Netflix Revokes Turkish Drama If Only Due To Gay Characters

Netflix (Mollie Sivaram/Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Netflix canceled production of the Turkish series, If Only, after the Turkish government refused permission to shoot. This is because the series will feature gay characters.

Rather than filing a further complaint, Netflix chose to cancel all If Only production. Moreover, this proposal was approved by the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

If Only tells of a woman named Reyhan who has twins and is unhappy in her marriage. One time, she 'jumped' to 30 years ago when her husband proposed to her.

This news was also confirmed by Ece Yorenc as the author of the If Only series. "Because the character is gay, permission from filming the series is not allowed and this is very scary for the future," he replied quoted by Indiewire.

According to Yorenc, there are no scenes of physical or sexual contact between gay characters and other characters. However, the production process was still canceled.

Netflix as a production house respects the culture and community in Turkey. "We have some original Turkish productions - there will be more - and will share this story with our customers around the world," a Netflix representative said in an official statement.

This is not the first time this has happened in the entertainment industry. Previously, the Orange is the New Black series received the same treatment after the presence of LGBTQ characters in the series. In addition, netizens also want to prohibit Netflix from producing content after discovering that some content broadcasting in Turkey has LGBTQ related scenes.

Now, creativity in storytelling has to face its own limits. The Endorgan government is also keen on all kinds of works created related to Turkey.

Netflix's original series from Turkey, The Protector, was released in 2018. The series was a hit and now has four seasons that can be watched on Netflix.