Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since the Ottoman Empire decriminalized it in 1858. Yet Turkish authorities have now carried out a broad operation against LGBTQ+ organisations, venues and activists under a campaign called “My Family is Safe”, detaining at least 162 people during the weekend of September 13, 2026.
The investigations involve 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses across 15 provinces, according to Justice Ministry figures. Police also detained 47 people in raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists. The figures describe overlapping parts of a coordinated operation, while the identities and legal status of those held have not been made public.
Raids took place in 12 provinces. Simultaneous police operations began at 1 a.m. in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Aydin and Mersin. Police searched gay bars, night clubs and a hammam that authorities said was used for prostitution. They also searched the offices of six LGBTQ+ associations and targeted current and former members of several prominent LGBTQ+ rights and HIV awareness groups.
Kaos GL, an LGBTQ+ association, was among the organisations targeted. The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said 21 people had been detained in an investigation involving the group. Kaos GL said 50 activists had been detained, including more than 10 who were taken after police raided their homes.
In Istanbul, officers detained 26 people and seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said. The brief information released by authorities does not set out the allegations or evidence relating to each person, business or association under investigation.
The authorities also blocked several websites and social media accounts linked to LGBTQ+ organisations. They sought the closure of Kaos GL’s X account and the accounts of around 15 other LGBTQ+ organisations.
Prosecutors accused Kaos GL of “obscenity” through online posts accessible to children. The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said it had evidence that children and minors were being inappropriately swayed on matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Authorities have not disclosed the posts they considered objectionable or described the evidence behind that assertion.
The campaign forms part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of Family and Population” scheme. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said: “As per the duty to protect families and children given to the state by the constitution, no criminal organization, abuse network or illegal activity which targets children, youths or families will be tolerated!”
Gurlek also said the associations involved had received significant funding from international sources and agencies. The authorities have not set out what funding they had verified or documented.
The Turkish Human Rights Association criticised the operation on X, saying: “The real name of this operation is not "My Family is Safe"; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the dismantling of civil society”.
Same-sex relations are legal in Turkey, although same-sex marriage is not recognised. Under Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party, LGBTQ+ expression and assembly have faced increasing restrictions. The party banned Istanbul Pride in 2015. This summer, an LGBTQ+ cruise ship that tours the Mediterranean, and had docked in Turkey multiple times in the past, was refused permission to dock there.
Erdogan has described LGBTQ people as “perverts” responsible for the falling birth rate. The latest operation places advocacy organisations and social spaces within an official campaign that presents family structures and child safety as its central concern. It also leaves unresolved how many of those detained will face formal charges, how many have been released, and what legal support they have received.
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