topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2236.92 -1.48
DAX 6677.99 -1.63
IBEX 30 8791.7 -1.24
CAC 40 3383.62 -1.20
FTSE 100 5854.37 -0.70
AEX 321.05 -1.25
DJIA 12890.46 0.05
Nasdaq 2927.23 0.39
FTSE MIB 16433.71 -1.32
TSX Composite 12497.94 -0.18
ASX 4322.6 -0.79
Hang seng 20783.86 -1.08
Straits Times 2960 -0.71
ISEQ 20 501.68 -0.40
You are here: Home News European News Struggle for homosexual rights strikes the football field...
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


03/07/2009Struggle for homosexual rights strikes the football field in Turkey

After a referee came out on television recently and was subsequently stripped of his refereeing license, Turkey’s football culture and its fledgling LGBT movement were further pushed into the spotlight.

Istanbul -- The fledgling homosexual movement in Turkey has ventured into the roughest of fields -- the macho world of football -- after a referee "came out" on television, dropping a bombshell in this football-mad country and leaving authorities confused.

Already stripped of his refereeing licence, Halil Ibrahim Dincdag, 33, vows to fight on to restore his career and, if need be, go as far as the European Court of Human Rights.

"I have not committed a crime, I have not defamed my profession. I'm only a homosexual," he told AFP from Istanbul, where he was on "self-exile" after leaving his home in Trabzon, a conservative bastion on the Black Sea coast.

Dincdag's "coming out" last month was an act of unprecedented courage in a country where gays are widely ostracised and derisive words such as "fag" are among the favourite booing chants against referees at the stadiums.

"Since then, my life has turned into hell," he said, explaining that he lost not only his licence but was also "thanked" for his services by a radio station in Trabzon, where he used to do a programme.

"I have inadvertently become a standard-bearer of the homosexual struggle" in Turkey, he said timidly, adding he still had the support of his family, which includes an imam brother.

The Turkish Football Federation dug around to find an argument to revoke Dincdag's licence: since he was exempt from military service due to his homosexuality, thus falling into the army's classification of "unfit", the federation said he would be physically unfit for a refereeing job as well.

Scrambling to defend the move, federation vice president Lutfi Aribogan argued that Dincdag was a mediocre referee lacking "talent" and would have never made it anyway from the amateur to the professional league.

But as criticism of the decision mounted, the head of the referees' board said the door remained open for Dincdag to return to the fold even though he did not explain how.

"They are not sincere ... In any case, they would not like to see me at the matches," Dincdag said.

Despite his pessimism, Dincdag is bent on fighting to restore his licence and has already lodged an appeal at the courts.

"If necessary, I will go even to the European Court of Human Rights," he said.

Despite his personal plight, Dincdag's "coming out" is a cause for celebration at the offices of KAOS-GL, the increasingly outspoken group for gay and lesbian rights in Turkey, where the referee's case is hailed as a step forward for the movement.

Turkey's bid to join the European Union, in which respect for human rights is a key condition, has already "contributed to a better understanding of homosexuals" in the country, said Ali Erol, a senior KAOS-GL member.

He complained, however, that "Turkey, which has managed to break taboos on the Armenian genocide and the Kurdish problem, is yet to openly face the reality of homosexuality."

Unlike most Muslim countries, which punish homosexuality -- some with death, Turkey has never criminalised same-sex relationships and homosexual traditions can be traced back to the palaces of Ottoman sultans.

But even though gays today figure among the country's top celebrities, prejudice against the ordinary homosexual remains strong in daily life.

Police are notoriously harsh against transsexual prostitutes. Several of them have been killed in "hate murders" in recent years.

"While an openly homosexual mayor is running Paris, we are still at the point of discussing whether a homosexual can run a football match," grumbled Murat Soylemez, Dincdag's lawyer.

Burak Akinci/AFP/Expatica


0 reactions to this article

0 reactions to this article

Discussion Forums

English in Belgium

ascent of language in belgium

Family in Belgium

Question about summer program/camp in Belgium

Healthcare in Belgium

How to find a good Physio and optometrist?

Jobs in Belgium

IFAs / FSIs / Country Managers / Confidential Introducers

Housing in Belgium

Flatmate Wanted as from mid February – SPACIOUS DUPLEX/PENTHOUSE

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Looking for work in Belgium

Looking for work in Belgium

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes how to write a CV, application procedure, interview dos and don'ts, Belgian management culture.

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Practical, easy-to-use, free and... in English

Belgium’s first alternative directory assistance services - available through the shortcode 14-14 - can now be accessed on the internet.

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Finding a rental home in Belgium

Moving to Belgium presents a host of challenges to expats, not least of all finding the right home.

Learning to cope with life abroad

Learning to cope with life abroad

The psychological effects of global mobility can be physically painful.