Sedef Çakmak is Turkey’s first openly-declared LGBTI politician.
In 2014 Local Elections, she ran for the municipal assembly in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district under Republican People’s Party (CHP) with her open identity. While she was elected as an adjoint member, she served as mayor’s advisor on LGBTI issues.
Lately, Çakmak’s local assembly membership has been amended to full-membership status and she received her confirmation as the first official political with an open LGBTI background.
Prior to June 7 Elections in Turkey, we talked about her worries prior to being elected as well as the current outcome.
How was your experience with being the first open LGBTI politician in Turkey?
Indeed, it wasn’t a big difference for me because I was openly doing my activism for years. However, it is a great experience since homosexuality is still seen as an identity not decent and something to be hidden.
Since women are not more active in politics and there are still pressures on women’s body, I believe it is very important that an LGBTI woman is politics. It is also because homosexuality only sound something about men.
What kind of reaction did you receive when you openly campaigned as an LGBTI? What kind of change did it lead? For instance, were you openly campaigning in the beginning? Did you enter a place and tell about it right away?
I don’t have to enter anywhere like that. Your name already gives that impression. When I introduce myself as Sedef Çakmak, people already said they knew me. You can tell how they knew you. I must also thank the mayor who always introduced me as his “LGBTI” assistant.
Did he provide any security?
Not security. Indeed, there is another issue: they don’t take you seriously when you are a young woman. This is something I experience with all my years of activism. When you say something, they either don’t take you seriously or they don’t know what to tell you or they just marginalize you. But it is different when somebody introduces you.
How did your close circle react to your work?
For certain people, I was the only homosexual that they ever knew, at least somebody they knew. Some people who are in the politics for longtime but never thought about the LGBTI issues had to think about my case. This is how you lead to change.
You are also one of the campaigners of LGBTIs to Parliament Movement. We have the general election in June, but there are few LGBTI pre-candidates. Do you think your example may encourage others?
To be honest, it is not so easy. I couldn’t decide so easily in my process either.
What kind of worries did you have for instance?
I was always a part of the civil society but I would engage with a political party. I had the initial hesitation because being independent is always easier and more liberating.
Secondly, there is the issue of “opening yourself to others”. I realized that no matter how open I was, I wasn’t open to my neighbors and I was trying to be a local parliament member of my neighborhood. You sit and think about the possibility that you will have to face the people you see in your everyday life.
On the other hand, you live in this country? You think whether you or your beloved ones might be attacked on the street. Because the increase in visibility of LGBTIs can also lead to an increase in the assaults.
At some points, I acted passive and the mayor could make bold steps ironically. However, you can’t change so easily. We have seen it.
Did your open activism encourage others?
Actually there are so many LGBTIs active in politics but they have not disclosed themselves. For instance, they don’t approach me because I am open now. They fear that their identity will be revealed as well.
We need to ask this: the issues of LGBTI people are not unique to their context. Just the issues of Armenians and Alevis who hide their identities are not unique to their context. It is the same context. Therefore, it is important for the people in the party to back up this issue.
From what I see, CHP has an awareness on this issue. Of course, there is a lot to do, but we also need to determine a field of struggle. While you change the mentality of the people in Turkey, it is also important to change the mentality of the political parties which are indeed an extension of the society.
Few pre-candidates are running for the upcoming June 7 Elections. Do you have a message?
This is a very long term struggle. I regard the possibility of my local parliament membership and our work in the municipality as a miracle. I think it will still take years.
I would like to see LGBTIs more visible in the politics as long as they won’t have big threats.
What would you like to tell others who are facing similar worries as you did?
This is the reason why SPoD has the School of Politics. This is indeed not a struggle on our own. It is not a very terrible thing since you are struggling for a larger part of people. You are never alone. And your struggle is supported by not only LGBTIs but others as well.
I can give this example: I entered Beşiktaş Municipality and created an LGBTI agenda. Even if I leave here one day, the municipality will keep the agenda. There is the foot on the door now. This is what an activist dream about, this is societal change. However, you need to be there first and open the discussion in order to realize this.
Our wish is to have a country where everyone would not feel afraid and threatened just because of their identity. Accordingly, we would like to see a parliament that will ensure the safety of LGBTIs. (ÇT/BM)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.