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by GoPride.com News Staff

Istanbul, Turkey — Gay men in Turkey must "prove" they are gay through a humiliating series of activities and questions in order to be exempt from the military.

The BBC reports that men who are disabled, sick, or gay can be excused from military service. But proving you're gay -- and getting a "pink certificate" -- can be a bruising ordeal.

"They asked me when I first had anal intercourse, oral sex, what sort of toys I played with as a child," one man told the BBC.

That man said he was asked to wear women's clothing.

Another said that he knew what commanders would want when he requested a dismissal based on his homosexuality: graphic sexual photographs.

"The face must be visible," the man said. "And the photos must show you as the passive partner."

That man said he had to turn over the photographs, and while he was relieved to be discharged, now he lives in fear of blackmail.

"It's still terrible, because somebody holds those photographs. They can show them at my village, to my parents, my relatives," he said.

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