A network against homophobia composed of LGBT and women’s organisations from the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans is meeting to advocate and promote the rights of LGBT communities in the region this week in in Ankara, Turkey.

In the fourth meeting 19 of the network countries (Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia, Montenegro, Palestine, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey) are being represented with the aim of sharing know-how and exchanging knowledge on the use of media ito address LGBT issues.

According to Kaos GL, coordinator of the Regional Network Against Homophobia and the best known LGBT rights group in Turkey, discussions around media, and how it can be used to strengthen LGBT networks and opportunities and risks are required to help equip groups to be stronger and work together..

Besides the focus on media as the main theme, the event will also emphasise the work of two feminist lesbian projects the “Digital Lesbian Stories” by Kaos GL and “Butch Please” by Karla Horvat Crnogaj from the Croatian organisation Queer Zagreb, to address the issues around homophobia in sport in an anti-discrimination forum and a football match and host a LGBT photography exhibition from Tunisia named “Arken for Minorities”.

Regional Football Match and “Sports Against Discriminations” Panel
Tomorrow (15 March) a solidarity match for Halil İbrahim Dinçdağ, a Turkish referee dismissed by the the Turkish Football Federation because of his sexual orientation, will be played by participants from the organisations present in the event and staff from various embassies in Ankara. The match will be held in TED Koleji Closed Football Field at 14:00.

In the follow-up, at the Ankara University, a “Sports Against Discriminations” forum will be held to discuss about discrimination in sport, in particular football. FARE, ‘Football vs. Homophobia’, and “qSPORT”, Croatia, and Hakem Dinçdağ will be speakers at the forum.