The Ankara Governorate has announced a ban on film screenings and events that were scheduled to take place between February 23-25. According to KaosGL, the ban decision, which was notified to the venues of the Pink Life Queerfest on February 22, cited reasons such as “protection of public order, public health and morals, and the rights and freedoms of others” for imposing the ban on the events.
Pink Life Queerfest released a statement criticizing the ban:
“Our events scheduled to take place on February 23-25 at the Goethe Institut Ankara, Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Education and Culture Center and Mülkiyeliler Union have been banned by the Ankara Governorate Legal Affairs Branch Directorate.
The serial copy of the ban decision, which was issued by the relevant governor’s office outside of its authority and did not even deign to include a file number, was notified by law enforcement officers half an hour before the opening of our opening ceremony at the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers Education and Culture Center on Friday, February 22.
As Pink Life Association, through our lawyer, we applied to the Administrative Court for a stay of execution. We have now memorized this serial copy of the ban order. This is neither the first nor the last time that lubunya have been banned from watching movies, having picnics, walking, drinking tea and gathering together.
We would like to remind you again that Pink Life QueerFest is a queer festival that has experienced the bans on queer events in Ankara in 2017 and subsequent administrative pressures, and even though it had to move its main leg to Istanbul, it has banned the bans every time, and has opened new paths every year with the longing for no bans. Our struggle with the decision and its recipients will of course continue on the grounds of law. But right now, we don’t have a minute to spare for this mind-boggling series of cure justifications, this unnumbered blank sheet of paper, or this decision. We have memorized it so much that we will not allow you to steal even our time.
The 12th Pink Life Queerfest will continue its activities online without interruption. You set your watch, change your calendar and wait for news from us, lubunya. Once we said #BackLook, my love, they won’t be able to stop us from warming up the winter!”
