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Whith is the best Eastern Europe country for gay men and the most tolerant?

With the Games coming up,just wondered if there were any tolerant Gay countries in the former Eastern block?

Wondered what Gay life was like over there and how you met etc?

by Anonymousreply 110July 26, 2019 12:11 AM

Damn it was suposed to be Which Eastern European Country damn damn damn.

by Anonymousreply 1January 27, 2014 11:38 AM

DIAF

by Anonymousreply 2January 27, 2014 11:41 AM

Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia

by Anonymousreply 3January 27, 2014 12:15 PM

R3, did you just wake up from a 325-year long coma?

Czech Republic, particularly Prague, is very gay friendly. I have lived there for years with not one single problem. Same-sex couples walking down the street holding hands is a fairly common sight.

Hungary on the other hand is a cesspit of rabid homophobia, antisemitism and racism/xenophobia, often of the physically violent kind. Avoid.

by Anonymousreply 4January 27, 2014 12:24 PM

R4, read OP's question again.

by Anonymousreply 5January 27, 2014 12:28 PM

R5, I just did. He asked "if there were any tolerant Gay countries in the former Eastern block?". I offered one. I guess I'm not seeing what must be a GLARING problem for you.

by Anonymousreply 6January 27, 2014 1:03 PM

Chicago is filled with hot Russian and Ukrainian men. Dear Jeebus they are hot. Many of them freeball and live in track pants, so you can see their junk very clearly. A hot young cabbie in Chi is almost always Eastern European.

by Anonymousreply 7January 27, 2014 1:10 PM

Slovenia second after Czech Republic.

by Anonymousreply 8January 27, 2014 1:10 PM

R4, Hungary has problems but it isn't a cesspit or as violent as you describe. I think the cesspit it more your head.

Czech Republic is no better than Hungary, at least in Hungary gay couples can have a civil partnership.

I say this from the experience of having a Hungarian gf who is currently living in Prague.

I haven't seen any same-sex couples holding hands on the streets of the CR.

The Czech president (not that it's even within his powers) recently refused to give a professorship to a gay academic because of his activism.

OP, I don't know if there are any gay countries in E. Europe, but there are different levels of acceptance.

Please, no one include Russia as Europe - it isn't.

by Anonymousreply 9January 27, 2014 1:14 PM

Croatians are way hot but I'm not sure it's a tolerant place.

by Anonymousreply 10January 27, 2014 1:15 PM

BLOC, not BLOCK, OP.

by Anonymousreply 11January 27, 2014 3:14 PM

I suspect that r4, got my point when I posted two countries that no longer exist. It was not that he misunderstood the OP.

I agree with R9 that R4's description of the Czech Republic is overly rosy. I know several puppeteers in Prague and I have visited several times. Being Gay is not all that accepted. It is better than it was and is probably the most liberal of the Eastern countries, but it could revert to the old ways at any time.

by Anonymousreply 12January 27, 2014 7:02 PM

It's not Bosnia either, despite amazing looking hot men in Mostar (second largest city in Bosnia).

by Anonymousreply 13January 27, 2014 7:11 PM

Czech Republic.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 14January 27, 2014 7:39 PM

r13 Mostar is in Herzegovina, but I guess you just used Bosnia to shorten the name of the country.

by Anonymousreply 15January 27, 2014 7:43 PM

R13, see the link I posted at R14. It's Czech Republic.

by Anonymousreply 16January 27, 2014 7:58 PM

Czech Republic and Slovenia are the two best. I'd actually give the edge to Slovenia--it's less visited than the Czech Republic, but it's even better for gay life.

by Anonymousreply 17January 27, 2014 8:01 PM

Dear OP,

The best is still miserable. That's like asking which concentration camp was the nicest. So I will state the the best country as Far East as possible would be Germany.

Ironic.

by Anonymousreply 18January 27, 2014 8:05 PM

[quote]Same-sex couples walking down the street holding hands is a fairly common sight.

And fewer than half are making Bel Ami videos.

by Anonymousreply 19January 27, 2014 8:11 PM

By referencing "former eastern block," I don't think OP was asking for former countries.

by Anonymousreply 20January 27, 2014 8:13 PM

The Czech Republic has civil unions.

by Anonymousreply 21January 27, 2014 8:15 PM

I don't think being gay is unaccepted in the Czech Republic, just as it isn't unaccepted in Hungary. The picture is more complex, especially generationally. But, I dispute that the Czech Republic is Spain or Canada, as r4 attempts to picture it.

The debate in the Eastern European countries that are part of the European Union is also more complex because it takes place in a much broader framework and membership of the EU acts as a break to more extreme enunciations and it also provides gays and activists with a broader arena they can fall back on or look to for resources.

I'm interested in why OP wants to know. I don't think there's one simple answer to this question.

by Anonymousreply 22January 27, 2014 8:17 PM

Most cab drivers in Chicago are Palestinian, not eastern european.

by Anonymousreply 23January 27, 2014 8:19 PM

R21, it has registered partnerships, which the then president kept trying to veto.

Like with the current president, the discourse of homophobia still plays a role in Czech political life. Although, I think that's more about the confused politics of the country than solely about homophobia. Especially since they are meant to be ceremonial presidents who, according to the spirit of the (confused) constitution, aren't meant to be using their vetoes every 5 minutes to impose their personal views.

