speech and violence.
“No democracy can survive by outlawing existence,” said one Istanbul-based human rights lawyer. “This is not just an attack on LGBT+ people. It’s an attack on freedom, dignity, and truth.”
The Turkish government has not yet commented on whether it will back the proposed law. But with parliamentary arithmetic tilting towards the ruling alliance, rights groups fear it may soon become another instrument of state-sanctioned intolerance.
