Turkish volleyball player targets with homophobic insults

Turkish citizens defended the gold-medal winning volleyball player when a conservative newspaper attacked her because of her sexual orientation.

Many Turks experienced a moment of elation when the national women’s volleyball team defeated China on Sunday to win their first-ever FIVB Nations League title. They had been crushed under a falling lira, terrible inflation, and soaring taxes, al-monitor.com reports.

However, the triumph was marred by homophobic remarks made towards the team’s top player by the staunchly conservative homophobic newspaper Yeni Akit. While the majority of newspaper headlines praised the team affectionately known as the «Sultans of the Net», Yeni Akit published a picture of the team’s opposing hitter, Ebrar Karakurt, on July 18 with the caption, «Here is the victory message of our national disgrace».