Turkey on Uránia

Istanbul’s 34th LGBT+ Pride Week Unveils Theme: “AÇIK S’AÇIK”

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0400

The Istanbul Pride Week Committee has announced the theme of the 34th LGBT+ Pride Week, which will run from June 22 to 28: “AÇIK S’AÇIK.” Bianet reports that, at a time when Turkish authorities continue to restrict LGBT visibility in public space, organisers once again described the week and the march as a space for gathering, self-expression, and solidarity.

The Same-Sex Attraction of 15th-Century Turkish Official and Poet Ahmed Pasha to a Sultan's Page

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0300

In the 15th century, poetry and politics were closely intertwined at the Ottoman court. The vizier and poet Ahmed Pasha built a brilliant career under Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror. However, he soon lost his position due to a palace scandal. At the center of the intrigue was an accusation of same-sex attraction to a young page.

Three Ottoman Homosexual Miniatures from the Manuscript of Atâyî's Poems

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0300

For the modern reader, the Ottoman Empire often appears as a strict conservative world. However, surviving documents reveal a much more complex picture. One such piece of evidence is a richly illustrated 18th-century manuscript containing the poems of the Ottoman poet Nev’îzâde Atâyî. This book features miniatures depicting homosexual subjects.

Was Atatürk Gay or Bisexual?

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:45:37 +0700

In this article, we first briefly look at the biography of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, his personality, and his short family life. Then, drawing on memoirs, diplomatic documents, and historians’ works, we trace the origins and evolution of the claim that he may have been homosexual or bisexual.

Homoerotic Themes in Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey’s Ottoman Poem “Shah and the Beggar”

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

More than 480 years ago in the Ottoman Empire, the poet Taşlıcalı Yahya Bey wrote a poem about love between two men — a story of a poor man’s passion for a noble, beautiful youth. In the sixteenth century, when people in Europe were persecuted and executed for similar themes, Yahya described male love in an elegant allegorical verse form — and, as far as we know, he was not punished for it.

The Homosexuality of Sultan Mehmed II

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 22:45:37 +0700

Byzantine authors of the 15th century remembered Mehmed II not only as the conqueror of Constantinople. Their texts also contain stories about his attraction to young men and about a possible intimacy with Radu the Handsome, the brother of Vlad Dracula.