These are countries that were seriously fucked around with for over 40 years, so I wouldn't expect them to be entirely normally-functioning western liberal democracies.

by Anonymousreply 24January 27, 2014 8:24 PM

Most of the Bel Ami models are from the Czech Republic; but then again, they're all straight.

by Anonymousreply 25January 27, 2014 8:28 PM

OP here. Love the answers here. The reason I want to know, is with all the Sochi controversy,I was wondering what it was like in other countries once in the sphere of the former Soviet Union.

by Anonymousreply 26January 27, 2014 9:58 PM

Lack of enthusiasm for gay civil unions in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic has more than 10 million inhabitants. Which only 8,000 people saying form a gay couple is theoretically 16,000 gays and lesbians scattered over an area 78 870 km2 ( according to Wikipedia ). A country where we celebrated 2000 pacs homosexuals in the space of seven years.

Of two things: either the Czech homos are too shy or modest to admit their sexual orientation or the Czech Republic is a hell for gays and lesbians.

This article has been translated from our French blog, to view the original, click here.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 27January 27, 2014 10:00 PM

[quote] The reason I want to know, is with all the Sochi controversy,I was wondering what it was like in other countries once in the sphere of the former Soviet Union.

The Soviets only dominated some of those countries for a few decades--not enough to have much of a cultural impact. It's the countries that still have a lot of Russians (including Finland) where the Russian homophobia continues to hold sway.

by Anonymousreply 28January 27, 2014 11:22 PM

Romania never had many Russians occupying to speak of but it is a macho, highly homophobic society.

by Anonymousreply 29January 27, 2014 11:42 PM

none of them

by Anonymousreply 30January 27, 2014 11:45 PM

I didnt think Finland was homophobic? More so than any other countries

by Anonymousreply 31January 28, 2014 1:33 AM

If Hungary is so intolerant, why does that country produce so MUCH gay porn?

by Anonymousreply 32January 28, 2014 1:36 AM

R28, depending how you count there are between 30,000 to 70,000 Russian speaking people living in Finland, out of about 6 million Finnish citizens. So not a lot, and certainly not the explanation for homophobia.

Last week there was a study published in Finland which practically said that homophobia in Finland originated mainly in the 1930's when certain Nazi ideas spread to Finland. Before that, the study says, it wasn't really that big of a deal to have men living in "friendship" relationship together. I wouldn't think being gay was that easy anywhere at that time, though.

And why Nazism spread to Finland? I'm not really sure but Finland had had close relationship with Germany and not a good one with Russia so probably it was seen as a counterforce for communism. And even though Finland was Germany's ally in WW2 the biggest reason for that was trying to keep Russia from invading Finland. From what I've understood Finland'd leaders refused to let Finnish Jews to be deported to Germany, although there are some reports that some were sent there.

Current rise in homophobia in all the Nordic countries is mainly from the right wing which has lot in common with Nazism. It also seems to have lot in common with the Tea Party. The whole world is full of sanctimonious assholes who only want to destroy people they just don't happen to like.

by Anonymousreply 33January 28, 2014 1:56 AM

Prague... Czech Republic...

by Anonymousreply 34January 28, 2014 2:15 AM

Finland has a lot of subjects that are just not talked about as they are considered 'awkward'. The civil war in WW1. Supporting the nazis during WW2, then turning on a dime to support the allies when they began to lose. Nokias implosion. Homos next door. Long slavic alcohol infused silences are considered best.

by Anonymousreply 35January 28, 2014 2:31 AM

That's because Finland's "national identity" is a recent and somewhat tenuous creation, especially the language, the systematization of which was a singularly complicated and phoney exercise. Now only 6% of the people speak Swedish as their main tongue but in 1917 it was more like 23%. Most East European countries have had governments that try to create a national identity by suppressing the minority communities within their borders. In the Balkans this leads to endless feuds, terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and war. In Finland, it really doesn't because Sweden isn't playing and Russia is too big to mess with (although Russia has largely suppressed the Finnic culture of Karelia).

by Anonymousreply 36January 28, 2014 2:41 AM

Bulgaria is extremely gay friendly.

by Anonymousreply 37January 28, 2014 2:54 AM

R15: In my experience, people are much more aware of Sarajevo than Mostar. But you are correct, the name of the country is Bosnia & Herzegovina. That's what I should have posted. Despite the short distant (2.5 hours by car), between the two cities, they are quite different, both are very much worth a visit -- but not as specifically gay destinations.

by Anonymousreply 38January 28, 2014 4:05 AM

The Czech republic and Hungary are Middle Europe just like Austria, being invaded by Russia to make them communist does not geographically move them to Eastern Europe.

by Anonymousreply 39January 28, 2014 11:49 PM

A controversial anti-gay amendment to the Penal Code was unexpectedly discussed in Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday.

The amendment to the Penal Code provides for 1 to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of BGN 5,000 - 10, 000 for persons who "by organizing or participating in events, rallies and parades, or through the media and the internet publicly manifest their own or of other persons homosexual orientation".

It was tabled by the leader of nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov in September last year and was rejected in November by the parliamentary committee on human rights and citizens' complaints as unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Surprisingly, however, it was put on the agenda for discussion in Parliament on Wednesday.

"Those personal matters cannot be publicly manifested and cannot affect the children and the other members of the public", Ataka Deputy Head Pavel Shopov said.

"Gay propaganda has reached such levels that it threatens the demographic situation", said the Ataka MP Adrian Asenov.

"What happens if I go for a walk with my children and they see those half-naked buggers with psychotic abnormalities? What about the children's rights? Don't they have the right to live in normal families", Asenov added.

