One of İstanbul’s oldest gay bars shut down after invitation to ‘gay cruise’ passengers

İstanbul’s Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office closed Tek Yön, a gay nightclub in the Cihangir area that had operated for 18 years, citing alleged violations of regulations. Authorities said the closure followed an investigation into the venue and that the shutdown was due to “practices and transactions that violate legal regulations.”

The trigger, according to reporting, was a social media post by Tek Yön inviting passengers of a gay cruise ship to visit the club on July 8, the date the ship was scheduled to stop in İstanbul (two days after a stop in Kuşadası, Aydın). Pro-government daily Yeni Şafak reported on the invitation, accusing the nightclub of “planning an audacious boat party.”

Afterward, the outlet said the cruise operator decided to exclude İstanbul from the ship’s route. In response, the Aydın Governor’s Office stated that it was “absolutely out of the question” for the ship to stop in the city with an “organization as described.”

Tek Yön denied the accusations. In a statement shared on Instagram on June 27, the venue said it was not organizing a boat party or targeting public morality and that a deleted post was simply an invitation for cruise passengers to attend a party at the nightclub. The venue said it has operated for 18 years in compliance with Turkish law and reserved the right to take legal action against misleading reports.