Afraid of rainbow colors? According to Reuters, citing Turkish media reports, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was uncomfortable with the UN's use of what he called "LGBT colors" in the General Assembly hall.
Erdogan was quoted in reports as wanting to talk to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and complain to him about it. According to the report, Erdogan referred to the colors chosen to decorate the hall ahead of the "Sustainable Development Goals" summit held there this week.
Biden's speech at the UN General Assembly // Reuters
"One thing that bothered me the most is that at the entrance to the General Assembly hall, you see 'LGBT colors' on the entrance steps and elsewhere," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish media.
Prior to the General Assembly, a summit was held at UN headquarters on the "Sustainable Development Goals" – a UN program to combat hunger, poverty and climate change. The plan includes 17 policy measures, and is represented in 17 different colors. Some UN officials suggested that the Turkish president likely identified the ones with the colors of the pride flag.
Under Erdogan's long rule, attitudes toward members of Turkey's LGBT community have deteriorated, gay pride parades are persecuted by the police, and homophobia is common.
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