Turkey’s recent surge in raids against gay bars and private residences, resulting in hundreds of arrests, reflects a growing pattern of authoritarian backlash against LGBTQ+ communities. Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek justified the operations by citing the constitutional duty to “protect families and children,” arguing that criminal organizations targeting youths would not be tolerated.
Experts describe this rhetoric as a hallmark of modern authoritarianism. Dr. Koen Slootmaeckers, from City St George’s, University of London, noted that while Turkey has long targeted these communities, the current intensity is heightened. He explained that the rise of the far right has intensified an “us versus them” narrative designed to reinforce so-called traditional family values.
This strategy often involves resurrecting harmful tropes linking homosexuality with paedophilia, a tendency Slootmaeckers observed across various regions. A 2026 report by the South African nonprofit Civicus corroborated these findings, stating that women’s and LGBTQI+ rights are facing the most coordinated rollback in decades. The report credited the United States under President Donald Trump with setting the global narrative for these regressions and highlighted recent criminalizations of same-sex relationships in Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago.
Slope,maeckers argued that such persecution is frequently opportunistic rather than purely ideological. In nations like Hungary and Poland, leaders have historically utilized LGBT people as scapegoats when their political power is threatened. By framing the community as a danger to the social fabric, politicians can distract the public from other systemic crises.
The implications are visible in the Balkans as well. Serbia has slipped to 29th place in the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s Rainbow Map, falling below the European average. Groups linked to President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian Progressive Party have been associated with a wave of violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. A recent survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights revealed that 80% of Serbian LGBTQ+ respondents avoid holding partners’ hands in public.
Although Serbia does not criminalize homosexuality, the atmosphere of exclusion is palpable. Slootmaeckers pointed to Vucic’s 2022 attempt to cancel EuroPride in Belgrade as evidence of how leaders weaponize anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment when feeling politically vulnerable. While EU accession hopes serve as some guardrail, the normalization of homophobia and transphobia across Europe remains a significant concern for civil society organizations like Kaos GL, which condemned the Turkish crackdowns as state-led discrimination aimed at dismantling civil society.
I never thought we would see such blatant scapegoating across Europe again. The US setting the global narrative for regressions is alarming news.
The statistics from Serbia are devastating. Eighty percent avoiding public affection shows the real human cost of this state-sponsored fear.
Does anyone else find it suspicious that these crackdowns always spike during elections? This feels like calculated political opportunism.
It is terrifying how quickly rights can be rolled back when leaders need a common enemy to unite their base.