Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan referred to LGBT individuals as a “plague” during a speech at the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Youth Wing Congress in Ankara on Saturday, the Duvar English news website reported.
Speaking about the government’s recent declaration of 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” Erdoğan said, “We are introducing protective measures for our youth against the LGBT perversion spreading like a plague worldwide.”
The event, themed “Shape Turkey with Your Youth,” highlighted Erdoğan’s vision for the new generation, with an emphasis on conservative values and the preservation of the traditional family structure.
In his speech Erdoğan emphasized his party’s commitment to what he called the protection of family values, an issue he has framed as being under threat from global trends.
Earlier this month, during his “Address to the Nation” following a Cabinet meeting on January 6, Erdoğan had described LGBT individuals as a “serious threat to the existence of the family.”
Homosexuality is legal in Turkey, but homophobia remains pervasive. In 2024, Turkey ranked 47th out of 49 countries in the LGBT rights index published by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association (ILGA).
The increase in hateful rhetoric against the LGBT community in Turkey coincided with Erdoğan’s electoral alliances in recent years with ultranationalist and ultraconservative political factions.