The scandalous amendment will be voted on Thursday.

by Anonymousreply 40January 29, 2014 2:37 PM

Bulgaria used to be a very mellow, peace-loving society. Upsetting to see right-wing parties stir the pot. I guess it's overdue -- Bulgarians have been hoping for their lot in life to improve going on 20+ years and it never does. They are stoic and will put up with a great deal, but they are starting to get angry and parties like Ataka know how to get momentum from that anger.

by Anonymousreply 41January 29, 2014 4:56 PM

Antigay sentiment is growing, jumping from nation to nation,

by Anonymousreply 42January 30, 2014 12:06 PM

Half Czech's GDP is made up of gay porn. You do the math.

by Anonymousreply 43January 30, 2014 12:13 PM

R40, outright discriminatory laws won't pass because of EU law. That's the upside of EU membership.

by Anonymousreply 44January 30, 2014 6:13 PM

Like when they sent soldiers into Turkish neighborhoods and forced people to change their names or else shot them, R41?

by Anonymousreply 45January 30, 2014 7:14 PM

R45, that was the old communist government in the last decade of its rule, when its policies turned sharply nationalistic. This is so common, find a new "enemy" to legitimize your power, if one doesn't exist, create them. Cf. Hitler, Milosevic, Putin, etc. etc.

by Anonymousreply 46January 30, 2014 9:27 PM

Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia. That's it.

by Anonymousreply 47January 30, 2014 10:05 PM

After communism ethnic relations in Bulgaria were smooth. The EU pointed to Bulgaria as an example to the former Yugoslavia. That's starting to change.

The fall of communism didn't help Bulgaria much. Neither did privatization or joining the EU. Now the country is swamped with Syrian refugees that it can't take care of. They are getting mad.

by Anonymousreply 48January 30, 2014 10:26 PM

R48 is talking crap.

The Ataka motion was defeated.

by Anonymousreply 49January 31, 2014 1:52 AM

I hear mixed messages about Hungary.Would love to go to some of those Turkish Baths though.There has ti be sone action surely.

by Anonymousreply 50February 9, 2014 9:03 PM

Things aren't that picture perfect in Slovenia. Here's what a group of some sick men did to a gay british tourist in Ljubljana a couple of years ago (this guy also happened to be a cop).

But I guess things like these can happen pretty much everywhere, even in the most liberal countries.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 51February 10, 2014 8:02 AM

Bulgaria is considering a bill to ban gay pride events.

by Anonymousreply 52February 10, 2014 12:25 PM

R50 MUCH action. I fucked more men in Istanbul than SF.

by Anonymousreply 53February 10, 2014 12:45 PM

There is soft but rampant homophobia in Czech. They tolerant gays, but far from accept them. They are viewed as weirdos, significantly immoral people.

by Anonymousreply 54February 18, 2014 2:26 PM

O

by Anonymousreply 55February 22, 2014 7:31 PM

Western Europe: Straight Italian teen boys walk together arm-and-arm.

Italian gay guys, not so much.

by Anonymousreply 56February 22, 2014 7:44 PM

The Romanians are very proud that they are Latins, not Slavs like their neighbors. I was in Bucharest a few months ago and have never seen so many skinny jeans and great asses outside of Italy. The people are gorgeous but their attitudes still need to catch up a bit.

by Anonymousreply 57February 22, 2014 7:55 PM

Slovakia’s Prime Minister, Robert Fico, is set to back a constitutional amendment that will uphold the traditional definition of marriage.

Same-sex marriage is illegal in Slovakia and the proposed amendment will effectively rule out the possibility of legalising it.

Fico said: “The marriage amendment will not bring about any drastic changes; it only seals in the constitution what is already defined by law”. Christian Democrats

In exchange for his support he hopes the opposition will back an amendment to introduce changes in the judicial system.

The Christian Democrats and other centre-right parties drafted the marriage amendment.

It will be debated in Parliament from 18 March onwards. Civil unions

Currently any form of same-sex civil union is illegal in Slovakia.

According to a 2011 census 70 per cent of the country’s 5.4 million population identify as Christian.

Croatia – the European Union’s newest member – has also backed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Procreation

In December, two-thirds of those voting in a referendum wanted the country’s constitution to include the traditional definition of marriage.

Croatia’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Josip Bozanic said: “Marriage is the only union enabling procreation”.

He added: “This is the key difference between a marriage” and other unions. European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is currently considering cases from Italy calling for gay marriage to be a human right.

They claim that Italy’s traditional definition of marriage amounts to discrimination.

Their arguments include Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to marry.

Previous ECHR judgments however, have ruled that same-sex marriage is not a human right.

by Anonymousreply 58March 4, 2014 2:30 PM

Probably none of them - I've been to Poland, Czech R., and Berlin. And Finland which technically was Western Europe.

Not sure why it matters. Why go to Eastern Europe when you can go to France or Spain?

by Anonymousreply 59March 4, 2014 2:39 PM

But the Spanish gave us Fer and David

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 60March 4, 2014 4:59 PM

[quote]Croatia – the European Union’s newest member – has also backed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. In December, two-thirds of those voting in a referendum wanted the country’s constitution to include the traditional definition of marriage.

Only 37 percent of the population voted. Out of the 37 percent, 65 voted for the constitutional amendment.

by Anonymousreply 61March 4, 2014 5:17 PM

The Balkans are god-awful for gays living there. And as a tourist you may have your ass kicked if you show any PDA.

