He is now unable to work, not as a referee or as a radio programmer, a job he has done for 16 years. “People face very serious difficulties in their working lives afterward,” Soyler said. The referee’s lawyer, Firat Soyler, argued the main problem stemmed from the Turkish military’s classification of homosexuality as “a psychosexual disorder.” In 2011, a soccer referee made headlines when he was forced to quit his job after disclosing his homosexuality in a pre-draft medical examination. They have to go into the army, but feel scared,” Anter said. They simply can’t afford it, which confronts them with a big dilemma. “Some may be planning to work in public service, or may not wish to disclose they are gay. In newspaper interviews in August 2014, another homosexual, Kaan Anter (a pseudonym), underlined that for some gays, braving the “unfit report” is out of the question.
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Indeed, military service is arguably the biggest test in the life of a homosexual in Turkey. “That’s how you prove your manhood to society and your social environment, and become a young man entitled to marriage, job opportunities and so on.” Then, for 12 months, you still have to conceal your gay identity to complete your military service without problems,” he said. “To conceal your gay identity, you have to bargain with the doctors because their ‘fit report’ is the way to a 'problem-free' military service. And in your life afterward, this means social exclusion, loss of job opportunities, no chance of becoming a public employee, increasing snubs and pressure from your social environment or, in short, you ruin your life.”Īhmet lamented that things are no easier for those who wish to get the “fit report” and do their military service. In that examination, we can get an ‘unfit report,’ which we call the ‘pink certificate.’ But getting this report means that you disclose and document your gay identity. “Being gay in Turkey is difficult, but for a gay of draft age, these difficulties become a hell,” Ahmet K., a 27-year-old homosexual Turk, told Al-Monitor in Istanbul. Ahmet, who completed his military service last year, said, “To start with, the medical examination for military service is perhaps the first challenge in your life that forces you to make a choice between your gay identity and social realities. In the past, Turkey's 12-month compulsory draft has been a dreaded experience for homosexuals. Allowing homosexual men to voluntarily disclose or conceal their identities amounts to a shift to a “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The change represents a major step toward aligning Turkey's military with the norms for basic human rights. This overhaul in the pre-draft medical examination is a revolution on the part of the Turkish military. If he does, this declaration will constitute the sole basis for the doctor's decision. In other words, a homosexual can choose to disclose or not to disclose his identity.
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Last week, however, the military silently amended the most controversial provisions in the regulation. Doctors will now merely observe the behaviors homosexuals display and the verbal declarations they make. To receive an exemption based on their sexuality, men must publicly declare they are gay - a declaration that ensures discrimination will follow them for the rest of their lives. It's either that, or they must successfully hide their gay identity for a year.Īs if that isn't bad enough, until last week, to receive the exemption men also had to prove their homosexuality by undergoing nude examinations and submitting photos of themselves engaged in homosexual intercourse. Turkey makes it difficult for potential conscriptees to avoid the draft, generally making exceptions only for those who are sick, disabled or homosexual.