Ali Erbas, the chef of Diyanet, a Turkish state-funded agency which runs mosques, has delivered an anti-gay sermon, claiming that homosexuality causes diseases, corruption, and is condemned by Islam.
The Ankara bar association of lawyers reacted with calling Erbas out on spreading hatred against gay people while ignoring problems like child abuse and misogyny.
But Erbas was supported by the president of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made a statement on April 27th. He said that the religious leader’s claims were “totally right” and scolded the lawyers, saying that “an attack against the Diyanet chief is an attack on the state.”
Homosexuality has never been officially outlawed in Turkey. Nevertheless, the local LGBT+ community faces systematic hatred and violence from the conservative society.
