Despite the odds, we speak together,
across borders
and struggles.
Statement on Renewed Draft Law Targeting LGBTQ+ People in Turkey
In October 2025, LubunTO published a follow-up statement after the Turkish government revived and expanded the 11th Judicial Package. The post contextualized this wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation within global trends of institutionalized transphobia, noting that Turkey’s ruling party has declared 2025 the “Year of the Family.” LubunTO’s statement explained how the new proposal raises the minimum age for gender-affirming surgery and introduces new prison sentences of 1 to 3 years for speech deemed “contrary to biological sex,” and up to 4 years for same-sex unions. The group denounced the bill as part of a broader pattern of shrinking living spaces and criminalization of queer and trans life in Turkey and reaffirmed solidarity with activists resisting the draft.
In early October 2025 LubunTO co-initiated a community campaign with Trans Parkette Steering Committee to formally designate Alexander Street Parkette as a trans‑led public space. They urged supporters to sign a petition to Mayor Olivia Chow and the City of Toronto, arguing that Church‑Wellesley Village needs a lasting, trans‑led space that honours the Trans Memorial and allows the community room to grow. The call encouraged people to contact the mayor and suggest names for the parkette, stressing that the site should be shaped by trans voices.
Trans‑led public‑space campaign
Protect Trans Youth CounterProtest
On 27 Sept 2025 LubunTO members rallied at Queen’s Park behind a “Protect Trans Youth” banner. In speeches we thanked Toronto city councillor Kristyn Wong‑Tam for support and explained that some members could not attend because criminalization forces precarious or undocumented migrants to stay homeinstagram.com. LubunTO criticizes Canada’s refugee system – long processing times, detention, unsafe shelters, inaccessible health care and humiliating adjudication – and argued that border regimes claim to protect safety while exporting dangerinstagram.com. The rally demanded safety and dignity for queer and trans refugees and highlighted that their struggle is intersectional and migrant‑justice‑oriented.
On 20 Sept 2025 LubunTO joined more than 200 organizations worldwide for the “Draw the Line” day of action in downtown Toronto. Members met at Yonge & Shuter Street at 1:30 p.m. and marched to Sankofa Square to protest the intersection of climate destruction, anti‑trans legislation and anti‑migrant policies. We thanked 350 Canada and Migrant Rights Network for inviting them and vowed to fight Bill C‑2 and other anti‑trans laws. Their banners – “No Pride in Apartheid,” “Silence = Death,” “Let Gaza Live” – underscored solidarity with Indigenous and Palestinian struggles and demanded an end to anti‑queer and anti‑migrant practices
DRAW THE LINE RALLY
International Women’s Day Rally
On March 8 2025, LubunTO members joined thousands at the annual International Women’s Day rally in downtown Toronto, marching alongside feminist, migrant-justice, and sex-worker-led groups. The contingent highlighted queer and trans immigrant voices from Turkey and the surrounding region, calling attention to the rise of anti-feminist and anti-trans policies both in Canada and abroad. Carrying bilingual banners and signs such as “Feminism Has No Borders” and “Queer Migrants for Justice,” members emphasized solidarity with women, trans, and racialized communities globally. The march ended at Nathan Phillips Square, where organizers reaffirmed a shared commitment to intersectional, migrant-inclusive feminism.
Statement on the Draft 11th Judicial Package Targeting LGBTQIA+ People
On February 28 2025, LubunTO issued a statement condemning the draft “11th Judicial Package” recently reintroduced in Turkey, which seeks to criminalize queer and trans existence under the pretext of “public morality.” The statement, citing reporting from Kaos GL and T24, outlined the proposed amendments to Article 5237 of the Turkish Penal Code— including prison sentences of 1 to 3 years for those “acting against their biological sex” and up to 4 years for same-sex couples holding a marriage or engagement ceremony. LubunTO’s post framed the draft as part of the state’s escalating campaign to erase LGBTQIA+ people and called on the diaspora to remain vocal and connected to movements resisting this repression.