Articles by Ilker Kalin

July 21, 2025

The exclusion of LGBTQ+ in Turkey’s democratic opposition

Ilker Kalin

Gender and sexual minorities are not just increasingly targeted by the state in Turkey – they are isolated by opposition groups that purport to champion democratic values. Ilker Kalin argues that the isolation of LGBTQ+ activists weakens democracy, and plays into the hands of repression

Ilker Kalin

Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute for Democracy, Matej Bel University / Visiting Researcher, Institute for Turkish Studies, Stockholm University 

Ilker's research interests are nonviolent resistance, state repression, gender, human rights, and the military.

His work has been published in Conflict Management and Peace Science, International Interactions, Freedom House, and other outlets.

He currently leads a large-scale project on polarisation and contemporary threats to democracy, with a focus on Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia.

@IlkerKalin

@ilkerkalin.bsky.social

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