Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time.
Last night, we had just sat down at a restaurant in the Asmalı Mescit neighborhood of Beyoğlu. I ordered a glass of white wine, then suddenly heard whistles, drums and lots of people nearby. What was going on?
Of course, I wanted to find out so I grabbed my purse and told our waiter in my best Turkish that I'd be back in a minute. I'm sure he thought I was some crazy yabancı, but that's nothing new.
Once on Istiklal Caddesi, I saw the rainbow flags and LGBTT banners and realized I
was in the midst of a gay pride parade in Istanbul.
I was surprised to see thousands of demonstrators chanting about gay rights in
Turkish. I'm sure standing up for gay rights in a predominantly Muslim world
isn't easy. So huge kudos to everyone who had the courage to do so yesterday!
I actually didn't find anything about this event in the Turkish news this morning.
Last night, we had just sat down at a restaurant in the Asmalı Mescit neighborhood of Beyoğlu. I ordered a glass of white wine, then suddenly heard whistles, drums and lots of people nearby. What was going on?
Of course, I wanted to find out so I grabbed my purse and told our waiter in my best Turkish that I'd be back in a minute. I'm sure he thought I was some crazy yabancı, but that's nothing new.
Once on Istiklal Caddesi, I saw the rainbow flags and LGBTT banners and realized I
was in the midst of a gay pride parade in Istanbul.
 |
| June 24, 2012 Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul |
Turkish. I'm sure standing up for gay rights in a predominantly Muslim world
isn't easy. So huge kudos to everyone who had the courage to do so yesterday!
However, here is a link to a YouTube video "Kicking off Gay Pride Week in Istanbul."
I watched the crowd pass by for a few minutes, took a few photos and then
rushed back to the restaurant. My husband didn't know where I was. Oops!
Note to self: you never know when might get that perfect photograph so ALWAYS bring
the good camera with you.
