For nearly a century, Turkey had been an asylum for homosexuals since activity there was legal from the day modern Turkey was founded in 1923. Things changed dramatically in Turkey under political upheaval in 2017. Two years prior, the Istanbul Pride Parade had been forcibly banned and arrests made when it overlapped with Ramadan. This despite a poll in 2015 that found 27% of Turks in favor of letting same-sex couples get married and a full 46% saying that they should be able to maintain some sort of legal recognition. Not surprisingly, this censorship extends to Internet access for Turkish citizens. Any LGBT based websites – be it dating, rights, politically-based, or lifestyle discussion boards – are banned by the government. Anyone caught accessing said sites through VPNs or other forms of anonymizer software are subject to criminal punishment.

VPN access in Turkey

Using VPNs that are Turkish-based is generally frowned upon as most do not have the security systems to fight off government protocol. There are six standard types of VPN protocol.

Best VPNs to use for Accessing LGBT sites from Turkey

1PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is based in Sweden and has very good security thanks to a strict no-logs policy, an automatic kill switch, built-in leak protection, and 2048-bit encryption. It is most frequently used by torrenting fans, who utilized its port forwarding, six simultaneous connections, and P2P functionality. It also has a 30-day money-back guarantee as part of its standard practice. Get it Now

2ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a near perfect blend of speed and security. Yearly speed tests almost routinely find it at or near the top of most major VPN charts. Its security toolbox includes split-tunneling functionality, AES-256 bit encryption, a kill switch, and zero-knowledge DNS. It offers 24/7 customer service and a 30-day money-back guarantee to let you get a good test of its abilities before committing to a financial relationship. Try Now Risk Free

3NordVPN

NordVPN is into its second decade as a company and has established itself as the top dog in the industry. It has the largest network of servers and has proven worthy of taking on any heavy-duty security system from US Netflix to UK’s BBC iPlayer to the Great Firewall of China. It allows for six simultaneous connections, has 24/7 live customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Get it Now