The Necessity of Hiding Homosexuality to Have a Job in Turkey

Homosexuality is always a popular topic in Turkey because there are always some people who do not want to admit its existence. While some people respect sexual choices, some are prejudiced. One of those strict rules even may be banning a member from the family because of her/his sexual choice. Those families may be religious or effected by the media. Although homosexuality is the reality which a lot of Turkish people usually do not want to accept it, the number of homosexual people who was able to express their identity is rapidly increasing with the support of social organizations. On the other hand, homosexual people who can express their identities are having also a lot of trouble when they apply for or get into a job. Therefore most of them need to hide their sexual preferences in workplaces to go on without any sexual harassment or discrimination.

Those people who deny having homosexual genes in their blood do not know their history well. In Turkish history, there were a lot of proof pointing out homosexuality, especially in the palace of the Ottoman Empire. While there was harem in the palace, the sultans were taking handsome and physically perfect boys as slaves into the palace (Murray 175). Those men’s mission was palace service. Before getting into the palace service, they were highly educated to serve their Prince in the best way. Sometimes Sultan Suleiman was spending his time with only men and no women (Murray 177). This is what was written in history but there are also some drawings with homosexual compositions. One such visual proof is in Topkapi Palace Museum, named ‘Turkish Bath”: the men are half naked and serving each other (Murray 27). With those obvious examples in Turkish history, the people who deny homosexuality in their blood may think twice.
The history is in the past, so what is the status of homosexuality in Turkey now? There are some studies made to see what the general behaviors of Turkish families are. The result of those studies

Cited: Çırakoğlu, Okan Cem. “Perception of Homosexuality Among Turkish University Students: The Roles of Labels, Gender, and Prior Contact.” Journal of Social Psychology 146.3 (2006): 293-305. Ebscohost. Web. 31 Mar. 2010. Elliot, John E. Homosexual Issues In The Workplace. Ed. Louis Diamant. Washington: Taylor & Francis, 1993. Print. Grungras, Neil, Rachel Levitan, and Amy Slotek. “Unsafe Haven: Security Challenges Facing LGBT Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Turkey.” The Fletcher Journal of Human Security 24 (2009): 41-61. Praxis The Fletcher School. Web. 11 May. 2010. Murray, Stephen O., and Will Roscoe. Islamic Homosexualities. New York: New York University, 1997. Print. Oksal, Aynur. “Turkish Family Members’ Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men.” Sex Roles 58 (2008): 514-525. Springer Netherlands. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. Shidfar, Farhad. “Gay musicians in Turkey.” International Forum of Psychoanalysis 14 (2005): 224-226. Ebscohost. Web. 19 Apr. 2010. Yavuz, Ercan. “Türban Krizine ‘Çiçek’ Formülü.” aksam.com.tr Akşam, 6 July 2004. Web. 11 May. 2010.