Kaos GL started publishing in the 90’s in an effort to get LGBT issues into the public sphere as part of the struggle for equal rights and equal protection under the law.? But what is the state of the state when it comes to gay rights in Turkey? What are the major obstacles and issues that the community struggles with on a daily basis, and how does a community oriented publication survive in the current cultural and political climate?
While in Istanbul I had a chance to sit down with Bawer of Kaos GL to discuss these questions and more.
Music:
Gavin Castleton – The Human Torch
Various Artists from the Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack – Jai Ho
As I listened to this program twice, I kept thinking about the culture I grew up in, especially post-high school. The discussion in New Jersey was always about owning… owning house as this logical thing to do.? That alone might be fine were it not for the underlying suggestion that renting was for suckers. That not owning something or having debt on a credit card and needing to make car payments, that somehow the LACK of any of those was 
Back from Istanbul and I was so busy I decided to hold off on long posts until I could sit and gather my thoughts properly. So here’s how it begins:
Bianet is an alternative media network in Turkey. The network’s goal is to cover the topics which the mainstream will not or does not, with a special emphasis on human rights, labor, women’s rights, the environment, and much more. How are they funded? Is their structure alternative? What does it mean to be alternative in Turkey’s media landscape? My guest, an editor at Bianet, sat down with me at their office in Istanbul to explain.