Maloney, Cicilline and Members of the Equality Caucus Urge State Department to Rebuke Turkey's Anti-LGBTQ Actions

Press Release

In response to recent reports that the Republic of Turkey has taken continued hostile and hateful actions against the LGBTQ community, Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) and David Cicilline (RI-1) led Members of the Equality Caucus in calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take a strong role in rebuking Turkey's President Erdoğan and his anti-LGBTQ actions.

"The United States cannot stand by when other countries are condemning citizens based on who they love. We urge you to publicly speak out against the ongoing abuses in Turkey and to call on the Turkish authorities to allow these students and advocates the right to peaceful assembly. We strongly condemn the arbitrary detentions of these advocates and the anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric surrounding demonstrations. We stand in solidarity with the Turkish LGBTQ community and look forward to working with the Biden Administration to address this ongoing concern in Turkey," the letter reads.

In early February, more than 300 pro-LGBTQ protesters were detained in Istanbul and Ankara after politically charged and violent altercations from the Turkish police. Following the protests, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attacked LGBTQ youth in a speech, comparing the pro-LGBTQ protestors to terrorists. Members of his cabinet have called these advocates "LGBT deviants."

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