Solidarity Call from Havle Women’s Association:
‘We Will Continue Our Struggle Where No One is Dictated to a Truth’

Havle Women's Association has published a statement due to the reactions they have been fallen into, stating that they will not bow down and that they will continue to fight for a democratic Türkiye where no one is dictated to the truth and where everyone can express themselves freely and without fear.

As Havle Women’s Association, it is our call for solidarity:

As Havle Women’s Association, we have been carrying out activities since October 2018, as we have stated in our charter, ‘to identify and combat the difficulties and obstacles that women, especially women who define themselves as Muslim, face in all areas of life.’ As the founding team of Muslim feminists and all members and volunteers who later became a part of the team, we try to add new things to feminist information at the best of our ability, to say what we know is right, and to be on the side of the oppressed. LGBTI+ rights are one of these issues.

We were subjected to intense lynching on social media after our content expressing our support for Muslim LGBTI+s on the occasion of the ‘Pride week’ events last June. Now, the statement we gave about the signature text that we published as 171 Women and LGBTI+ organizations last week has once again entered the radar of internet ‘trolls’, leaving us under an intense bombardment of insults and threats. These groups even went to a Google-registered address and ‘came knocking at our door’ and hung their own posters on the door at that address, resulting in a border violation. Although we, as Havle, took these (perhaps) into consideration while speaking our word due to the long-standing backlash, we would like to underline that this violence is also a threat to many women and people around the address.

Contrary to the claims of those who attempted to lynch us and deny anyone the right to live except for their own truth, we are Muslim subjects, and we embrace this struggle as a part of our beliefs, and we are not afraid to fight for our rights. We are not the only Muslims who say ‘LGBTI+ rights are human rights’ and ‘Muslim LGBTI+s exist’. We understand those who remain silent on this issue in Türkiye, especially those who are Muslims, and their fears. However, we do not consent to this silence and do not want to bear the consequences of this silence on our own. We feel the support of our feminist and LGBTI+ friends and many different institutions. We will continue to fight together. But the time has come to expand our solidarity.

We invite all individuals and institutions that show sensitivity on this issue to support Havle Women’s Association. We ask all individuals and institutions to spread this call and raise their voices. We will continue to fight for a democratic Türkiye where no one is dictated to the truth and where everyone can express themselves freely and without fear.

Long live our struggle!

Long live our solidarity!