Grassroots Literacies: Lesbian and Gay Activism and the Internet in Turkey (SUNY Series, Praxis: Theory in Action)

Examines The Grassroots Activism Of An Internet-mediated Collegiate Lesbian And Gay Organization In Turkey. Grassroots Literacies Analyzes The Complex Issues Surrounding Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Representations, Technology, And Grassroots Activism In International Contexts Through The Lens Of Legato, A Collegiate Lesbian And Gay Association That Engaged In Activism In Colleges And Universities In Turkey From The Mid-1990s To The Early 2000s. Using The Internet And Digital Media, Legato Enabled Students To Connect With Each Other On Campuses Across The Country And Introduced Them To New (i.e., Lesbian And Gay) Identity Categories And Community Activism. Serkan Görkemli Presents Historical, Cultural, Visual, And Interview-based Analyses Of Legato Members’ “coming Out” Experiences And Uses Of Digital Media. Members Emerged As Sexuality Activists With The Help Of The Internet And Engaged With Negative Representations Of Homosexuality Through Offline Events Such As Film Screenings, Reading Groups, And Conferences In The Challenging Context Of Burgeoning Civil Society Efforts In Turkey. Bridging Transnational And Literacy-based Studies, The Book Ultimately Traces The Contours Of A “transnational Literacy” Regarding Sexuality. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 1: Legato in Turkey: Literacy, Media, and Global Sexualities 14 Legato Overview 15 The Globalization of Lesbian and Gay Identities, Transnational Rhetorics, and Literacy 19 Literacies and Sponsors: Sexuality, Community, and Technology 26 Methodology and Chapter Descriptions 32 2: From Queer Empire to Heterosexual Republic: Modernity, Homosexuality, and Media 36 The Complexity of Sexuality in the Middle East 40 Same-Sex Desire and Practices in the Ottoman Empire 42 Sexuality and Media in the Republic of Turkey 49 The Emergence of Community Media: Kaos GL and Its Critique of Mass Media Representations of Homosexuality 60 Collegiate Lesbian and Gay Visual Rhetoric 65 Print Media and the Public’s Attitudes toward Homosexuality in Turkey in the 2000s 73 Media Representations and Lesbian and Gay Agency 79 3: Coming Out and Legato Members’ Narratives of Sexual Literacy 84 Methods 88 Ünal 90 Bilal 95 Nalan 100 Umut 105 Deniz 109 Gateways, Sponsors, and the Accumulation of Sexual Literacies 114 The Gateways and Sponsors of Lesbian and Gay Literacies 115 The Gateways and Sponsors of Heterosexual Literacy 119 Coming Out, Literacy, and Community 131 4: Paper Tigers in Digital Closets? Lesbian and Gay Activism, the Internet, and Community Literacy 136 Community, Literacy, and the Turkish Political Context 138 Local LGBT Advocacy Organizations, Legato, and the Internet 142 Zeynep: Kaos GL, Legato METU, and Daughters of Sappho 143 Ünal: Kaos GL, Halega, Gay Ankara, and Legato 146 Deniz: Lambda Istanbul and Legato 152 Initiation and Membership at Established Organizations and the Origins of LGBT Students’ Self-Organizing 157 The Emergence of Subgroups (Computer-Mediated Initiation and Membership) and Their Internet-Mediated Positioning in Relation to the Host Organization 158 Legato’s Multiple Dis/Placements: The “Official Versus Unofficial” Controversy 161 In Search of a “Place”: The “Activism Versus Friendship” Controversy and Legato Versus Lambda Istanbul 164 An Organizational Confusion: Daughters of Sappho Versus Bilitis and Legato Versus Legato? 168 Legato “Technical” E-Mail List 170 Legato Members’ “Going Public”: The Modes and Metaphors of Community Literacy 177 5: Literacies, Sexualities, and Transnational Rhetorics 182 Beyond Legato 183 Global Queering and Transnational Literacy Regarding Sexualities in the Middle East 189 Appendix A: Interview Questions 200 Introductory Information 200 Interview Questions 201 Joining Legato 201 After Joining Legato 201 General Computer Access (Technological and Historical) 201 Access to Legato Student Mailing Lists 201 Mailing List Use 202 Awareness 202 Overall 202 Legato Web Site 203 Knowledge of Languages 203 University Context 203 Legato and the Internet 204 Interview Questions—Mailing List Moderator(s) 204 Moderator 204 Mailing List Membership Procedures 204 Code of Conduct 205 Violations of the Code of Conduct 205 Legato and the Intercollegiate Mailing List 205 Knowledge of Languages 205 Interview Questions—Web Authors 206 Web Author 206 Web Site History 206 Web Site Design 206 Legato, Web Site, and the Intercollegiate Mailing List 206 Knowledge of Languages 207 Appendix B: Informed Consent Form 208 Research Participant Consent Form 208 Notes 210 Works Cited 218 Index 228 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 1: Legato in Turkey: Literacy, Media, and Global Sexualities......Page 14 Legato Overview......Page 15 The Globalization of Lesbian and Gay Identities, Transnational Rhetorics, and Literacy......Page 19 Literacies and Sponsors: Sexuality, Community, and Technology......Page 26 Methodology and Chapter Descriptions......Page 32 2: From Queer Empire to Heterosexual Republic: Modernity, Homosexuality, and Media......Page 36 The Complexity of Sexuality in the Middle East......Page 40 Same-Sex Desire and Practices in the Ottoman Empire......Page 42 Sexuality and Media in the Republic of Turkey......Page 49 The Emergence of Community Media: Kaos GL and Its Critique of Mass Media Representations of Homosexuality......Page 60 Collegiate Lesbian and Gay Visual Rhetoric......Page 65 Print Media and the Public’s Attitudes toward Homosexuality in Turkey in the 2000s......Page 73 Media Representations and Lesbian and Gay Agency......Page 79 3: Coming Out and Legato Members’ Narratives of Sexual Literacy......Page 84 Methods......Page 88 Ünal......Page 90 Bilal......Page 95 Nalan......Page 100 Umut......Page 105 Deniz......Page 109 