Gay rights issues are starting to come to the fore in Slovakia again in the run-up to the third annual Rainbow Pride march in Slovakia, planned for 9 June this year.
The event is never without some controversy or disruptions, and is accompanied by the maximum level of policy security, as extreme anti-gay elements are never far off and always looking to be heard.
In addition to being endorsed by a string of foreign ambassadors, Bratislava mayor Milan Ftacnik is also giving his support to the event, which promises to attract several thousand people to the city centre streets.
Mayor Ftacnik has come under attack, though, as a group of Christian activists resent the fact that he endorsed the public gathering of the LGBT community. SITA newswire reports how they sent him a collective letter requesting that he retract his public support for the event.
In response, spokesman for City Hall Lubomir Andrassy wrote that “Rainbow Pride is a fully legitimate expression of the opinion of a group of citizens, Bratislavians, even if this particular event invokes much more emotion in society than other gatherings”.
This year Rainbow Pride 2012 will start with three symbolic weddings (2 same-sex and one heterosexual), which is one of the liberties gay couples lack in real life, and to which the event is supposed to draw attention.
A recent comment made by newly elected MP Stefan Kuffa (with the quirky Ordinary People and Independent Personalities party) calling gays sick and in need of help also helped fuel debate over gay rights. This incident provoked gay rights activists to call for legislation that would make hateful comments aimed at homosexuals against the law, which would put Slovakia on a par with another 23 countries of Europe that already have such a law.
Why is this still an issue? Gay or not, a person! I don’t care who loves who! I don’t care if it is in public or only in your home, but STOP MAKING IT A HUGE ISSUE! Do we have Heterosexual parades that sponcer the growth of man-and-wife family values?
I honestlty can say, as having a “Gay” older brother, that it was not a sickness or something that can be undone! He is “gay” and I love him for who he is, not what he does. I don’t care that his partner is a man as well, I do care if he is trated well, has a safe palce to live and is not constantly looked down upon. I am not a better man because I have a wife and children, I am his brither, his family!
The “Gay Haters” and “Pro-family” society need to step back and look at other underlying problems! I have seen some of the most active haters are the ones that were abused as children or we raised to hate by parents that were abused or molested. I would hate people too if I was raped or molested as a child, but I would not hate all, only the ones responsible for my mistreatment.
Realize that Gays are part of society, and have been for long beofre this was an issue.
Stop hating, and start to build your community with all involved. In America, I saw areas that were once the high society area, then to become the worst areas in the city, to then be revitalized by the gay community and now a place of social well being. Get a grip on what and who cares…DO YOU?
2 years ago the parade was stopped by the police as they could not prevent the skin heads kick some gay asses. I wonder if the Slovaks authorities will have a better strategy this time, lol/
“Christian Activists” ? I think that should read ” a narrow minded, self- opinionated, minority faction”
The lack of any Christian activity in this country, other than the trickle of po-faced church goers filing into church every Sunday, amazes me.
Blimmy, First it was `the silver spoon` , then the Roma, now the Gays ..how much wood feeding the fire can this Editor provide ?
Ok , if the gays can stop being quite so demanding that we all do love them and there own chosen way of life , think of something else to wear on the day other than the skimpy outfits and stop doing the oh la la tarts parade and I can actually shoot the arrogant Peter Tatchell , 10 times a day, for a month then I can live and let live …and anything that winds up the dimwitted protests of `the family values` AKA the Roman Catholic prayers and their pervert Priests gets a small tick in the box from me .