ELSKA Magazine checks out queer ISTANBUL the gayest city in the Muslim World

Queerguru was very pleasantly surprised to open up the latest edition of ELSKA the queer photo-zine magazine to discover it featured men (and good-looking ones at that) from the LGBTQ+ community of Istanbul Turkey. Even though homosexuality was decriminalized back in 1858 local gays can face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Having said that the general climate for LGBT people is considered to be less repressive when compared to most other Muslim-majority countries.

Elska editor and chief photographer Liam Campbell admitted that he had been resistant to the idea of going to Istanbul. He told Queerguru “Despite many messages that the city would make for a perfect setting for Elska, I simply was clouded by the notion that any Muslim-majority place would be antithetical to a project about celebrating queer life. But when one local gay man wrote with passionate insistence that Istanbul absolutely had to be an Elska city, and that he knew loads of people who would be interested in doing a photoshoot and story for us, I knew I had to budge”

We are so pleased that he did as despite his apprehensions he saw how much he had misjudged the place. Istanbul was not only one of the easiest places to find subjects, but they were also incredibly open. Ekin K’s piece about what it was like to be part of the very first gay couple to marry in Turkey, and how this made him and his husband proud role models for all of LGBTQ Turkey; • Furkan Y’s confessional on dealing with the darker side of Turkish society, a growing conservative and religious contingent that targets homosexuals as a primary enemy; • Efe B’s description of a typically hard-going morning after a typically excessive Istanbul Saturday night, proof that Istanbul is not so unlike a Berlin or Amsterdam; • Mert E’s story that shows how despite losing some friends and family members after coming out, it was still the best decision he ever made

The stories in this issue are frank and honest, and the images they allowed show the men relaxed, unposed, and revealing. Istanbul truly proved to be an ideal Elska city.

‘Elska Istanbul’ is 180 pages and is available from a select group of shops around the world as well as for order online from the Elska website. In addition, the companion zine ‘Elska Ekstra Istanbul’ is available, including hundreds of pages of outtakes, behind-the-scenes tales, and the stories and photos of over a dozen more beautiful Istanbulites. The list of stockists and details of the subscription