Yes, you can be gay & serve in the Turkish military… as long as you’re a top
Let's dive into this double standard...
Mark
A tweet about gays in the military has gone super viral on X. It features a snapshot of a website that claims that it’s legal for gay tops to serve in the Turkish military, but for gay bottoms it’s illegal.
“Wait, is this real?” asked the person posting the claim.
Wait is this real
pic.twitter.com/29GP2tRlX1— Karma (@karmavoodo) July 17, 2025
How about we take this to the next level?
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Many respondents suggested the rumors are true.
whats crazy is u also have to submit proof
to prove you're a bottom you have to provide video proof where you show your face— dysphoric damsel (@boymoderology) July 17, 2025
While others found the very notion amusing.
they said if you can't take command in the bedroom, you can't take it on the battlefield either LMFAOOOO— Robin (@_littlerobin_1) July 18, 2025
Turkish men: “It’s not gay to top” https://t.co/qqBVCc5PqF— Nathan Hale (@homonatian) July 17, 2025
The concept of all straight dudes and tops going to w*r to defend the nations children women and bottoms https://t.co/anP1he8t2d— aidan (@aidantaurus) July 17, 2025
A.I. bot Grok suggested the claim was accurate, saying: “Yes, it’s accurate. In Turkey, military service is mandatory for men, but homosexuality is grounds for exemption if proven. Culturally, passive (bottom) roles are seen as disqualifying/unmanly, leading to exemption, while active (top) roles are not, allowing service. Confirmed by 2025 UK Home Office report and BBC investigations.”
The actual answer is more complicated.
Compulsory military service in Turkey
Officially, all Turkish men between the ages of 20 and 41 are required to serve in the military for a period of between 6 and 12 months, depending on their rank. Most do it between the ages of 20 and 22. One of the exemptions to this is openly gay men.
There is no mention of tops or bottoms. However, different types of behavior carry different levels of stigma.
As explained by a 2021 study, “Until 2013, the Turkish Armed Forces … defined ‘homosexuality, transvestism, and transsexualism (sic)’ as ‘psycho-sexual defects’ under Article 17 and a cause for exclusion from the military service, otherwise compulsory for all male Turkish citizens since 1927. In 2013, the ‘list of illnesses and disorders’ was modified to exempt those with ‘visible sexual identity and behavioral defects.’… The medico-military gaze reads (in fact, produces) those men who are ‘visibly and excessively feminine,’ that is, who are effeminate, as … figures who pose a grave danger to the military order.”
To be excluded, men must offer some evidence that they are truly gay. This is to eliminate straight men who are just trying to avoid military service.
In the past, this evidence included providing candid videos, photographs, or subjecting themselves to humiliating medical examinations. However, since around 2015, this has largely been abandoned, and other forms of evidence have been requested, such as confirmation statements from family members.
used to be. the only thing you have to do nowadays is to go to a psychiatrist and get a paper that shows you’re actually gay and you’re done. thank you. https://t.co/aSz3LuQ8I8— venus (@bosluktakihesap) July 18, 2025
Mannerisms and stereotypes
According to a British government report on Turkey published this month, “A person is not exempt from carrying out military service purely on the grounds of their sexuality but can be exempted if a medical committee finds that the expression of their sexuality would lead to ‘undesirable’ or ‘uncomfortable’ situations, or undermine the ability of the Turkish armed forces.”
The discrimination they might face rests largely on “their appearance and mannerisms, the way in which they describe their sexual identity, the extent to which they fit the stereotype of a gay man as understood within Turkish society; and the extent to which they will conceal their sexual identity and why.”
Why do some gay men want to serve in the military? Besides some perhaps wishing to serve their country, many others do it because they don’t want to out themselves. To claim exemption means a permanent mark is added to their record detailing the reason why they did not undertake military service. This can lead to discrimination or job rejections later in life. It largely precludes the ability to work in the Turkish government, for example.
Others want to avoid military service but suggest they have to… well, camp it up at their interview to secure an exemption.
Femininity and masculinity
Once inside the army, it appears that intimacy-starved soldiers do have encounters with one another. It’s often accepted as something that happens when you have dozens of men spending weeks together in barracks.
“The limit is femininity,” one queer, ex-soldier told a researcher for this report. “The femininity is extremely important. There is no distinction between homo and hetero in the service. They suppose that if one is feminine, you can f*ck him. And, the top [insertive] participant can get along with that without being called f*ggot.…They think that ‘I can f*ck him and still be a real man’. But if you are effeminate, you cannot sexually approach anyone, not even for fun.”
Although many online have expressed amusement at the concept, it’s no laughing matter for gay men in Turkey.
The country is led by the authoritarian regime of Recep Erdoğan. LGBTQ+ people have few legal rights or protections. Pride parades have been repeatedly banned in recent years, and LGBTQ+ advocates attempting any such marches have been arrested.
Also, there are instances of gay people being assaulted or expelled from the military once their queerness becomes known. This is especially true if they are viewed as unmanly.
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Expulsion
One gay ex-soldier who served in 2013 recalled an instance that highlighted the double standards.
“Two men were caught by other soldiers while having sex. Immediately after this incident was brought to commanders’ attention, the soldier who was in the receptive position (bottom) was expelled from the army whereas the other soldier, with his manhood intact, merely received a warning.”
In other words, you can get up to same-sex sexual behavior as a man in the Turkish military… but don’t be the receptive partner or act like a woman.
Misogyny is everywhere for those with eyes to see. https://t.co/npIgPD8EeW— sheyi is trying to try (@sheyii_b) July 17, 2025
If you want more information about LGBTQ+ rights in Turkey, or to show support for the local queer population, consider following the Instagram account of the banned Istanbul Pride. It offers updates, the views of insiders, and highlights fundraisers.
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