By Ayberk Dizdarlar

1. Introduction

Istanbul, with a population exceeding 16 million, is renowned as one of the world’s most vibrant cities, spanning Europe and Asia and featuring a rich array of attractions. Locals have become accustomed to welcoming tourists from all corners of the globe. Over the past decade, catalyzed by events like the Arab Spring, Turkey has evolved into a sought-after destination for migration. Fueled by its extensive border with Syria, the Syrian Civil War led to a substantial influx of Syrians seeking refuge in Turkey. Initially regarded as a transit point en route to Europe, the landscape shifted in 2016 with Turkey and the European Union (hereafter, EU) signing an agreement to repatriate all new irregular migrants as of March 20, 2016.^[1]  This pivotal deal has reshaped Turkey’s role in migration, transitioning it from a mere transit hub to a destination for migrants.

Amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022, both Ukrainians and Russians have turned to migration, with Turkey becoming a primary destination. Ukrainian refugees numbered up to 145.000 then rapidly declined to 46.000.^[2] Russians, facing limited choices to escape the war, particularly those opposing the conflict, Putin’s regime, or facing discrimination, have sought refuge in Turkey since early 2022. This continuous influx has positioned Turkey as the country hosting the highest number of refugees as of the last nine years.^[3]

Having spent my entire life in Istanbul amidst its ever-changing environment and multicultural crowds, I embarked on a journey to explore the city from a fresh perspective. During my studies in the University of Toronto, where I am currently pursuing a master’s degree, I returned home to Istanbul with the intent of conducting interviews with queer individuals who are not locals to see the city from their perspectives. 

Istanbul skyline, 2012. Photo: Mike McBey/Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made. View license here.

To gain diverse insights, I connected with queer individuals in Istanbul and conducted three interviews with people from different backgrounds. The first interviewee, J, a 23-year-old Jordanian, identifies as a lesbian woman and resides in Istanbul with her partner. The second interview was with G, a 26-year-old Syrian non-binary individual, is awaiting immigration approval to Germany. Lastly, I interviewed M, a 33-year-old Russian pansexual fashion designer.

These interviews aim to provide a nuanced perspective on life in Istanbul for these individuals, exploring how they navigate survival and wound up in the city. The inquiries delve into their interactions with family, national communities, and the queer community.

2. Background

1.  Brief overview of the queer diaspora in Istanbul

To explain the queer diaspora in Istanbul we have to delve into the current Turkish political sphere. It has been known that Turkey has been going through a political Islamist conservative rule under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for about 20 years. Under this rule, there have been instances when the political approach to migration has been somehow positive. Compared to other Middle Eastern countries being a queer person in Turkey is relatively safe.^[4] There is a strong political queer movement within Turkey, especially in Istanbul, several LGBTQ+ Non-Governmental Organizations (hereafter, NGOs) operate, and their headquarters are there. Until 2015 pride was celebrated in the most crowded place in Istanbul. 

We should also recognize that being part of the LGBTQ+ community is not necessarily politically accepted in Turkey as it is the second most restrictive country on LGBTQ+ rights just after Azerbaijan.^[5] In this paper, I specifically conducted interviews with queer individuals from the Middle East and Russia. Hence, it is important to note that my focus is not on comparing the queer community in Istanbul to European or North American queer communities, but rather to consider them on their own terms, acknowledging local and national specificities. Life as a queer person is difficult but also possible in Istanbul.

LGBT Pride March, Taksim, Istanbul, 2013. Photo: Lubunya/Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made. View license here.

3. Methodology

1. Research design

For this paper, I chose a qualitative research approach. Factors like the number of interviewees, the sensitivity of the community, and the unreliable data from the Turkish government played a crucial role in this decision. Emphasising on individual stories, I conducted interviews with carefully selected members of the queer community, ensuring not to influence their responses toward specific questions or hypotheses by not engaging with personal opinions, not commenting on the answers, and not reacting strongly to any of the experiences that were told by these individuals.

