Turkey does not seem to have any problems with the presence of LGBTQ people in international series. "Orange Is the New Black" is one of the most popular series among Turkish Netflix users. But when it comes to domestic productions, the government's tolerance level is narrower.

- Due to a gay character, the series ("If Only" editor's note) was not allowed to be recorded and it is really scary for the future, says screenwriter Ece Yörenç to Altyazi Fasikul, a Turkish news site about movies and TV series.

Interrupted recording

The filming of the series "If Only" had already begun, but the Turkish media authority RTUK refuses to give the production company permission for filming and demanded that a homosexual character be censored. Netflix chose to cancel the recording instead of bowing to demands for script changes.

"If Only" would be about an unhappily married mother of two with flashbacks to the period when her husband proposed.

Mahir Unal, a spokesman for the Turkish ruling AKP party, admits that Turkey has discussed objections in the script with Netflix.

"Homosexuality and other teachings are used in a struggle against Turkish values," Mahir Unal said in an interview with a Turkish journalist.

Not the first time

This is the second time this year that Netflix and the Turkish government have come into conflict over the sexuality of comic book characters.

The first controversy ended up about the character Osman in the popular teenage drama "Love 101". Osman can be described as a Turkish equivalent of Dylan in "Beverly Hills", sweet as sugar but tough as stone.

According to the original script, Osman must have been openly gay. But after pressure from the Turkish government, Netflix gave in and removed all expression of his position, according to information from government representative Mahir Unal.

On Monday, Netflix issued a press release refuting rumors that Netflix would completely withdraw from future Turkish productions due to the controversy.

"We currently have several original Turkish series in production - and even more in progress - and we look forward to sharing these stories with our users around the world."

Netflix had 1.5 million paying users in Turkey at the turn of the year.

Several are affected by demands from the government

The dispute between Netflix and Turkey comes at a time when President Erdogan wants to tighten the thumbscrews for international social media companies and online services.

On Tuesday, a bill was presented in the Turkish parliament that requires Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other companies to censor content following Turkish court decisions. If the media companies do not agree to the demands, they are threatened with multi-million fines, stopped advertising revenues and restricted access to the internet, according to the bill.

Homosexuality is legal in Turkey and for a long time the country was considered something of a haven for LGBTQ people in the Middle East. But in recent years, pride parades have been stopped and high-ranking politicians from President Erdogan's party have made aggressive statements on the issue. Human rights organizations warn that hostility towards LGBTQ people in Turkey has risen sharply in the past year.