During the Ottoman Empire, The law no longer contains any explicit articles criminalizing homosexuality in 1858 as part of wider reforms during the Tanzimat period. However, sexual acts of homosexuality were punishable, usually with fines.
Timeline
19th century
1858 – The law in the Ottoman Empire no longer contains any explicit articles criminalizing homosexuality.
20th century
1970s – Bülent Ersoy - world's first openly transgender celebrity starts wearing makeup and feminine clothing in her performances and TV appearances, while being widely accepted as a woman.
1980s – Some openly gay people were able to be successful in the 1980s. Murathan Mungan has been openly gay throughout his professional life as a successful poet and writer. However, many gay and bisexual men who lived during this period have since said in interviews that they felt pressured, by social attitudes and government policy, to remain in the closet about their sexual identity.
1993 – Organisers were denied permission to hold a LGBT pride parade. Similar opposition was expressed by the government in 1995 and 1996 for a LGBT film festival and academic conference. Government officials cited vaguely worded laws designed to protect public morality as justification for refusing to allow these public events to take place.
1997 – In April, Lambda Istanbul becomes the first Turkish LGBT NGO to be invited by the government to a government conference, namely the National Congress on AIDS; Hamam, a Turkish film featuring a gay romance, is released internationally and broadcast on state television.
21st century
2003 – The first ever gay pride parade in a predominately-Muslim country is held in Istanbul, Turkey. 30 people are in attendance.
2008 – 26-year-old Ahmet Yıldız is shot and killed by his father in Istanbul, in Turkey's first gay-targeted honor killing. His body remained unclaimed by his family, a grievous fate under Muslim custom.
2009 – Football referee Halil İbrahim Dinçdağ was suspended by the Turkish Football Federation after he was outed as gay. He was also disavowed by friends and family. In 2015, the Federation was ordered to pay compensation to Dinçdağ as a result of his lawsuit.
2010 – Çukurova Homosexuals Initiative is founded with members from Adana, Mersin and Antakya.
2014 – The 2014 Pride march is considered to be the biggest yet, with more than 100.000 participants. It turned out to be one of the biggest LGBT Pride marches ever in Southeastern Europe. Politicians of the main opposition party, CHP, and another opposition party, BDP, also lent their support to the demonstration.
2016 – The Istanbul Pride parade was banned by government authorities.
2017 – The Istanbul Pride parade was banned by government authorities.
2017 – The Ankara Governor's Office banned the German embassy's LGBT Film Festival.
2017 – Turkey's first LGBT chorus 7 Color Chorus was established.
2017 – On 17 November, the governor's office of Ankara banned the public showing of all films, exhibitions and events related to LGBT, citing "public sensitivities." On 19 November, two LGBT rights organizations said they would launch a legal process against the decision.
2018 – The Istanbul Pride parade was banned by government authorities citing security concerns. Despite the ban organizers decide to do the march but Turkish police clashed with the crowd, using plastic bullets and tear gas to break them up.
2018 – Turkish authorities in the Ankara banned the screening of movie Pride, a 2014 comedy-drama with LGBT themes, citing risks to public safety.
2018 – the Adana Governor’s Office has banned the LGBT pride parade planned to take place on July over “possible incitement of hatred and hostility” among people.