2. Data collection

The interviews aimed to investigate the lives of the queer refugees in Istanbul. The chosen questions were the same for all the participants since they have different backgrounds and I wanted to have a comparison, as much as possible, so the questions were designed to be constant and in same order. Therefore, the questions were not designed to confirm a preconceived narrative, rather, to collect insights into how individuals articulate their own experiences and perspectives about themselves and society. It was structured to be more of a conversational interview rather than a question-and-answer period.

The questions were in the following order:

1. What is your background and your journey to Istanbul?
2. What is your identity? How do you identify yourself? 
3. What challenges are you facing in Istanbul, Turkey?
4. How do you cope with these challenges?
5. Are there any support groups you have? If yes, who are they and could you tell me about them? 
6. How do you compare yourself with other migrants, refugees from other countries, other ethnicities, and other personal backgrounds?
7. What are the positive sides of being in Istanbul for you?
8. What are the integration processes that you have been through, if any?
9. What are your future plans? Do you plan to stay in Turkey or go somewhere else?

3. Data analysis

The sample was three participants, and the interviews were more casual than formal. Questions were skipped if they were answered in the previous questions. At an investigative level, the gathered data was processed comparatively for all the participants through the lens of an observer who is aware of these individuals’ background differences. Answers to the questions were gathered to make a final point, but the results have not proved or disproved any claims on how all the queer people live in Istanbul, rather they helped me to see the city from a broader perspective.

4. Ethical considerations

It is essential to recognize that all three individuals who agreed to these interviews are part of the high-risk LGBTQ+ community. High state officials such as the Former Interior Minister of Turkey, Süleyman Soylu, and the President of Turkey, Erdoğan, even called members of the LGBTQ+ community terrorists.^[6] Additionally, these individuals’ legal immigrant status in Turkey is not mentioned for their safety. Their country of origin—Syria, Russia, and Jordan—are very high-risk for queer people. The three participants declared that sharing the paper is permitted, but for precautionary measures, I opted to preserve their anonymity as much as possible and have decided to address the interviewees by the initials of their names instead of names. The letters G, M and J represent the three respondents.

4. Interviews

1. Finding the queer migrants in Istanbul

The queer community in Istanbul is remarkably bigger than people would anticipate. As part of the community myself, I started to contact all the people I knew there when I decided to work on this project. The connections I have helped me find individuals with backgrounds from the Middle East and Russia. Finding queer migrants and building mutual trust has been the most difficult part of this project. I knew M prior to the interviews, so it was easy to reach out to her and explain what I was doing and why she might find an interest in participating.

 I used to volunteer at an NGO in Istanbul, Istanbul&I, established to help migrants integrate into the city. My connections from Istanbul&I helped me meet G and build a sense of mutual trust to ensure to them that this interview would be held in a secure and respectful environment. 

J is a colleague of a queer friend of mine. My friend helped me contact her to discuss this project. J was more than happy to help me with it, and she wanted me to tell her story to whoever would be reading this piece.

Being a queer person, having reliable connections and being clear on the aim of these interviews helped me immensely to overcome possible shyness and reservations about discussing their background.

2. Interviewing J (she/her, 23 years old, Jordanian)

On December 14, 2023, I visited a mutual friend of J’s and mine, where J (she/her) and I agreed to meet and have the interview. We were in a private room to talk about being queer and a migrant in Istanbul, which are not subjects to a public debate. She walked in with a coffee for both of us and after greetings, I explained to her how her privacy is important to me and if she feels uncomfortable, we can stop the interview at any point. She almost did not listen to me when I was explaining the conditions to her. She was more than happy for me to share all the information about herself, and I felt though she was not hiding anything. It was an interesting interaction because had I interviewed a queer Turkish person, the interviewee would have demanded some secrecy and if conditions for anonymity had not been fulfilled, then no interview would have been held. 

