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A draft law introduced by the radical Islamist party HÜDA-PAR (Free Cause Party) in the Turkish Parliament on April 19 has ignited widespread criticism for its overtly discriminatory stance against the LGBTQ+ community. The party, also known as the successor of Hezbollah, seeks to amend several key legal codes, including the Turkish Penal Code and the Law on the Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Television.

The alleged aim of the bill is to “prevent the erosion of social values such as general morality, decency, and modesty,” and to “combat actions that threaten public order and the institution of the family.” However, it explicitly characterizes LGBTQ+ existence as a threat to “human nature, the family, and ultimately the social structure and values.”

The party behind the bill was part of the People's Alliance (in support of the ruling Justice and Development Party), which was formed ahead of general elections in May 2023. It is known for its anti-LGBTQ+ stance and questionable views on women's rights.

Among the controversial proposals in the bill is the redefinition of the offense of “indecent behavior,” which would carry a prison sentence of three to five years if committed between individuals of the same biological sex. The bill also criminalizes marrying while concealing one’s biological sex, imposing a penalty of one to three years in prison.

Specifically, the following proposals are included, as per reporting by Bianet referencing the draft document obtained by KAOS GL, a local LGBTQ+ rights organization:

Penalties are also foreseen for individuals who engage in, promote, encourage, or propagate same-sex sexual relationships or behaviors. It is also proposed that the Radio and Television Supreme Council monitor and regulate instances where this offense is committed via radio, television, and all types of communication channels including cinema, films, series, advertisements, and similar methods.

The proposed article to be added to the Penal Code reads:

Those who promote, encourage, propagate, or advocate for same-sex sexual relationships or behaviors shall be sentenced to three to five years in prison. If this offense is committed through any form of written, visual, auditory, traditional, or digital communication or information technology tools, the sentence shall be increased by half.

If the bill is passed, Article 8 of the Law on the Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Television would be amended as follows:

It is prohibited to promote or encourage same-sex sexual relationships or behaviors, or to propagate or disseminate such content. Programs that encourage oppression of women or exploit women may not be broadcast.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups and legal experts argue that the proposal violates Turkey’s constitution and international human rights agreements. In a joint statement, LGBTQ+ organizations declared, “We will not allow HÜDAPAR to threaten the lives and instill fear among the millions of LGBTQI+ people and their families living in Turkey.”

Opposition lawmaker Özgül Saki of the DEM Party condemned the bill, stating, “This is not a law, it is a clear manifesto of hate! LGBTQ+ lives are neither a crime nor a perversion!”

This proposed legislation is part of a broader pattern of increasing hostility towards LGBTQ+ individuals in Turkey. Since 2015, Pride marches have been banned, and participants have faced violent police interventions.

Scores of members from the ruling party, as well as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have scolded, dismissed the existence of, and dehumanized members of the community for years. In April 2020, the Directorate of Religious Affairs accused community members of spreading diseases. In 2021, President Erdoğan said there was “no such thing as LGBT.”

In 2021, the Turkish government withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at combating violence against women, citing its alleged promotion of homosexuality. This further signaled a retreat from protecting marginalized groups.

The pervasive narrative of hate and discrimination targeting community members, as well as those who support them, was even one of the talking points of the most recent general elections. Ahead of the elections, President Erdoğan told his supporters on television, “LGBT is a poison injected into the institution of the family. It is not possible for us to accept that poison as a country whose people are 99 percent Muslim.”

The now-former Minister of the Interior, Suleyman Soylu, has called queer people “perverts” and described them as “propaganda of a terrorist organization.” Also, ahead of the general elections, the former minister made allegations that LGBTQ+ “also included marriage between animals and humans.” Meanwhile, Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ claimed there were attempts to “legitimize and normalize LGBT and many perversions,” adding, “It is the primary duty of states to protect every member of society against negativities, against deviant and perverted understandings.”

In September 2022, an anti-LGBTQ+ rally in Istanbul called for legal changes and the closure of all LGBTQ+ organizations, under the banner of protecting family values.

In January 2025, Erdoğan declared the new year the “Year of the Family.” The president's intent in doing so was in response to the country's declining birth rate, and according to the country's president, the decline is an “existential threat to Turkey.”  At the time, he targeted the LGBTQ+ movement, describing it as “perverse” and “harmful” and a cause of the declining birth rate. He was quoted as saying on January 13, “The primary goal of the gender neutralization policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family and the sanctity of the family institution.”

Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have criticized Turkey’s treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals, warning that state actions and rhetoric have fostered an increasingly dangerous environment for the community.

In an interview with the Middle East Eye, Damla Umut, a campaigner with Kaos GL, said, “This bill is not about protecting families; it is about criminalising existence,” of LGBTQ+ activism and organizations in the country.

The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA)  Europe, in its most recent 49-country Rainbow Europe Map and Index, ranked Turkey 46th. In a statement issued in March 2025, the organization called on the country's ministry of justice to “indefinitely withdraw the draft amendments and the Turkish parliament to reject the proposed legislative amendments,” as it would “make the lives of LGBT+ people in Turkey even more arduous, without providing any additional benefits to the general public.”