Anti-LGBTQ protest in Turkey backs protecting family values

ISTANBUL (AP) — A conservative anti-LGBTQ group has marched in Istanbul to defend what they described as traditional family values. The event was seen as the largest demonstration of its kind in Turkey. Several thousand people joined the “The Big Family Gathering” to demand that LGBTQ propaganda be banned and associations shuttered. Ahead of Sunday’s demonstration, the organizers circulated a video using images from past LGBTQ Prides in Turkey, calling on viewers to join the movement against the “virus” of global gay and trans propaganda. The video and the demonstration prompted outcry from LGBTQ associations and other rights groups, which say Turkey is obligated to protect all citizens from hate speech and violence.