{"id":16527,"date":"2025-04-25T13:05:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T11:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=16527"},"modified":"2025-06-07T12:50:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T10:50:20","slug":"where-are-you-really-from-darling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/16527\/where-are-you-really-from-darling\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Are You Really From, Darling?"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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While Turkey tightens its grip on queer lives with its \u201cYear of the Family 2025\u201d campaign, Berlin is seen as the opposite \u2013 a haven of pride flags and open scenes. But for LGBTQIA+ people with Turkish roots in Berlin, the reality is often more complex: belonging isn\u2019t guaranteed. Between structural racism and underrepresentation, many navigate a constant in-between.<\/strong><\/div>\r\n
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Like every day, bar owner Mehmet Balikci opens the door of Capturebar, a gay bar in Berlin-Friedrichshain, at 6 p.m. A pink neon sign marks the entrance. To the right, a wall is lined with rows of colorful underwear, and a pride flag hangs over the counter. Inside, soft lighting and tables stretching to the back create a relaxed, pub-like vibe, while the open space at the front easily transforms into a cozy dancefloor.<\/div>\r\n
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Places like Capturebar have helped shape Berlin\u2019s image as a queer-friendly city. With districts like Sch\u00f6neberg and Kreuzberg, the city has long attracted LGBTQIA+ people from around the world \u2013 around 250,000 took part in Christopher Street Day (CSD)<\/a> 2024 alone. Events like Gayhane and organizations such as GLADT and MILES offer support and community for queer people with migrant backgrounds.<\/div>\r\n
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Balikci, who has Turkish roots and was born in Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, has lived in Berlin for more than 15 years. He opened Capturebar in 2019, becoming the city\u2019s first German-Turkish gay bar owner. Berlin, he says, gave him something other German cities didn\u2019t: room to breathe. \u201cI think it’s the lifestyle here. I mean, you can be yourself, you can do whatever you want, and it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are,\u201d Balikci says.<\/div>\r\n
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Mehmet Balikci \u2013 Berlin\u2019s first German-Turkish gay bar owner.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

The Influence That Isn\u2019t There<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

Asked how the Turkish government\u2019s plans to further restrict queer rights affect him in Berlin, Balikci says: \u201cTo be honest, personally it doesn\u2019t affect me that much, as I\u2019ve lived all my life in Germany. But of course it\u2019s not nice, what\u2019s happening there in Turkey \u2013 that the government tries to marginalize these groups.\u201d The background: Turkey\u2019s \u201cYear of the Family 2025\u201d initiative<\/a> and its associated Reform Strategy Document aim to criminalize public expressions of queerness, raise the minimum age for gender transition, and tighten legal hurdles for trans people.<\/p>\r\n

Koray Y\u0131lmaz-G\u00fcnay, co-director of the Migration Council Berlin, supports Balikci\u2019s view: \u201cI don\u2019t think Turkish politics has a huge influence on queer life here. There\u2019s very little new immigration from Turkey, and those who\u2019ve been here a long time are more focused on local realities than on what\u2019s happening in Ankara.\u201d Although both queer people and people with Turkish roots make up a significant part of Berlin\u2019s population, there is no reliable data on this intersection. Y\u0131lmaz-G\u00fcnay explains: \u201cData on sexual orientation simply isn\u2019t collected. And migration data only tracks non-German citizens by nationality. Once people no longer count as having a migration background, they disappear from the statistics.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Balikci is aware of his unique role as a gay bar owner with Turkish roots, but he doesn\u2019t place much importance on it personally. At Capturebar, cultural background and sexuality are secondary. It\u2019s meant to be a safe space for everyone \u2013 and with this approach, he hopes to create as much diversity as possible.<\/p>\r\n