The initial question is designed not to lead people to explain a narrative. I asked about her background and her journey to Turkey from Jordan. She answered that she is 23 years old, and she came to live in Istanbul when she was 17 as soon as she was done with high school. Watching Turkish TV shows helped her to decide to come here and she was disappointed because it was not similar to the shows she had seen. She went to Tunisia to study, and the French language was too difficult for her, so she came back to Istanbul again to live with her brother. They did not get along well but luckily for her, her brother returned to Jordan, and she remained in Istanbul after their father passed away.

Already with the second question, the tone of the interview changed to more of a conversation between friends. She explained her sexual identity and how unsafe it was for a queer person to even exist in Jordan. As a lesbian woman in Istanbul, she compared the conditions where she was not even allowed to think about being attracted to a woman in Jordan to being sexualized by men in Turkey. Her biggest struggle revolved around her queer identity and homophobia from her cultural background. Yet, she sought to surround herself with queer people from her country and queer-friendly people. When I asked her how she compares herself as a queer migrant to other migrants in the city she explained to me that being here is a “privilege” for her. The conditions back in Jordan are not comparable to those in Istanbul. In her home country, her worry remains whether she will be killed. As a foreigner in Turkey, she feels that she has the privilege to not face the fear of being killed. 

            Ironically, at the end of our conversation, she explained to me that she aims to pursue a university education and eventually leave Turkey. Among the options available to queer Jordanians, choosing Istanbul is considered the safest. This may seem contradictory, but it exemplifies the importance of understanding the specificities of each kind of struggles queer people face in different locations. For J, she came to be in a location where she is allowed to live as a lesbian woman, and she is grateful for that opportunity. It is natural for her to plan a better future for herself when she does not need to worry about her life, so economic and social conditions have now become her priority.

3. Interviewing G (they/them, 25, Syrian)

G (they/them) is from Syria, and I met them on December 20 in a residential part of the city. Meeting in a residential area was odd. The queer people, just like other people in Istanbul, have residential areas where they live, but they hang out mostly in downtown areas that can be deemed safe, and so, I was expecting to meet them in downtown.  But as soon as we met, they explained to me that the financial crisis hit them hard, and their family was struggling. Knowing the Middle Eastern culture, they would refuse if I offered to get them coffee, so, I just got them a coffee saying they can get the next round. 

The economic crisis in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, is recognizable everywhere you go and this interaction with G made me realize that refugees suffer from this probably worse than the nationals. They explained their background as a Syrian. When G was 2 years old, their father decided to move for work to Saudi Arabia where the family lived for 13 years. After the Syrian Civil War, they were “asked” to leave the country. They were deported and they could not find any help, so they decided to go to Turkey. First, they reached Mersin, a city located in the south, where they stayed for a year and a half, after which they moved to Istanbul. Their family has been in Turkey for 10 years now. They graduated high school in a special school for Syrians and undertook an education in university as a computer engineer. 

They are Syrian but they do not feel any belonging to their nationality and rather embrace a non-binary queer identity. They do not face racism daily, but they have to live with queerphobia for their looks. In Istanbul, they are doing a lot better than anywhere else in the Middle East. Growing up in Saudi Arabia, they did not have any chance to explore their sexual identity, so they are happy to perform their sexuality despite the queerphobia they face. Luckily, they have a great family as a support group, and do not feel alienated. They also have a queer community to help cope with racism and queerphobia. G, similarly to J, also used the word “privilege” to describe their opportunity to come to Istanbul. However, when comparing themselves as Middle Eastern to Russians, they feel like Russians are more welcome to express their feelings, identities, etc. “No envy there, I am happy for them,” they added. They cherish the diversity in Istanbul, and they feel like they belong to this city.  Since life in Istanbul is not perfect economically, culturally, or politically they have plans to immigrate to Germany with their family. They hope to join a pride march without violence. 

İstanbul Onur Yürüyüşü Gay Pride, 2013. Photo: Lubunya/Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made. View license here.

