theFeed He added that “[what] is abnormal is demanding the contrary,” and accused the Ankara Bar Association of a “fascist mentality.” Homosexuality is currently legal in Turkey. However, the country has become more conservative in recent years due to Erdogan’s Islamist-influenced government, which has made moves away from the Muslim-majority nation’s previously secular nature. Last year, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) said that Turkey was one of a number of European countries “moving backwards” in their treatment of LGBTQ people. l
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from ages ago.” But Erdogan pushed back against the criticism, saying “an attack against the Diyanet chief is an attack on the state,” The Jakarta Post reports. Erdogan added: “What he said was totally right.” Government officials defended Erbas on Twitter, with Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan’s spokesman, saying Erbas had “voiced divine judgment” and was “not alone.” “It is the most natural right for people to speak according to the value system they believe in,” Omer Celik, spokesman for Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, wrote on Twitter.
Digital Festivals O
Folsom Street Fair and Up Your Alley to be held virtually in 2020. By John Riley
RGANIZERS OF FOLSOM STREET FAIR AND UP Your Alley, two San Francisco street festivals geared towards the leather, kink, and fetish communities, have announced that both events will be moved online for 2020. Both events draw hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the globe each year, and generate more than $200 million in revenue, with proceeds from the event going to benefit local San Francisco nonprofits. Up Your Alley was originally scheduled for the weekend of July 26, and Folsom was scheduled for the weekend of September 27. Folsom Street Events, the producer behind both festivals, said that organizers had been talking about a possible virtual move ever since residents began sheltering in place back in
March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “We feel it is the ethical and the responsible choice to make before fair planning and production proceeds any further,” Angel Adeyoha, the interim executive director of Folsom Street Events, said in a statement. “The safety and wellbeing of our attendees and community members are our top priority.” “While we will miss the fairs this year, I commend Folsom Street Events for taking this proactive step to protect public safety,” Maggie Weiland, the executive director of the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, said in a statement. San Francisco Mayor London Breed also backed the decision, thanking FSE for “making a decision that is in the best interest APRIL 30, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
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