In Turkey, when you are gay, you feel that you are very different. Here in Denmark, you are just like everybody else, and you can be what you are, without thinking much about it. In Turkey, you always try to keep some things secret. Abdurrahman Oskan
not allow people to know, that you are gay, but here, you can be open. You can say everything you want, and do what you want, without that impeding your life”, says Abdurrahman and continues: “Being open in the workplace is virtually impossible in Turkey because you will get fired, if people find out you are gay. In many areas in Turkey, finding a place to live can also be difficult, because many landlords do not want to rent to gay or transgender people”. Istanbul Pride banned Back in June Abdurrahman took part in Istanbul Pride along with other LGBTQ+ activists, even though the governor banned the pride from taking place and the police were present with both tear gas and water cannons. “The police blocked large areas of the Taksim neighbourhood, and if you were assumed to be gay, you were not even allowed to enter. We always tried – throughout the day - to find places, that were safe from the police, and we knew, that if the police caught us, they would take us away directly. It made me really angry towards the police and to our government. Other people were allowed to walk freely, and they made me feel as if I should be ashamed to be gay and not be allowed to walk”, Abdurrahman explains. While lots of LGBTQ+ people
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stayed at home for Istanbul Pride, fearing the consequences of going against the government, Abdurrahman was one of those who decided to show up anyway. “I joined, because I was angry with my family and with the government, and I tried to simply be part of changing something in my country. Even if it may seem a lot to take on, I believe it does make a difference, that we are there and that we are open and visible. It also allowed me to meet with new people who think like me, and who do not believe in keeping our lives a secret. That made me feel good. I also learned, that even if you are different, being gay also means being part of a community. And I liked that”. Looking forward to Copenhagen Pride Abdurrahman is in town to take part in Copenhagen Pride Week, and this is something that he looks very much forward to: “Most of all I look forward to the freedom – that the limits, I normally experience to my behavior and public comportement, will be liberated. I think that I will get the feeling, that everything I dream of is possible. That I can be me 100% and enjoy that with others, without having to think about whether it is dangerous or wrong to do or not. I am on the Copenhagen Pride float, and I will be dancing from start till finish in the parade”, says Abdurrahman.