Erdogan targets ‘gender neutrality’ at UN after sweeping LGBTQ+ raids across Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to attack what he described as a global campaign promoting “gender neutrality,” days after Turkish authorities launched sweeping raids targeting LGBTQ+ organizations, activists and venues across the country. “The global policy of promoting gender neutrality has turned into a siege directed against innocent children and the institution of the family,” Erdogan said, according to the remarks reported by ynet. “We will only be able to break this siege by protecting the family made up of a woman and a man.” He said Turkey would continue initiatives aimed at protecting families and children despite criticism from what he described as pressure groups.The speech came little more than a week after authorities launched the operation known as “My Family Is Safe,” targeting LGBTQ+ rights organizations, groups supporting people living with HIV and businesses across Turkey.