ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how EU funding (de)politicised LGBT rights organisations between 2002 and 2013 in Turkey. The first part analyses the discursive struggles over LGBT rights in Turkey to draw a picture of the discursive context and its development, becoming more open towards LGBT people who were strongly marginalised and made invisible before. The second part of the chapter analyses the general work and EU-funded work of four LGBT rights organisations. LGBT organisations began their work in a highly politicised environment and were threatened by closure. Their activities included politicising campaigns, close monitoring of rights abuses, providing services to LGBT people and lobbying. They also ran many EU-funded projects that focused on empowering LGBT individuals, informing them about their rights but also reaching out to the public. The chapter shows that some of LGBT organisations incorporated the EU’s technologies of visibility and performance, which depoliticised them but also made them a more visible and legitimate player. Thus, the depoliticisation of LGBT organisations made the politicisation of LGBT issues possible. Moreover, the (EU-funded) activities of the LGBT organisations generally increased the visibility of LGBT people and their rights. However, funding also divided LGBT activists and organisations.
