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The draft of Türkiye’s 11th Judicial Reform Package introduces new regulations that aim to serve the expectations of Türkiye's conservative voter base, while imposing new measures against the promotion of LGBTQ+ values.
According to the proposed amendment, “Any person who engages in, publicly encourages, praises, or promotes attitudes or behaviors contrary to their biological sex at birth and public morality shall be punished with imprisonment of one to three years.”
In addition, the legal age for gender reassignment surgery would rise from 18 to 25, while the requirements to undergo such procedures would become more stringent.
The proposal would also affect digital platforms featuring LGBTQ+ characters or storylines. Under the draft, Article 225 of the Turkish Penal Code, titled “Obscene Acts,” would be amended to include a new clause criminalizing expressions of gender and sexuality deemed to contradict “biological sex and public morality.”
Furthermore, same-sex couples holding engagement or wedding ceremonies could face prison sentences ranging from one and a half to four years. The penalty for “public sexual acts or exhibitionism,” currently set between six months and one year, would also be increased to between one and three years.
AK Party Parliamentary Group Chair, Abdullah Guler, stated that no draft proposing prison sentences for LGBTQ+ individuals in the 11th Judicial Reform Package has reached them following T24's report.
He added, “We have not received such a draft. Our Ministry of Family, along with other ministries, is working through workshops. Reports and studies on global practices and the current situation in our country are being evaluated; this has not yet become a formal draft. Everyone is expressing their thoughts and opinions.”
Another key amendment in the package focuses on restricting access to gender reassignment. The legal age for such surgeries would increase from 18 to 25, while the procedural and medical requirements would be tightened.
Under the new proposal, applicants seeking gender reassignment must:
An exception is made for those with genetic or hormonal disorders. The draft reads: “In cases where a full-fledged training and research hospital designated by the Ministry of Health determines, through an official medical board report, that a person suffers from genetic or hormonal disorders causing developmental abnormalities in the genital organs, mandatory medical interventions may be performed without the above conditions.”
However, performing gender reassignment surgery outside the legal framework would be punishable by three to seven years in prison and judicial fines ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 days.
The stated purpose of the amendments is “to ensure the upbringing of physically and mentally healthy individuals and to protect the family institution and social structure.”
The justification for raising the age and tightening conditions for gender reassignment emphasizes the “need for individuals to reach a certain level of maturity before making a decision that would profoundly affect the rest of their lives.”
The general justification highlights the protection of the family and “the prevention of attacks on public morality and values,” while calling for stronger measures “to combat gender-neutrality movements and preserve the social fabric.”
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