Turkey: Thousands march in Istanbul Pride despite religious objections
Tens of thousands of people turned out on Sunday to celebrate LGBT Pride in Istanbul, slated as the largest gay pride celebration in any majority Muslim country.
100,000 or more participants marched peacefully under the watchful eye of the Turkish police, waving celebratory rainbow flags and signs to celebrate LGBT pride.
The celebrations were heavily criticised in religious circles due to the event’s overlap with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this year.
Istanbul Pride has traditionally been celebrated on the last weekend of June. Ramadan changes from year to year based on the lunar calendar.