4. Interviewing M

As previous interviews were with people from the Middle East, I was eager to meet M (she/her), who is from Russia, to have another perspective on queer life in Istanbul. I met M in the winter of 2022 when I was at a private party. We ran into each other several times back when I was living in Istanbul in art events, bars, and on streets where many Turkish people go, noting a difference to the other people I met as M was involved in the vibrant life that Istanbul offers its residents. She invited me to a house in a beautiful part of the city, Kuzguncuk. Istanbul is overcrowded with buildings so when I arrived in the neighborhood I was surprised with the green woods and the silence there. While she does not live in that part of the city, she has friends who do. She offered me a coffee and we sat on a surprisingly warm and sunny day on December 27. 

She is from Yakutia in Eastern Russia. She has her own language and culture. She was living in Moscow until the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 22, 2024, and she did not want to be part of “this,” so she used her connections to move to Istanbul. She is a fashion designer. She is struggling to find work as a freelancer due to Turkey’s poor economy, and is currently suffering from rising prices in Istanbul. In the last year and a half, she has been comparing the outrageous price changes in Istanbul and is increasingly realizing that she is not doing well financially. As a Yakuts, she faced objectification back in Moscow and so she feels that in this regard, it is relatively better for her in Istanbul. She is able to connect with the local culture better than her Russian friends.

Things that she enjoys in Istanbul are the climate, sea, culture, and people. She can meet with her friends from all around the globe, can find fabrics for her business, and can go to the south of Turkey for two months with accommodation she can use, just like higher-middle class citizens in Istanbul. She is planning to live part-time in Istanbul and part-time on the Mediterranean coast. She is very “grateful” for being there and is feeling good in her current situation. She talked about her Russian friends who are using Istanbul as a “thinking ground,” thinking about what to do and where to go next with their lives. M, believes that people who come to Istanbul should be humble and grateful for being there. Rather than complain, they should learn something new here.                      

5. Results

1.  Presentation of findings

All the participants have given enough information to understand why they are in Istanbul. They all experienced a severe risk for their lives or well-being in their country of origin, largely due to social stigma and discrimination. All three mentioned how safe it is to be a queer person in Istanbul that compared to where they are from. Yet, they still deem insufficiently safe to plan a life there. They all have their respective communities. G and J, with their Middle Eastern backgrounds, ended up both suggesting going to Istanbul is a great step for embracing their queer identity. They both mentioned how dangerous it is to exist as a queer person in the Middle East. M talked about how Moscow used to be a great place to live as a queer person and how Istanbul lacks the events for queer people. 

2. Quotes and anecdotes 

I would like to mention that the quotes are edited to clarify the language with consideration for the respondents’ original meaning. 

Ayberk:  what is your background and your journey to Istanbul?

G:  I was born in Syria, and then two years in my parents moved to Saudi because of finances. It was easier to earn money there, so people did it often. We stayed in Saudi for about 13 years. It’s a very religious place, so it was a little hard to practice my freedom and self-discovery. But, when I hit the age of 15, in 2013, we were asked to leave the country. So, we were basically deported. Reasons were not given. We contacted the government. Nothing was provided.  So, we needed to find somewhere else to go. Around that time, it was the conflict in Syria. We couldn’t go back and Turkey was a very viable option. Around 2013, we came to Turkey.  I have been here for about ten years. About one year or half a year in Mersin. And then I came to Istanbul [with my family]. I have three other siblings. We all kind of continued education here. For me, I was in high school, so I finished 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade here in a Syrian school and then went to university in an English program and graduated as a computer engineer. 

J: So, I’m 23 years old now. I first came to live here when I was 17, right after I finished high school. For me, it was the Turkish dream, following the Turkish TV shows that I watched as a kid. Okay. And when I came here, at first it was a bit disappointing because it has nothing to do with that. And when I came here, it was like way before I came out. I lived with my brother; we didn’t get along, so I was like, okay, I’m getting out of here. I went to live in Tunisia and I lived there for a year and a half. I studied physiotherapy, then French got a bit too difficult for me. Then I decided to come back here [Istanbul]. At first, I lived with my brother. We were on good terms. Then my father passed away and my brother went back to Jordan. I stayed here, I came out as bisexual, I think in 2020.

