Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdoanlaunched a new Year of the Family initiative aimed at shoring up his countrys tumbling birthrate and held the LGBTQ+ community partly to blame for it.In his remarks at an event in Ankara on Monday, the longtime authoritarian leader cited what he called the historical truth that a strong family paves the way for a strong state. But the family is under attack, Erdoan said, by forces including gay people, who are part of a foreign conspiracy to undermine Turkey. Related 400 arrested for defiantly marching in banned Istanbul Pride in violent crackdown The rainbow is not a crime. Discrimination is a crime! The target of gender neutralization policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family, Erdoan claimed. Criticism of LGBT is immediately silenced, just like the legitimate criticisms of Zionism. Anyone who defends nature and the family is subject to heavy oppression. Global perspectives delivered right to your inbox Our newsletter bridges borders to bring you LGBTQ+ news from around the world. Subscribe to our Newsletter today It is our common responsibility to protect our children and youth from harmful trends and perverse ideologies. Neoliberal cultural trends are crossing borders and penetrating all corners of the world, he said. They also lead to LGBT and other movements gaining ground.In such an environment, population loss is inevitable, he added.Turkeys annual population growth rate dropped from 2.53% in 2015 to 0.23% last year. Erdoan called the numbers alarming and said Turkey was losing blood.He admonished families for not heeding his advice in 2007 to have at least three children and lamented people getting married later in life and rising divorce rates as causes for concern.If we do not take the necessary measures, the problem will reach irreparable levels, he said.The Turkish president unveiled a package of policies including interest-free loans for newlyweds; improved monetary allowances for the parents of newborn children; financial, counseling, and housing support to encourage new families; and free or low-cost child care, the AP reported. What else he could do to combat the battering ram of perverse ideologies was left unstated. The LGBTQ+ community has long been a favorite target and bogeyman for the embattled president.Erdoan banned Pride parades in Turkey in 2015 and has encouraged anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations in their wake. four hundred LGBTQ+ people and their allies were run down and arrested in Istanbul in 2022 for defiantly marching in an unauthorized Pride celebration.In shocking video that went viral online, police in riot gear were seen corralling, beating, and detaining marchers through the Turkish citys serpentine streets.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.