I had a Croatian bf for a few years- passed many holidays there, but he mostly came here to Switzerland. He was gorgeous!

All of Eastern Europe is repugnantly cock in pussy obsessed. Its enough to turn the stomach.

by Anonymousreply 62March 4, 2014 5:30 PM

Over the past two decades, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been an upsurge in affiliation with Orthodox Christianity in Russia.1 Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christian rose from 31% to 72%, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of three waves of data (1991, 1998 and 2008) from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) – a collaboration involving social scientists in about 50 countries. During the same period, the share of Russia’s population that does not identify with any religion dropped from 61% to 18%. The share of Russian adults identifying with other religions, including Islam, Protestant Christianity and Roman Catholicism, rose in the 1990s and then leveled off. (Estimates of the size of Russia’s Muslim population vary. The most recent ISSP survey finds that Muslims make up 5% of Russia’s population, but other surveys and studies have somewhat higher estimates. For more information, see “Sochi Olympics shine spotlight on Russia’s Muslim population.”)

russia-2There also has been a modest increase in some measures of religious commitment. For example, the share of Russian adults who said they are at least “somewhat” religious rose from 11% in 1991 to 54% in 2008. And the portion of adults who said they believe in God rose from 38% to 56% over the same period.2

by Anonymousreply 63March 6, 2014 6:07 PM

You don't go to Eastern Europe for the gay scene, you go to Eastern Europe for the culture. That's it. If you want gayness choose Barcelona or Paris or London instead.

by Anonymousreply 64March 6, 2014 6:18 PM

What's up with Germany paying Romania not to kill all the Saxons?

by Anonymousreply 65March 6, 2014 7:19 PM

What's with all these posts & their misinformation about Finland?

Finland was *never* part of the USSR-dominated Eastern Bloc, & never had a Communist government.

It has always been considered part of Scandinavia, although the Finnish language & ppl are not related to the rest of Scandinavia, linguistically nor genetically. but they are "culturally".

Helsinki has quite a bit of gay nightlife & culture & there are gov't guarantees of gay rights, unlike the vast majority of the nations of the former Eastern Bloc.

by Anonymousreply 66March 6, 2014 9:32 PM

The bill was unanimously rejected The bill was unanimously rejected 0 reader comments

A bill which would have legalised same-sex civil partnerships has been unanimously rejected by a parliamentary committee in Romania.

According to stiripentruviata.ro, the bill would have allowed both same and opposite-sex couples to register their partnerships, allowing them to “enjoy rights like the right to inheritance, the right to become a co-beneficiary on the other’s health insurance, the right to apply for [housing] loans as joint debtors”.

It was proposed by Green MP Remus Cernea, and had previously suffered stiff opposition from all parties in the Senate, with just 2 votes in favour and 105 against, before the unanimous rejection by the juridical Commission of Romania’s Chamber of Deputies.

Diana Tusha MP, of the Christian Democratic National Peasants’ Party, said the bill, supported by the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights, was effectively ‘cultural marxism’.

She said: “Trying to legislate for civil partnership is trying to prove that it suffices to adopt a set of laws in order to make people think and feel differently and that one can always redesign the ideals and values of humanity according to our own will”.

“There is no need to traumatize further generations in the name of some illusory progress made through alien recipes. Such a recipe is cultural Marxism”.

Cernea is hoping to re-introduce the bill at a later date, but given the resounding rejections, it is unlikely to fare much better.

by Anonymousreply 67March 18, 2014 9:32 PM

t67 that sucks !!

by Anonymousreply 68March 18, 2014 9:43 PM

Romania is very conservative

by Anonymousreply 69April 14, 2014 3:04 PM

Slovakia's parliament has amended its constitution to define marriage as a union between man and woman, effectively closing the door to same-sex marriage and stirring protest among rights groups.

The amendment, drafted by leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-Social Democraty party and the opposition Christian Democrats, was backed by 102 lawmakers while 18 voted against it.

The amendment required a two-thirds majority in the 150-member parliament.

"The marriage amendment will not bring about any drastic changes, it only seals in the constitution what is already defined by law," said Fico, whose Smer is a member of the traditionally liberal Party of European Socialists group in the European Parliament.

The European Union's newest member Croatia outlawed same-sex marriage in a referendum last year, triggering a similar constitutional amendment, but swiftly passed a civil union law for same-sex couples.

No form of same-sex civil union is legal in Slovakia, where more than 70 percent of the population of 5.4 million is Christian, according to a 2011 census.

But a 2012 opinion poll showed that 47 percent of Slovaks supported civil unions for same-sex couples while 38 per cent were opposed.

"It's scandalous that Smer, a social-democrat party, supported this amendment, going against the EU trend to make different types of families equal," Romana Schlesinger from the Queer Leaders Forum NGO told AFP.

"You don't make marriage more attractive by banning all the alternatives," Martin Macko, head of the LGBTI Initiative "Inakost" added.

"The number of unmarried couples living together will continue to grow, including same-sex couples that have been part of society for a long time, but without any legal recognition."

Same-sex marriage is legal in a handful of the 27 other EU states including Britain and France, while civil unions are recognised by the Czech Republic, Germany and others.

AFP

Read more:

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 70June 4, 2014 8:39 PM

R66. Nordic countries = Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as well as their autonomous regions (the Åland Islands, the Faroe Islands and Greenland). .

Scandinavia = Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Finland is Nordic but not Scandinavian.