M: I’m 33 years old. I’m from Russia, but I’m from Yakutia. It’s in the eastern part of Russia. So, I have my own language, my own culture, besides Russian. And I used to live in Moscow, half of my life. And now I moved to Istanbul, one year and nine months ago. After the war began, I decided that I didn’t want to deal with this. I don’t want to be part of this. So, I decided to move here because I had some friends. We work here and it was the best solution for me, and now I, I feel happy. 

Ayberk:  What challenges do you face in Istanbul?

G:  Being Syrian, being an Arab, I always have to. I kind of mask it and pretend that I belong here so that I don’t get treated with any racism… But aside from the casual racism I may face, which isn’t like on a daily basis, to me at least there’s some queer phobia that I sometimes see. Weird looks. Some people like making sounds when they see me walking by and see my piercings or how I dress if I’m ever wearing any makeup or whatever. But, in Istanbul, it’s a lot better than anywhere I could be in the Middle East. So I’m happy about that.

J: Oh, how does society look at me as a human being… I’m ashamed. I felt like, I’m homophobic towards myself. But right now, I just really don’t care. Because why? Being straight is normal, but being gay is not okay.

M: I don’t know, I feel like inflation and work issues.  Finding some good projects because I always used to be a freelancer. So, for me, finding projects is what I do or like, do orders and stuff. But I feel this difference in currencies after living in Moscow. And after one and a half years, I feel the prices got so high and then I compare prices from Turkish lira to USD and it’s kind of the same. But it’s like I, even I [as a] foreigner, feel this effect on myself. 

Ayberk: What are your future plans?

G: Well, I have tried my best to integrate in Turkey, and I feel like I’m kind of a local. And people, especially Turkish people, do accept me as a local because we do the same things. We eat the same food, we go to the same concerts. It’s just that I don’t speak fluent Turkish. That’s the one thing that parts us, separates us. But since life here isn’t really perfect [economically or culturally and politically]. Yeah, with two underlines. I do have plans to leave to Germany. Yeah. I have participated in two Pride marches and they were both met with violence. So, it is one of my dreams to be able to participate in a peaceful one. And my family is already going there. They have their visa set. I have two siblings who are already there and are doctors. So, it is our future to move to Germany, I feel like.

J: Here’s the thing, as long I’m not going to lie, living here is a privilege for me. Because if we’re going to say that it’s not safe, it’s not. No, no no, no, it’s nothing compared to where I’m from. Nothing compared. So, for me here, no, I have the privilege at least to be myself without being worried, like, oh, I might get killed. But for them [non-queer Arabs] they are, they have the privilege of things being easier for them, especially how people look at you. It changes everything how people look at you there. I really want to graduate. Get out of here as well. Go somewhere totally new. Not Turkey, not Jordan, not any Arab country.

M: Uh, I’m not sure. But at this point of my life, I feel happy. And, right now, I stayed two months in Göcek in the south of Turkey, and I’m planning to return there. So, I will be in between these two places. And I feel so grateful being here. And I know, like for most of my friends who also came, it’s kind of like thinking spot. They think what I want from my life, etc., etc. but still I enjoy it. Maybe I will move somewhere else, but at right now I feel good here.

6. Discussion

The queer people I have met in Istanbul from different backgrounds have shown me some of the perks and cons of being a queer person in Istanbul. If they are from a Middle Eastern background, they believe that Istanbul is a great location to be a queer person, they constantly compare it to the life-threatening aspects in their own respective countries. Interviewing M for this part has been crucial in having a different opinion on the same issues. She believes that life in Istanbul as a queer person is not as “liberating” as the other two. She is the only one who misses her life before moving to Istanbul.

7. Conclusion

Qualitative research through interviews does not seek to support a preconceived understanding of the issue at hand. For this research, the interviews were meant to provide insights into the lived experiences of individuals with queer identities from very different backgrounds who ended up in Istanbul. Reaching out to the queer community in Istanbul is challenging; without personal connections, it would not be possible to contact and interview these individuals.

