Sabri's description of the subtle nature of local taboos, make me think about the impossible goal of sending young uneducated kids with power and weapons to a place like Iraq, with the expectation of winning the hearts and minds.
On Thu, Aug 10, 2006 at 05:46:09AM -0700, Sabri Oncu wrote: > > Pretty accurate I would say. In rural Turkey > homosexuality is unacceptable but with one > caviat: if you are male and not the 'penetrated', > it is okay. You can even tell detailed stories > about your homosexual experiences to your > friends. If you are the 'penetrated' male or a > female, then you are in serious trouble, so you > better keep it secret. In cities it is more or > less as Louis described although families usually > know the situation but keep it as a family secret > or so they think. > > Two exceptions are Istanbul and the tv music > shows. In certain parts/strata of Istanbul, you > can be as open as you like, although you do not > want to act that way outside your domain. Thanks > to a late popular homosexual singer by the name > of Zeki Muren, whose fame went beyond Turkey, on > tv it is okay to show/hint your homosexuality, > provided that you are a 'penetrated' male singer > and indeed it pays quite well in many ways > including bringing you 'fame.' Otherwise, it does > not pay and may even hurt you if you are a > female. > > In Istanbul and several other cities there are > many homosexual organizations which are pretty > active. There even is a revolutionary group/party > with a central committee and all that, known as > 'Revolutionary Homosexuals.' The > non-revolutionary ones last week tried a 'gay > pride parade' in the province of Bursa, Zeki > Muren's province, but were stopped by the police > since a small-owners association whose name may > be translated as 'Small-owner fans of Bursaspor > (the footbal (or soccer if you are an American) > team of the province)', threatened to stop them > by force. > > Life is very exciting here. It is impossible to > get bored. > > Best, > > Sabri > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu michaelperelman.wordpress.com