Just as a side note: "Scandinavian Peninsula" on the other hand covers mainland Norway and Sweden as well as the northernmost part of Finland

by Anonymousreply 71June 4, 2014 11:27 PM

Meant to include the link with R71:

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 72June 4, 2014 11:35 PM

Visibility and acceptance of LGBT people in eastern EU Member States Tomasz Dudek 24 November 2014

Edgars Rinkēvičs, Latvia’s foreign minister, caught the attention of the media on 6 November 2014 by tweeting that he is gay. Being the first politician from the Baltic states of this rank to come out as LGBT, he also announced that he would fight for Latvia to recognize same-sex partnerships. This information came less than month after Riigikogu, the Estonian Parliament, adopted a Cohabitation Act, ensuring equal rights in terms of inheritance and joint adoption of children for same-sex couples and making Estonia the first post-Soviet country to allow same-sex partnerships. These developments are in contrast to the socio-legal situation of LGBT people in the Baltic States and in other Central and Eastern European countries. Are they announcing changes?

The results of the biggest EU survey on experiences of discrimination of LGBT people published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) shows that the socio-legal situation of LGBT people differ considerably amongst Member States. As this article concentrates on the visibility of LGBT people in the public space, it is limited to the legal recognition of same-sex couples as well as their freedom of assembly and expression.

Differing numbers

Edgars Rinkēvičs move was extremely brave, especially when, according to Eurobarometer, people in Latvia would be the least comfortable of all EU citizens if an elected politician is non-heterosexual. The EU average was 6.6 (on a scale where 1 means ‘totally uncomfortable’ and 10 ‘ totally comfortable’); the result for Latvia was 3.2 (in Slovakia – 3.4, Romania – 3.6, Lithuania – 4.1, Estonia 4.7), whereas in Denmark the result was 8.9 (in Sweden – 8.8, the Netherlands – 8.4, Spain and the UK – 7.9).

No wonder that according to FRA, 73% of respondents from Lithuania, 70% from Latvia, and 60% of Estonia think it is very rare that public figures are open about themselves being LGBT. Similar results come from Romania (72%), Bulgaria (63%), Croatia (77%), Slovenia (81%), and Slovakia (59%). The EU average is 27%, with 4% in the Netherlands, 5% in Denmark, 6% in Belgium and Sweden, and 7% in Germany.

Another example of the huge differences amongst EU Member States regarding social acceptance of LGBT people in public was identified by analyzing answers to the following question: “How widespread do same-sex partners hold hands in public in the country where you live” – the answer “very rare” was chosen by 83% respondents in Croatia, 80% in Lithuania, 77% in Romania, 76% in Latvia, Poland, and Hungary, 75% in Slovakia, and 73% in Bulgaria. The EU average this time was 39%, with Spain – 12%, the Netherlands – 16%, and Belgium, Germany, and Denmark – 21%.

These findings comply with a more “heavyweight” one: according to the same survey, these are LGBT people from Central European countries who feel discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation the most (with the positive exceptions of Czech Republic, Hungary, and Estonia – below EU average). Approximately 47% of respondents from the whole of the European Union declared they felt discriminated against, although in the Netherlands the figure was 30%, Denmark – 31%, Luxembourg – 33%, Belgium and Sweden – 35%, whereas in Lithuania it was 61%, Croatia – 60%, and Poland – 57%.

Different legal situation

The above differences, when compared to data on the legal recognition of same-sex couples, suggest that higher levels of homophobia and discrimination based on sexual orientation are identifiable in those EU Member States that don’t allow for same-sex couples to enter into any form of legally recognized relationship. For many Member States, the following statement would prove to be true: where there is no legal recognition of same-sex couples, LGBT people fear to live openly and face much bigger discrimination.

This is exactly the case in most Central European countries. Whereas nine western EU Member States (Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and UK) have introduced marriage equality, six Central EU Member States have prohibited it constitutionally (Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria). The overall picture becomes slightly more complex when ten EU Member States – both “western” and “eastern” – that allow for same-sex partnerships are taken into account (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Estonia, Finland, Malta, Ireland and Croatia). Nevertheless, the results of the FRA survey prove to be true in the vast majority of cases.

The Czech Republic is a good example of this relation – it recognizes same-sex partnerships, and according to the Pew Global Attitudes Project 2013, 80% of respondents from this country think society should accept homosexuality. Higher results were observed in Spain (88%) and Germany (87%), whereas in Poland only 42% share this opinion, compared with 46% that would say the opposite (only nine European countries, including Russia, were taken into account).

Challenges to act together

Another issue concerning the visibility of LGBT people – the way the LGBT community and its supporters can exercise, on an equal footing, freedom of assembly, and of expression – still divides western and some of the Central European countries.

There are no obstacles to organize pride parades in western EU Member States, and most events gather hundreds of thousands of peaceful participants. The situation is slowly becoming similar also in the Central European Member States. The era of banning pride marches is now over, mainly thanks to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (Bączkowski and Others v. Poland, Alekseyev v. Russia, Genderdoc-M v. Moldova), and national courts ensuring observance of Council of Europe standards. In several Central European Member States, however, there are still attempts to limit the right to peaceful assembly for LGBT community.

In Latvia, in view of preventing Baltic Pride 2012, it was proposed to amend Riga’s Public Order Regulations to ban the “propaganda” of homosexuality. The initiative failed and Baltic Pride gathered around 600 participants. Another initiative, which was even criticized by the Latvian Ministry of Justice, is now in place. The NGO Let Us Protect Our Children wants parliament to amend the Protection of the Rights of the Child Law, so that “involvement of children as participants or spectators of events aimed at the popularization and advertisement of sexual and marriage relations between persons of the same sex” would be prohibited.