Participants G, M, and J have all been extremely helpful in providing insights into the life of queer people in Istanbul. Their experiences in a metropolis like Istanbul offer an opportunity to see the city through a different lens. Regardless of their origins, the results are clear – being a queer individual in a foreign land pushes members of the queer community to build a diaspora if they desire to do so. They all experience life in Istanbul differently. I had the opportunity to experience and witness their lives for a brief interview with all of them. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to experience their daily lives.

When the interviews ended, I found myself thinking about the G’s words when they were talking about how Russians and Westerners are treated differently. They all have been through unfortunate situations but hearing M’s story was more of an “expat” story even though she is not going to be able to return to Russia, whilst both J and G have to deal with a lot of issues in Istanbul. J and G both enjoy their partial freedom as queer people alongside with racism within the queer community. They are preparing for their next steps to live a better life and M is building a more comfortable life in Turkey. 

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Endnotes

^[1] Philippe Perchoc, “Eu-Turkey Statement & Action Plan,” Legislative Train Schedule, European Parliament, last modified February 20, 2024, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-towards-a-new-policy-on-migration/file-eu-turkey-statement-action-plan.

^[2] Sude Akgundogdu and Collin Trissel, “Turkey’s Growing Ukrainian and Russian Communities,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, accessed January 28 2024, https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/turkeys-growing-ukrainian-and-russian-communities.

^[3] “Türkiye,” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), accessed February 19, 2024, https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/operations/türkiye#:~:text=by%20mid%202023%2C%20there%20were,of%20other%20countries%20of%20origin.

^[4] John Curtis, Anna Dickson, Philip Loft, Claire Mills, and Reshma Rajendralal, LGBT+ rights and issues in the Middle East [London: United Kindgom]: House of Commons Library, 2019, https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9457/CBP-9457.pdf

^[5] “Turkey 2^nd most restrictive country on gay rights in Europe,” Hurriyet Daily News, May 15, 2019. https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-2nd-most-restrictive-country-on-gay-rights-in-europe-143439; “Country Ranking,” Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association), accessed January 23, 2024, https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking.

^[6] “In new hate speech, Turkish Interior Minister Soylu deems LGBTI+ ‘cultural terrorism’,” Gazete Duvar English,  November 13, 2022, https://www.duvarenglish.com/in-new-hate-speech-turkish-interior-minister-soylu-deems-lgbti-cultural-terrorism-news-61530.

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References

Akgundogdu, Sude and Collin Trissel. “Turkey’s Growing Ukrainian and Russian Communities.” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Accessed January 28 2024. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/turkeys-growing-ukrainian-and-russian-communities.

Curtis, John, Dickson, Anna, Loft, Philip, Mills, Claire, and Rajendralal, Reshma. LGBT+ rights and issues in the Middle East. [London, England]: House of Commons: Library, February 9, 2022. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9457/CBP-9457.pdf

“In new hate speech, Turkish Interior Minister Soylu deems LGBTI+ ‘cultural terrorism.’” Gazete Duvar English, November 13, 2022. https://www.duvarenglish.com/in-new-hate-speech-turkish-interior-minister-soylu-deems-lgbti-cultural-terrorism-news-61530.

Perchoc, Philippe. “Eu-Turkey Statement & Action Plan.” Legislative Train Schedule. European Parliament. Last modified February 20, 2024. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-towards-a-new-policy-on-migration/file-eu-turkey-statement-action-plan.

“Turkey 2^nd most restrictive country on gay rights in Europe.” Hurriyet Daily News, May 15, 2019. https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-2nd-most-restrictive-country-on-gay-rights-in-europe-143439

Rainbow Europe – ILGA-Europe (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association). “Country Ranking.” Accessed January 23, 2024. https://rainbow-europe.org/country-ranking

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “Türkiye.” Accessed February 19, 2024. https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/operations/türkiye#:~:text=by%20mid%202023%2C%20there%20were,of%20other%20countries%20of%20origin.