Istanbul’s gay and transgender community gathered for a small rally that ended with tear gas and rubber bullets on Sunday after their annual march was banned for the fifth consecutive year
LGBTI+ Pride Week, the organisers of the march, said they had come to an agreement with the police to allow them to read a public statement and later disperse peacefully, but slammed the ban.
Istanbul has traditionally been seen as a relative safe haven by members of the gay community from elsewhere in the region, but although homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, there is widespread hostility to it across Turkish society.