In neighboring Lithuania, a proposed amendment to the Code of Administrative Offences aims at introducing administrative liability for any public defiance of the constitutionally established family values. During voting on 13 March 2014, the majority of MPs (thirty-nine) were in favor of the amendment, while thirty-four were against (twenty abstentions). Nevertheless, this was not enough and the proposal was rejected, although there were still three more proposals of this kind pending before parliament.

Attempts to ban pride marches from happening also occurred in 2011 and 2012 in Hungary, although they were overruled by the courts. In Bulgaria, only in 2014 was the Sofia Pride not attacked for the first time.

Freedom of expression vs. “propaganda”

Regarding the freedom of expression, in Lithuania one binding act and several proposed bills aim at banning so-called “gay propaganda.” The original version of the Law on the protection of minors against the detrimental effects of public information stipulated that “public information having a detrimental effect on the mental health, physical, intellectual or moral development of minors shall be considered the information whereby homosexual, bisexual or polygamous relations are promoted.”

After the international community condemned the above provision, the law was amended in October 2011 and the version now in force does not explicitly mention homosexuality or bisexuality. However, it stipulates that information “which expresses contempt for family values, encourages the concept of entry into a marriage and creation of a family other than stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and the Civil Code of the Republic of Lithuania” shall be attributed to information which has a detrimental effect on minors. Taking into account the wording of both article 38 of the Lithuanian Constitution, according to which “marriage shall be concluded upon the free mutual consent of man and woman” and article 3.7 (1) of the Civil Code, according to which “marriage is a voluntary agreement between a man and a woman […],” the provision at issue might be interpreted as indeed prohibiting the dissemination of public information on same-sex relationships and families.

A good example was highlighted by the Lithuanian media in May 2014. The Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of Journalists Ethics considered two fairy tales promoting tolerance for same-sex couples to be harmful to minors. The book Gintarinė širdis is therefore no longer available for purchase and information about it was removed from the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences database, which considers it to be “harmful, primitive and purposeful propaganda of homosexuality.”

The perception of activities in favor of equal rights for LGBT people as the “promotion of homosexuality” or “homosexual propaganda” is also widespread in Poland; statements such as these are often used by rightist politicians, for instance during a parliamentary debate on the proposal of an act recognizing same-sex partnerships. The latest example, which shows how some Polish politicians differ from their counterparts in other EU Member States regarding homophobic hate-speech, could recently be observed in the European Parliament.

During the debate on the proposal of the directive on equal treatment of persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation (proposed by the European Commission in 2008 and still not adopted), two Polish MEPs were the only ones to be against equal rights for LGBT people. Marek Jurek argued that the EU should protect the social norm of a monogamic family, which should not become “an option among many other options” and that “promoting homosexuality” divides Europe. Kazimierz Ujazdowski stated that Poland is against the “ideology of LGBT” and that the directive would impose on the member states some solutions that are against their constitutional traditions (protection of heterosexual marriage).

Both of them were strongly criticized and Urlike Lunacek, a vice-president of the European Parliament and a rapporteur on the above-mentioned proposed directive from Austria, explained the issue of LGBT rights is not a matter of ideology, but about equality. She also reminded the Committee that all EU Member States agreed on the Treaties and the Charter, which explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Therefore, she called on them to stop using the argument of the EU imposing anything on Member States.

Need for change

All of the above statistics and examples illustrate the mutual impact of the visibility of LGBT people in public (due to legal recognition of same-sex couples and equality in freedom of assembly and expression) and their social acceptance (which is relevant for the levels of discrimination – the higher acceptance the lower levels of discrimination). It is hard to unequivocally judge what came first – wider social acceptance leading to formal recognition, or marriage equality (or recognition of same-sex couples in other legal form) having a positive impact on social acceptance of LGBT people.

Whatever the case, the vicious circle should be broken and perhaps recent developments in Latvia and Estonia are a “wind of change.” Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the Estonian president, when signing the Cohabitation Act said that “Estonian society cannot survive if it is intolerant toward its own countrymen. We are too few to discriminate against any of us. Societies that respect human rights allow same-sex couples to have a family without being exposed to public disapproval and unequal treatment.” And this should be true for all EU Member States, no matter the population size.

by Anonymousreply 73December 2, 2014 1:30 PM

Macedonian lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favour of changing the constitution to explicitly ban same-sex marriages.

Two thirds of politicians in the national assembly agreed to support a proposal by the conservative government, which would define marriage exclusively as "a union between a man and a woman".

The government now has ten days to draft the amendment, which would be presented again to the 123-seat parliament for approval.

Ilija Dimovski, a lawmaker from the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, said the proposed change was to "protect traditional, family and religious values of marriage".

The move came after an outcry last year over a suggestion that a gay pride parade may be held in the country.

At the time some conservative politicians and the influential Orthodox Church called for a ban on same-sex marriages.

While gay unions are not currently recognised by Macedonian law, there is no wording to indicate that marriage can only be between men and women.

Earlier this week nearby Croatia took a move in the opposite direction, adopting a law allowing gay couples to register as life partners and granting same-sex couples many of the same rights as their heterosexual peers.

by Anonymousreply 74January 7, 2015 8:05 PM

As someone posted upthread, one should not visit Eastern Europe for gay scenes, rather the culture.

