Police have detained about 113 LGBTQ activists creating awareness for the Pride Month parade despite the ban on such gatherings in Turkey.

The 2023 Pride Month parade was supposed to be held in Istanbul and Izmir provinces on Sunday, but the streets were blocked, and the community, including journalists, were not allowed to gather by the police.

On Sunday, LGBTQ activists gathered in Mistik Park in the Sisli district after police blocked the road leading to Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square in Istanbul, where LGBTQ people usually gather for the yearly event.

While chanting slogans and waving the LGBTQ community flag, the organisers of the Pride Month awareness in Turkey said they would continue to advocate for acceptance.

Meanwhile, Davut Gul, the governor of Istanbul, said, “Our national future depends on keeping the family institution alive with our national and moral values. We will not allow any activity that would weaken the family institution.”

In 2022, the Human Rights report revealed that LGBTQ people in Turkey “experienced discrimination, intimidation, and violent crimes.”

President Tayyip Erdoğan declared that the LGBTQ community will never be allowed in the country because “family is scared.”

In 2021, the Turkish government withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty of the Council of Europe, which provided a legal framework to combat violence against women, including lesbian, bisexual, trans women, and intersex people.