Visitors to Istanbul's "European face" of Beyoglu got a bit more than they bargained for today as Istanbul's out GBLTT community capped off its Pride Week 2009 with the Istanbul Pride Parade.

Though I've been to my share of Pride Parades and usually had a good time, Istanbul Pride feels a bit more special to me, because with the exception of Indonesia, I'm not aware of Pride celebrations in any other predominantly Muslim country. Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but aside from intense societal pressure to hide, conform, get married and have kids, there are also vague laws about behavior "contrary to general morals and customs" and "the Turkish family structure." Most recently this has been used as one pretext in an attempt by the Istanbul district governor to shut down Istanbul's prime Gay and Lesbian organization, Lambda Istanbul. So though there is a celebratory mood and a lot of laughter, the first purpose is still to tell the public "we're here, we're everywhere, accept it." There are no "Queers with Corgies" here.

Normally the parade happens at around 2:00 in the afternoon, but because of the heat, they decided this year to hold it a bit later, at 5:00.  It's a good thing they did, because at about 2:30 we had our first real thunderstorm of the year. The umbrella sellers were ready, and within five minutes everyone in Beyoglu had their 3-dollar clear plastic umbrella that lasts precisely as long as an average thunderstorm, if you're lucky, and no longer.

But the sky cleared quickly and people began to gather in Taksim Square...

...and the numbers quickly grew.

I figure there was a total of around 1500-2000 people this yere. Of course if this were a city of comparable size in the west (Istanbul's population is 15 million after all), there would be more like 15,000. But because a vast portion of this population is first- and second-generation immigrants from the east, marching down the city's highest-profile street in a neighborhood where you could literally run into anyone, is more than most are willing to risk. Still, you can't really calculate actual attendance by the numbers marching, because there are countless bystanders who have obviously made it a point to be there.

 This year we had a novel hitch - the entrance to Istiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue, the 3 km-long pedestrian street that is the main artery of Beyoglu) was blocked by a police tank, "Çevik Kuvvet" cops (Contingency Forces) and riot police, affectionately known here as "Robocops." This parade is not a suprise, all public marches are done with a permit, but for unknown (or at least unstated) reasons, we were denied access to the street.

It was hot, and people were getting irritated. Among the many slogans that people were shouting, "Polis defol, bu sokak bizimki de!" (Police, piss off, this is our street too) and "Aç, Aç, Barikadi Aç!" (Open, Open, Open the Barricade). A squadron of Dykes on Bikes might have come in handy! Finally after around an hour, the police said that we could march, but on one condition: That we didn't hold up our placards! This was absurd; the placards didn't say anything racy. They were mostly along the lines of "We're here, get used to it," "Hands off my Kids" (from the Gay family group) and "Whose morals are these 'general morals?'" Message: March but don't deliver your message.

There was no choice - at first - but to capitulate. Though it was hard to get the word around, most people did get the message and held the placards down. But everyone (including the police) knew that it wouldn't last, and as soon as we were on the street, up they went!

The green one, "Don't touch my kid's organization," is a reference to the attempt to close Lambda Istanbul. There were many members of the Lambda Istanbul family group there; other placards they carried included "Annenim, yanindayim" (I'm your mother, I'm beside you), which in the Turkish social environment is a very touching statement. The yellow round one says "General(ly) im-moral," a spoof on the "General Morals" law used in attempts to stifle gay expression and organization.

There were the "old standby" slogans as well as a few new ones.

Susma, haykir, escinseller vardir! - Don't shut up, shout out, homosexuals exist!

Escinseller susmayacak! Susmayacaklar, Susmayacak! - Homosexuals aren't going to be silent!

Baski siddet ahlaksa, biz ahlaksiziz! - If oppression and violence are morals, then we are immoral!

Because of a high-profile case of the brutal treatment of a gay conscientious objector (there is no conscientious objection in Turkey), here were also a couple of rather daring slogans dealing with the military:

Nobody is born a soldier! (This is a refutation of the motto, "Every Turk is born a soldier.")

We are not army fodder, we refuse to kill or be killed!

A group of Kurds was there as well - badly stated as Kurds are just as much everywhere as gays and there were doubtless many there; I should say there was a group of Kurds there as Kurds, representing a gay organization in the city of Diyarbakir. Their placard says, "What is homophobia - it's a disease."

There was also a group protesting last year's slaying of Ahmet Yildiz in front of his house by family members. Widely reported as Turkey's first "Gay honor killing"  - it wasn't by any means - it was the first time the issue was ever talked about in the mass media. The group wore masks of Ahmet's face. The red placard said "How did you murder your own son?"

In major US and Western European cities, the Pride Parade is something pretty much everyone knows about and expects. In Istanbul there are many people who don't even know what the word "Gey" means, and would never dream that there is an organized event for gay people. More than outward hostility, most of the unaware spectators seem more nonplussed than anything; they just don't quite know what to make of it. But you definitely feel the eyes on you.

There was a violent incident when a group tried to hold a gay pride march in the city of Bursa; however it was not from casual onlookers but rather an organized attack by a conservative group; a real attempted lynching. So if there were to be a problem at Istanbul Pride, it would not likely come from folks like these but rather from a group of thugs out of a side alley. It hasn't happened yet, knock wood. The first time I attended, I walked along the edge to listen to comments. You'd hear things like "hey dude, those are queers!" followed by a confused, "wow, look at those guys, they have moustaches and beards!" This is a place where the idea of a gay man with a beard is confusing to many people since a beard and moustache are a symbol of manhood, and in the minds of many, a "gay" is a man who has chosen a female role. There is a lot of awareness to be raised.

The parade ends up in Galatasaray Square with a short rally and it's over.

So another Pride Parade has come and gone, and a few more people who happened to be in Beyoglu have something to think and talk about. A handful of newspapers will report on it briefly. The event is never reported on television. The fact is that most of the people who make such decisions would rather remain ignorant of anyone who doesn't fit their strict ideas of what is "normal," and would be happier if everyone else stayed that way too.

You can see these and other photos and one or two videos full size here.