Eastern Europe is relatively cheap even in May and June -- especially in resort areas in Croatia like Hvar. Also the Julian Alps and Lake Bled in Slovenia are close to Austria, but much cheaper and really nice.

by Anonymousreply 75January 7, 2015 9:21 PM

Turkish occupied Northern Cyprus

by Anonymousreply 76January 7, 2015 9:25 PM

R32

Porn both straight and gay is big business in Hungary. There is a reason for the nickname "Budaporn"

You have a large supply from both in Hungary and neighboring countries of white, young and often very attractive men and women (or boys and girls). You also have high levels of poverty and under or unemployment. Take some young boy or man from a small farming village, scrub him up and or send him to the gym (if needed) then give him an Italian, French or other western European sounding name and you have a new porn actor/star.

Quite a lot of porn comes out of Russia as well for similar reasons.

by Anonymousreply 77January 7, 2015 9:37 PM

Politicians in the Macedonian Assembly have voted to ban same-sex marriage.

The proposal came from the conservative government and was supported by two-thirds of members of the national assembly in a vote on Wednesday.

It aims to define marraige specifically as “a union between an man and a woman”.

Now the government is to draft the amendment within ten days, and present it to the parliament.

by Anonymousreply 78January 12, 2015 3:25 PM

Agree about the SNL special, or at least the little I watched after "Looking."

I also agree with R325 about Kevin being in a difficult position. But, I am still on Richie's side. Life can be a mess. Kevin should not have cheated. But people here are too judgmental; really over the top in my opinion.

by Anonymousreply 79February 16, 2015 3:22 PM

Slovenia

by Anonymousreply 80March 28, 2015 3:27 AM

Slovenia is up and coming!

by Anonymousreply 81April 21, 2015 6:13 PM

Lots of misinformation on this thread.

The USSR (inc what is now Russia), Belarus & Moldova (which were not independent countries, but were Eastern European), Hungary, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Rep & Slovakia, separately), Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, East Germany, Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia, were ALL considered Eastern Bloc/Iron Curtain countries until their Communist govts fell.

Yugoslavia was communist until its breakup into Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, etc, but was not under Russian (USSR) domination, so not behind the Iron Curtain, per se. It wasn't easy, but Western Europeans & Americans could visit. Yugoslavia was considered Eastern Europe geographically.

Albania was an isolationist,communist- Stalinist state, not unlike North Korea today, until that gov't fell in the 1990s.

Finland (and to some degree, Austria), were neither Eastern Bloc, nor behind the Iron Curtain, during the Cold War. But they were essentially neutral. The Finns in particular didn't want to give the Russians any cause to get angry. Neither Austria nor Finland would have been considered Eastern Europe, then or now, nor Eastern Bloc, back before the USSR fell.

I'd still say that of all of Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic is the most gay-tolerant, with Prague the gay-tolerant part of the CZ.

by Anonymousreply 82April 21, 2015 6:58 PM

Well shiver me timbers...I forgot to include Ukraine, which was part of the USSR.

No matter really...all of the former USSR is verrrrry homophobic.

by Anonymousreply 83April 21, 2015 7:08 PM

R82 Good and accurate summary of the situation in what we call Eastern Europe. And even more on the mark calling Prague "gay tolerant" rather than gay friendly. The image many in the gay community have of the CR and especially Prague is almost a gay paradise where most of the young, attractive men are bisexual and sex with beautiful men is readily available. This distorted image is largely due to Bel Ami and to a lesser extent William Higgins Studios. I have been there multiple times and actually lived there for a while. It is a beautiful city and worth the visit. Sex is readily available but for a price. It's no gay paradise.

by Anonymousreply 84April 21, 2015 7:15 PM

yeah, Czech Republic tolerates gays, but still think they are weird and abnormal.

by Anonymousreply 85May 5, 2015 2:23 PM

Is Cyprus Eastern Europe?

by Anonymousreply 86May 8, 2015 3:26 PM

lol

by Anonymousreply 87May 8, 2015 3:41 PM

#SLOVAKIA gay partnership bill dies after it only receives 31 votes in parliament:

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 88September 19, 2018 12:20 AM

Slovakia is back water

by Anonymousreply 89September 19, 2018 9:32 AM

R86 Cyprus isn't even in Europe.

by Anonymousreply 90September 19, 2018 9:38 AM

Most eastern European countries are very Catholic and strict about homosexuality. I think Bulgaria is one of the worst. I worked with a Bulgarian who told me that if his son turned out gay like mevery he'd would kill him. He was being serious and the vitriol he spoke about gays was chilling. Also a few Hungarians at work have made it their business to tell me that in Hungary I would not be tolerated. I think we forget there are many countries with backward views.I also don't think that the amount of gay porn produced in a country is a true reflection of its tolerance to gays.

by Anonymousreply 91September 19, 2018 10:13 AM

R91 Bulgaria is orthodox, not catholic.

by Anonymousreply 92September 19, 2018 11:04 AM

More than one-tenth of Slovaks have colleagues who openly admit they belong to the LGBTI community. Their acceptance, however, significantly differs among people who have experience with the community and those who do not.

The majority of such employees can be found in workplaces in the Bratislava region. In the research conducted by website platy.sk on 2,444 respondents, 17 percent said they have experience from around the capital.

The difference between Bratislava and other regions of Slovakia is rather significant. The lowest number of employees who meet with LGBTI colleagues at work is in the Trenčín region, only 4 percent.

