Turkey’s state broadcaster is facing criticism over a documentary that critics say targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people and frames them as a threat to families, Turkish Minute reported.
The documentary, titled “Rainbow Fascism,” is set to stream on Sunday, January 18, on Tabii, state broadcaster TRT’s online streaming platform.
TRT Director General Mehmet Zahid Sobacı announced the program on X and described it as an effort to expose what he called an “ideological siege” that “targets” the family and children.
The six-episode documentary examines what it calls the goals and influence of “LGBTQ+ lobbies,” using expert interviews, research and personal stories.
The announcement prompted criticism from journalists, academics and LGBTQ rights advocates, who said a taxpayer-funded broadcaster should not portray a minority group as a public threat.
In its trailer the documentary depicts LGBTQ people as a rainbow-colored elephant that enters a children’s room made of glass and smashes items inside. Critics said the imagery and language amount to targeting LGBTQ people.
Journalist İrfan Değirmenci accused TRT of using public funds to put people at risk and said public broadcasting should not “target” citizens. Yıldız Tar, editor-in-chief of Turkish LGBT rights group KAOS GL’s magazine, music critic Murat Meriç and other public figures denounced the program as encouraging hostility toward LGBTQ people.
The backlash comes as the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pushed family-centered messaging and policies, declaring 2025 the “Year of the Family,” and in May 2025 announced plans to treat the period from 2026 through 2035 as a “Family and Population Decade.”
Human rights organizations say LGBTQ people in Turkey face restrictions on public assembly and increasing hostility from the government. İstanbul Pride has been banned for years, and police have repeatedly detained participants.
International rights groups have also warned about proposed legislative amendments that they say could further limit LGBTQ expression. In October 2025 Human Rights Watch said a government proposal would open the door to criminal charges against LGBTQ people and urged officials to withdraw it. Those provisions did not ultimately move forward in that form.
