InfoAnda - Gay honor killing movie shakes Turkey up |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Seven US soldiers killed in Afghan bomb attacks | 31 August 2010
Soap actor Phil Carey dies at age 83 in NYC | 10 February 2009
US astronaut sends first 'tweet' from space | 23 January 2010

Sony Ericsson sees handset market still tough in 2010 | 23 January 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Gay honor killing movie shakes Turkey up |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Davos 2012 Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Summits Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Mohamed El-Erian Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Geraldine Fabrikant Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Gang members arrested after boasting of murders on Facebook 19 Jan 2012 Iran calls for Israel to be "punished" 11:10am EST South Carolina Democrats unamused by Colbert's ploy 19 Jan 2012 Supreme Court rejects judge-drawn Texas election maps 10:57am EST U.S. shuts Megaupload.com, hackers retaliate 10:33am EST Discussed 123 Romney opens 21-point lead in South Carolina: Reuters/Ipsos poll 110 Obama set to reject Keystone oil pipeline: sources 78 Netanyahu deputy ”disappointed” with Obama on Iran Watched Panic and rescue: Raw video from the cruise ship Wed, Jan 18 2012 Was there a rape on Big Brother? Wed, Jan 18 2012 Republican rivals clash at raucous debate 12:04am EST Gay "honor killing" movie shakes Turkey up Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Iran says negotiations under way to hold new nuclear talks Wed, Jan 18 2012 Turk court gives man life sentence over Dink murder case Tue, Jan 17 2012 "Artist," "Descendants" shine at Golden Globes Mon, Jan 16 2012 Turkish ex-army chief in jail over anti-government plot Fri, Jan 6 2012 Turkish court remands ex-army chief pending trial Thu, Jan 5 2012 Analysis & Opinion Perry stands ground on Turkey Rick Perry lags in home state of Texas Related Topics Entertainment » Fashion » Film » Lifestyle » By Ece Toksabay ISTANBUL | Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:57am EST ISTANBUL (Reuters) - On a hot summer's day in 2008, 26-year-old physics student Ahmet Yildiz was shot dead when he popped out from his Istanbul apartment to buy ice cream. The main suspect in the killing, a fugitive still wanted by Turkish police, is Yildiz's father, who could not accept that his only son was in a homosexual relationship. The case, widely believed to be Turkey's first gay "honor killing", has inspired a movie "Zenne", which opened on January 13 and explores gay sexual identity and prejudice in overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey. "We had the movie idea in mind right after our dear friend Ahmet was killed," said Caner Alper, writer and co-director of the movie. "His story needed to be told." Yildiz was born into a wealthy religious family in the ancient city of Sanliurfa, in Turkey's impoverished and conservative southeast, but moved to cosmopolitan Istanbul during his university years, seeking more freedom as a gay man. In Istanbul, Yildiz started a new life and made new friends; he also began a gay relationship and eventually moved in with his boyfriend, who witnessed Yildiz's murder from the window of their apartment on the Asian side of the city divided by the Bosphorus Strait. In the movie, Yildiz's character is encouraged to come out of the closet by a male belly dancer, or zenne, and a German photographer who has moved to Istanbul after a personal crisis in Afghanistan, where he accidentally caused the death of several children during a photo shoot. Both are fictional characters. In real life, Yildiz's coming out as a gay man was seen as an affront in his deeply patriarchal and tribal family, even though his parents adored him, a cousin, Ahmet Kaya, told the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. LOOKING FOR A "CURE" Yildiz's father had urged him to return to their village and to see a doctor and an imam to "cure" him of his homosexuality and get married, but Yildiz refused. "Ahmet loved his family more than anything else and he was tortured about disappointing them," Kaya was quoted as saying in the foundation's report. After he was killed, the family did not claim Yildiz's body for a proper Islamic burial -- an indication of the deep shame the family felt and that they had ceased to consider him one of their own. He was buried instead in a "cemetery for the nameless." "The one scene I wasn't able to distance myself from the character I played as an actor was when Ahmet apologized to his father for being gay on the phone after coming out," Erkan Avci, a young actor who played Yildiz, told Reuters. "It's such a great tragedy, so cruel and inhumane that anybody has to apologize for who he is." Avci drew parallels between Ahmet's situation and his own as a Kurd from Diyarbakir province in a country whose Kurdish minority has long complained of discrimination and inequality. "It would have been immoral for me to turn down this role, as a man who had to apologize for years for being Kurdish," he said. "Zenne", which won five awards at Turkey's most prestigious film festival, the Antalya Golden Orange, has received a huge amount of attention in mainstream media and is reported to be having reasonable success at the box office. With a $1 million budget, including financial support from the Dutch embassy, it opened in a luxury movie theatre in one of Istanbul's most fashionable neighborhoods. Gays are normally depicted in Turkish movies as colorful and exaggerated secondary characters who add a comic element - hardly the main character of a story. "Zenne" tackles head-on such sensitive issues as gay society, prejudice and equal rights for Turkey's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. "'Zenne' is a very special film for us. It brings to the screen some of the important issues for the LGBT cause such as hate crimes, the complications for gay men to forego the mandatory military service and coming out," said Umut Guner, spokesman for the Ankara-based Kaos GL, a LGBT group. PREJUDICE The film has not been welcomed in conservative circles. Islamist daily Vakit called it "homosexual propaganda" by a gay lobby bent on "legitimizing perversion through their so-called art." Despite being the only suspect, Yildiz's father is still at large and is being tried in absentia. Friends and activists, who have attended some of the hearings wearing masks bearing Yildiz's portrait, say the authorities lack the will to find the perpetrator. Alper and Mehmet Binay, co-directors of the movie and together as a gay couple for 14 years, said they heard their friend Yildiz receive death threats from his family over the phone. Yildiz filed an official complaint but failed to receive any protection, they said. "Honor killings," or crimes carried out against mostly women and young girls seen to have tainted the family's name, are not uncommon in Turkey, particularly in poor and rural areas. The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, has repeatedly urged Ankara to take a tougher stance against such crimes. MILITARY PRACTICES Turkey is often held as an example in the Middle East for marrying Islam and democracy, but Turkish gay activists say Ankara's human rights record is far from perfect. One practice particularly abhorred by rights groups is the method by which gay men can be exempted from the required 16-month military service: they have to prove their homosexuality in medical tests and are compelled to provide photos of them having sex with other men. In the movie, two characters undergoing one such examination are forced to wear make-up and dress in women's clothes, while doctors perform anal examinations. According to Article 17 of the health regulations of the Turkish Armed Forces, homosexuality is considered a "psychosexual deviance." "Turkey is going through a democratization process, and the army needs to enter this phase, too," said Binay. "We don't live in a dream world and we don't expect it to happen all of a sudden in such a deep-seated institution, but at least they could stop the humiliating practices against gay men." Turkish rights groups reported 24 killings of gay and transsexual individuals in the last two years. In most cases, courts reduced the sentences or the perpetrators were not found. In a report last year, Amnesty International urged Ankara to draw up laws preventing discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and to punish perpetrators of homophobic attacks. The EU in a separate report also last year said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in Turkey "continued to suffer discrimination, intimidation and violent crimes". LGBT activists say they get little sympathy from the AK Party, in power for a decade, which has its roots in political Islam and is known for its socially conservative stance. Selma Aliye Kavaf, Turkey's former Women and Family Affairs Minister, made waves in 2010 when she said homosexuality was "a biological disorder, a disease that needs to be treated". The current interior minister accused an outlawed armed organization with "engaging in every kind of immorality, including homosexuality". Director Binay said he hoped the movie would help to change views both among government officials and the wider society, but believed that would not happen overnight. "These movies will be made in Turkey as long as those from different identities refuse to learn to live together." (Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia and Sonya Hepinstall) (The following story corrects name of newspaper in paragraph 22) Entertainment Fashion Film Lifestyle Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Advertise With Us Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Friday, 20 January 2012
Earthquake hits northeast Iran, 100 injured |
Oil rig arrives for Cuba offshore exploration work |
Salvage firms jostle for wrecked Italian liner |
Yemen amends immunity law, Saleh still protected |
Ethiopia sends elders to help release abducted |
Thousands march in Turkey for slain journalist |
Google revenue misses Wall Street targets |
Focus on past glory kept Kodak from digital win |
U.S. accuses website, execs of copyright infringement |
Amazon's India launch may be limited: report |
EU to decide on Google, Motorola Mobility deal Feb 13 |
South Carolina Democrats unamused by Colbert's ploy |
Michelle Obama: From kids TV to late night with Leno |
The Help leads NAACP Image Award nominees |
Sundance opens with eye on broken American dreams |
American Idol debut hits sour note |
Exclusive: Senior al Qaeda figure killed in drone strike |
Syria killings persist as Arab monitors' mandate expires |
Marine tape reaction sets Taliban fighters against commanders |
Iran says scientist's killer may have used U.N. info |
Iran warns region against dangerous stance on Hormuz |
Rescue work on capsized ship suspended after it moves again |
Six foreign troops dead in U.S. helicopter crash in Afghanistan |
Insight: Freed prisoners add momentum, risks to Myanmar reform |
Miracle man to stand for South Korean presidency |
Google results fall short, rare miss hurts shares |
IBM, other tech results point to robust IT demand |
U.S. shuts Megaupload.com, hackers retaliate |
How one Egyptian sold a revolution on the Web |
Verizon Wireless, partners resist Sprint, DirecTV |
Microsoft's Windows battles slack PC sales |
Intel boosts capex, beats tempered expectations |
Sundance opens with eye on broken American dreams |
Paul McCartney blows Kiss to Hollywood |
Willie and the Hand Jive singer Johnny Otis dies at 90 |
The Artist wins big at London Critics' Circle awards |
Man pleads no contest to stalking Halle Berry |
Major powers to say terms for Iran's return to talks |
Six U.S. Marines killed in Afghan helicopter crash |
U.S. Treasury, State officials to travel to Israel |
IAEA rejects Iran accusation over scientist's killing |
Ship sinking after collision in Bosphorus: agent |
France threatens Afghan pullout after troops killed |
Yemen immunity law partially protects Saleh aides |
Google shares slide; analysts stay upbeat |
Vodafone wins India tax battle, shares rise |
Analysis: Europe's telcos no haven with the wolf at the door |
Samsung suffers German court setback in Apple battle |
Sony, Panasonic debt ratings cut on TV losses |
Italian Nanni Moretti to head Cannes jury |
Gay honor killing movie shakes Turkey up |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01