Denied Citizens of Turkey: Experiences of Discrimination Among LGBT Individuals in Employment, Housing and Health Care

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore experiences of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) individuals in three domains of social policies: employment, housing and health care — domains in which LGBT individuals are not openly recognized as equal citizens and anti‐discrimination legislation is absent in Turkey. Drawing on qualitative content analysis of the data collected from 14 focus group interviews with 139 LGBT individuals conducted in ten provinces of Turkey in the first half of 2014, this article sheds light on diverse forms of discrimination facing LGBT individuals in employment, housing and health care in a largely under‐researched country. The article concludes that the contemporary understanding of Turkish citizenship and its practice are rooted in heterosexist universalism that does not recognize LGBTs as equal citizens, which, in turn, leads to systematic breaches of LGBTs' social rights in employment, housing and health care. The article shows that even strong and universalistic social policies fail to serve LGBTs on an equal footing with other citizens unless equal citizenship rights of LGBTs and anti‐discrimination principles are recognized and realized.

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual human rights as a global health issue

“…Their qualitative review of Ghana's health care practices finds that a lack of protective policies against LGB discrimination to be a key‐intervening variable in the country's high‐HIV rates. Yılmaz and Göçmen () find similar issues in Turkey. Based on 14 focus groups with the LGB community, they determine universalist prescriptions for equal health care treatment for all to be insufficient for the LGB community.…”

“…Their qualitative review of Ghana's health care practices finds that a lack of protective policies against LGB discrimination to be a key-intervening variable in the country's high-HIV rates. Yılmaz and Göçmen (2016) Gorman' (2018) study on U.S. states with LGB antidiscrimination laws finds empirical evidence of better physical and mental health in states with protections, even controlling for LGB-friendly regional contexts.…”

“…Antidiscrimination legislation may improve health by providing a legal mechanism for LGB people to advocate for more equitable treatment in the labor market, housing, and health care services (Brandes, ; Poteat et al, ; Yılmaz & Göçmen, ). Furthermore, antidiscrimination legislation may lead directly to institutional policy change in the organizations under their jurisdiction (Braveman & Gruskin, ; Yamin, ).…”

Ingresso e Permanência no Trabalho e Emprego por Sujeitos LGBT+ em Belo Horizonte, Brasil / Access to and Continuation of Work and Employment by LGBT+ People in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

“…A vulnerabilidade do grupo de transgêneros, em especial das travestis, é sabida e corroborada por diversos estudos e advém da baixa escolaridade devido à discriminação (SOUZA, 2008;SAMPAIO, 2009), o medo de que descubram o sexo de nascimento no ambiente formal de trabalho (IRVING, 2015;GÖÇMEN;YILMAZ, 2016), e o fato de o mercado estar segmentado somente em homem e mulher, sendo que qualquer pessoa diferente disso causa confusão e rejeição (ADELMAN, 2003).…”

“…Mesmo diante de um posicionamento doutrinário, dos princípios constitucionais e da obrigação estatal de garantir que o direito ao trabalho seja exercido sem discriminação de qualquer tipo, sobretudo pelos indivíduos e grupos desamparados (RENAULT e RIOS, 2010;PILLAY, 2013), percebe-se que a prática do mercado brasileiro contemporâneo se mostra destoante e distante do legislado, ocorrendo reiteradas violações cotidianas (FREITAS JUNIOR, 2014). Esses números podem estar ligados a um contexto de ativismo dos movimentos sociais estadunidenses, que trouxeram "des-fixação, ressignificação e remodelação das concepções de sujeito", acarretando no desenvolvimento de novas concepções na política de gênero (MELO; SILVA; DIAS; GOMES FILHO, 2017, p. 61 Esse entendimento corrobora com o que diz Gomes (2008), ao afirmar que a restrição à liberdade de trabalhar não se dá somente numa eventual rescisão do contrato de trabalho, mas também antes de consumado o ajuste e durante sua execução (IRVING, 2015;GÖÇMEN;YILMAZ, 2016), inclusive. Ademais, existe por parte da população trans e travesti, o medo que os outros descubram o sexo de nascimento (SINGH; MENG; HANSEN, 2018), o que também dificulta o acesso ao trabalho.…”