Gender equality is another failure across the country’s political spectrum. Only 117 women will be elected to Turkey’s 600-seat parliament, according to rights group Women’s Platform for Equality, which tracks candidates on the electoral lists of various political parties. That’s what it means.
“I’ve seen a lot of Erdogan people in my life.”
Zeynep Esmerai Ozadikti, who has been a transgender rights activist for 30 years, seems to be an exception to that trend. She is a candidate for the Turkish Labor Party and is likely to be the first openly trans woman to become a member of parliament.
Speaking at a cafe in Istanbul’s Kurtulsi district, which has a significant number of transgender voters, Esmeley told Politico that if elected, he would oppose discrimination, hate crimes and violence, and fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people. “We’ve gotten a very positive response from the street,” she said. “If I could judge by the reaction on the streets, I would definitely be a member of Congress.”
If Erdogan remains in power, Esmeley believes he will lead the country in a more religiously conservative direction and also seek to introduce Sharia law.
Velvele.net editor Ergen echoed Esmeray’s thoughts. She feared that Article 10 of Turkey’s constitution, a part of the national charter that provides vague protections for gender equality, could be tampered with, paving the way for the potential criminalization of homosexuality.
“That’s my biggest fear,” she says. “If they win, they’ll run with it.”