Gateways, Sponsors, and the Accumulation of Sexual Literacies......Page 114 The Gateways and Sponsors of Lesbian and Gay Literacies......Page 115 The Gateways and Sponsors of Heterosexual Literacy......Page 119 Coming Out, Literacy, and Community......Page 131 4: Paper Tigers in Digital Closets? Lesbian and Gay Activism, the Internet, and Community Literacy......Page 136 Community, Literacy, and the Turkish Political Context......Page 138 Local LGBT Advocacy Organizations, Legato, and the Internet......Page 142 Zeynep: Kaos GL, Legato METU, and Daughters of Sappho......Page 143 Ünal: Kaos GL, Halega, Gay Ankara, and Legato......Page 146 Deniz: Lambda Istanbul and Legato......Page 152 Initiation and Membership at Established Organizations and the Origins of LGBT Students’ Self-Organizing......Page 157 The Emergence of Subgroups (Computer-Mediated Initiation and Membership) and Their Internet-Mediated Positioning in Relation to the Host Organization......Page 158 Legato’s Multiple Dis/Placements: The “Official Versus Unofficial” Controversy......Page 161 In Search of a “Place”: The “Activism Versus Friendship” Controversy and Legato Versus Lambda Istanbul......Page 164 An Organizational Confusion: Daughters of Sappho Versus Bilitis and Legato Versus Legato?......Page 168 Legato “Technical” E-Mail List......Page 170 Legato Members’ “Going Public”: The Modes and Metaphors of Community Literacy......Page 177 5: Literacies, Sexualities, and Transnational Rhetorics......Page 182 Beyond Legato......Page 183 Global Queering and Transnational Literacy Regarding Sexualities in the Middle East......Page 189 Introductory Information......Page 200 Access to Legato Student Mailing Lists......Page 201 Overall......Page 202 University Context......Page 203 Mailing List Membership Procedures......Page 204 Knowledge of Languages......Page 205 Legato, Web Site, and the Intercollegiate Mailing List......Page 206 Knowledge of Languages......Page 207 Research Participant Consent Form......Page 208 Notes......Page 210 Works Cited......Page 218 Index......Page 228 Winner of the 2015 Lavender Rhetorics Award for Excellence in Queer Scholarship's Book Award presented by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)Grassroots Literacies analyzes the complex issues surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representations, technology, and grassroots activism in international contexts through the lens of Legato, a collegiate lesbian and gay association that engaged in activism in colleges and universities in Turkey from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. Using the Internet and digital media, Legato enabled students to connect with each other on campuses across the country and introduced them to new (i.e., lesbian and gay) identity categories and community activism. Serkan Görkemli presents historical, cultural, visual, and interview-based analyses of Legato members''coming out'experiences and uses of digital media. Members emerged as sexuality activists with the help of the Internet and engaged with negative representations of homosexuality through offline events such as film screenings, reading groups, and conferences in the challenging context of burgeoning civil society efforts in Turkey. Bridging transnational and literacy-based studies, the book ultimately traces the contours of a'transnational literacy'regarding sexuality. Winner of the 2015 Lavender Rhetorics Award for Excellence in Queer Scholarship's Book Award presented by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Grassroots Literacies analyzes the complex issues surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representations, technology, and grassroots activism in international contexts through the lens of Legato, a collegiate lesbian and gay association that engaged in activism in colleges and universities in Turkey from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. Using the Internet and digital media, Legato enabled students to connect with each other on campuses across the country and introduced them to new (i.e., lesbian and gay) identity categories and community activism. Serkan Grkemli presents historical, cultural, visual, and interview-based analyses of Legato members coming out experiences and uses of digital media. Members emerged as sexuality activists with the help of the Internet and engaged with negative representations of homosexuality through offline events such as film screenings, reading groups, and conferences in the challenging context of burgeoning civil society efforts in Turkey. Bridging transnational and literacy-based studies, the book ultimately traces the contours of a transnational literacy regarding sexuality. Grassroots Literacies analyzes the complex issues surrounding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender representations, technology, and grassroots activism in international contexts through the lens of Legato, a collegiate lesbian and gay association that engaged in activism in colleges and universities in Turkey from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. Using the Internet and digital media, Legato enabled students to connect with each other on campuses across the country and introduced them to new (i.e., lesbian and gay) identity categories and community activism. Serkan Görkemli presents historical, cultural, visual, and interview-based analyses of Legato members' coming out experiences and uses of digital media. Members emerged as sexuality activists with the help of the Internet and engaged with negative representations of homosexuality through offline events such as film screenings, reading groups, and conferences in the challenging context of burgeoning civil society efforts in Turkey. Bridging transnational and literacy-based studies, the book ultimately traces the contours of a transnational literacy regarding sexuality