Pink certificate

A pink certificate (Turkish: Pembe Tezkere) is the colloquial name for an official certificate given to those who are unable to pursue a career in the military, due to their sexual orientation. The Military Health Regulation for the Turkish Armed Forces still looks to the 1968 American Psychiatrists Association's definition of homosexuality as a disease in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual released that year.

Compulsory military service in Turkey applies to all male citizens from twenty to forty years of age. Upon completion of their military service, Turks receive a certificate of completion; a "pink certificate" if they reveal their homosexual identity any time during the service. To receive this "pink certificate," they must "prove their homosexuality," undergoing what the Human Rights Watch calls "humiliating and degrading" examinations.

In October 2009 the report of the EU Commission on Enlargement stated that "The Turkish armed forces have a health regulation which defines homosexuality as a ‘psychosexual’ illness and identifies homosexuals as unfit for military service. Conscripts who declare their homosexuality have to provide photographic proof (a photograph of the person on the receiving end of anal intercourse). A small number have had to undergo humiliating medical examinations."

Talking about homosexuality in the military is also a taboo, and challenging such a status quo can be met with legal challenges, as it is considered illegal to insult or damage the Turkish army.