LGBT activist criticizes Turkey's human rights record

Turkish major LGBT activist Esmeray admits that there is still a long and winding road ahead for true equality to be attained by the gay community in Turkey, Hürriyet Daily News reports.

The activist also voiced her disappointment with the policies of the current government. Esmeray said the Turkish government’s refusal to recognize their problems had made them increasingly vulnerable to violence and hate crimes.

“LGBT is the most hard-working movement in Turkey, and they get the best results. It’s the one that is most loudly and intensely voiced, because it represents the ‘other’ of the ‘others.’ We demand existence. We want to live,” Esmeray is quoted as saying by Hürriyet Daily News.