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in: Women’s Empowerment for a Sustainable Future, Chitra Krishnan, Editor, Apple Acad Press Inc, Florida, pp.32-45, 2026
Elif Shafak, a renowned author, faced criticism after openly discussing her bisexuality in a TED Talk. As an advocate for freedom of speech, women's rights, minority rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, Shafak expressed her appreciation for the beauty of cosmopolitanism and diversity, which garnered significant applause. However, some reactions to her statements accused her of challenging long-standing Turkish traditions, dishonoring family values, and engaging in perversion and exhibitionism. This study examines how Shafak's explanations regarding her bisexuality were covered in a representative sample of nineteen widely circulated mainstream Turkish newspapers, using Teun A. van Dijk's ideological discourse structures.