Turkish Cypriot gays battle for respect
By Simon Bahceli
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=39231&cat_id=1TURKISH Cypriot gays will take to the streets of central Nicosia today to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and to raise awareness about homosexuality in general.
"The World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the list of mental and behavioral disorders on May 17, 1990, but attitudes and laws in this country, especially in the north, remain archaic," one of the organisers of today's "awareness campaign" told the Cyprus Mail.
The group behind the campaign, which calls itself the Initiative Against Homophobia and boasts 20 "core members" and around 300 sympathisers, will be distributing a leaflet in Turkish, Greek and English outlining the significance of May 17. It also carries information on what it means to be gay, and how people come to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transsexual.
