LGBTQ 'a Threat to Erdogan's Ideal of a Strong, Masculine State', Expert Says • FRANCE 24 English

Sep 16, 2026 | Turkish courts have jailed more LGBTQ activists and supporters, raising to 62 the number remanded in custody following a weekend crackdown, a legal rights group said on Wednesday. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Koen Slootmaeckers, Reader in International Politics at City St George's, University of London, says that Turkish President Recep Tayyp Erdogan wants to claim "the idea of a strong, masculine state and LGBTQ people are a threat to this ideal".