HDP deputy visits parliament in rainbow colors to protest oppression

Deputy of pro-Kurdish Peoples HDP, Hüda Kaya attended parliament on June 30 adorned in rainbow colors in protest of the government's increasing oppression of the Pride flag and the queer community.

Wednesday June 30 2021 01:34 pm

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Pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Hüda Kaya visited parliament adorned in rainbow colors on June 30 in protest of the government's increasing oppression of the queer community.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) most recently passed legislation that banned the sale of Pride apparel to minors under 18 years of age, which was widely interpreted as a symptom of Ankara's explicitly homophobic rhetoric.

"I arrived at parliament with all colors of the rainbow against those who are enemies of all but a single color," Kaya tweeted alongside two photos of herself in a rainbow dress.

Tek renkten başka her şeye düşman olanlara karşı doğanın en güzel renkleriyle #Gökkuşağı ile
bugün #TBMM 'ye geldim...https://t.co/OMm3kZQumL pic.twitter.com/ogcL3oQXMu
— Hüda Kaya (@HudaKaya777) June 30, 2021

The Istanbul Pride March held on June 26 was in fact banned by the Istanbul Governor's Office and the crowds were attacked by police who detained participants and even broke one person's arm.

Officials of the AKP government are also known for dispersing homophobic rhetoric regularly, with President Erdoğan's ally Devlet Bahçeli calling the LGBTQI+ community a terrorist organization.