READ ALSO: Everyone deserves a safe environment free from harrassment Read more Creative fields Employees meet with someone from the LGBTI community most often in the fields of marketing, advertising and PR. Almost one-quarter of these employees have had such an experience. Other frequent fields are HR, management, tourism, the gastro and hotel industry, journalism, pharmacy and banking.

The research revealed a significant disproportion between employees who have LGBTI colleagues and those who do not. About 33 percent of those without experience would positively perceive or accept such colleagues. On the other hand, 91.5 percent of those people who have LGBTI colleagues in the workplace view them positively and accept them.

About 4.7 percent with experience of LGBTI colleagues and 4.4 percent of people without experience have a negative attitude towards them.

More than one-fifth of the respondents declared that the LGBTI community experienced discrimination in the workplace. Their sexual orientation was the reason.

19. Jul 2019 at 22:25 | COMPILED BY SPECTATOR STAFF

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by Anonymousreply 93July 19, 2019 8:30 PM

That's nice for the gays there but Slovakia is in Central Europe.

by Anonymousreply 94July 19, 2019 8:34 PM

Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) and Slovakia are probably the best, although I think it's more or less okay to be gay in Slovenia and Poland too.

by Anonymousreply 95July 19, 2019 8:38 PM

No, Poland is in the midst of Antigay fervor

by Anonymousreply 96July 19, 2019 8:55 PM

Polish towns are taking pledges as officially Antigay zones

by Anonymousreply 97July 19, 2019 8:56 PM

To the nonWest, gays have become punching bags for their views that the West is decadent, immoral, godless, and evil

by Anonymousreply 98July 19, 2019 8:59 PM

A magazine in Poland is going to be distributing “LGBT-free zone” stickers to their readers. Gazeta Polska is a far-right nationalist weekly magazine in Poland that supports the Law and Justice Party, which is anti-LGBTQ and anti-immigrant.

The magazine said that it will be distributing stickers that say “LGBT-FREE ZONE” and show a rainbow flag with an “X” through it in next week’s issue.

Related: Is Poland about to issue a Russian-style ‘gay propaganda’ ban?

Pavel Rabiej, deputy president of Warsaw and a centrist, said on Twitter that he would file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office.

“The Germans created zones free of Jews,” Rabiej tweeted.

Jutro złożę w tej sprawie zawiadomienie do prokuratury. Niemieccy faszyści tworzyli strefy wolne od Żydów. Apartheid – od czarnych. Jak widać tradycja znajduje godnych naśladowców, tym razem w Polsce, pod parasolem @pisorgpl i biskupów. pic.twitter.com/h2HpJZow8A

— Pawel Rabiej (@PawelRabiej) July 17, 2019 Poland’s hate speech law does not include sexual orientation, but Instagram blocked a picture of the sticker, according to Gazeta Polska editor Tomasz Sakiewicz.

“Censorship was typical of Nazism, imposing ideology, too,” Sakiewicz told another paper.

by Anonymousreply 99July 19, 2019 11:01 PM

Didn't the Czech Republic change its name to Czechia?

(Not to be confused with Chechnya, which I'm sure they will be).

by Anonymousreply 100July 19, 2019 11:05 PM

Here's something I heard about Russia. Moscow it's it's showcase and the rings outside it once you get past the Garden ring. you'll see complete and utter poverty. Russia also doesn't have many beautiful cities. What she does have is a nuclear navy like we in the United States , but far fewer subs.

Now as the anti-gay shit in Eastern Europe blame fundie Christians in the U.S. They're the ones who've been fomenting most of the shit.

by Anonymousreply 101July 20, 2019 12:10 AM

St. Petersburg is nice

by Anonymousreply 102July 20, 2019 12:34 AM

[quote]Hungary on the other hand is a cesspit of rabid homophobia, antisemitism and racism/xenophobia, often of the physically violent kind. Avoid.

Why is the best dick always the most homophobic?

by Anonymousreply 103July 20, 2019 12:36 AM

The first-ever Gay Pride parade has been held in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok, but the march was marred by violence from soccer hooligans and conservative campaigners staged counter protests, local police said.

Some 800 supporters of LGBT+ rights marched through the city some 200km northeast of Warsaw, waving rainbow-coloured flags and banners with slogans such as "love is not a sin".

But soccer hooligans wearing ultra-nationalist T-shirts threw stones, firecrackers and bottles at the marchers and at the police officers protecting them, a spokesman for the security forces said.

Catholic and nationalist organisations staged around 40 different counter-demonstrations in Bialystok, including a family picnic organised by a local MP.

Hundreds of people prayed in front of the cathedral as the march made its way through the city.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights have become one of the key issues in the upcoming elections this autumn in the devout Catholic country.

The decision to allow a Gay Pride parade in Bialystok was highly contested by local religious groups.

Homosexuality is a frequent topic of public debate in Poland, whose conservative ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski condemned gay rights as a "threat" in April.

Earlier this month, a Polish campaign group said that around 30 communities, including villages and regional assemblies, had in recent months declared themselves to be "free of LGBT ideology".

by Anonymousreply 104July 21, 2019 12:58 PM

Polish police detain 25 after attacks on equality march

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 105July 21, 2019 6:37 PM

very simple, OP : none!

by Anonymousreply 106July 22, 2019 3:10 AM

Poland is scary

by Anonymousreply 107July 22, 2019 11:54 AM

❗️🇧🇬 #Bulgaria - A court in Sofia has officially recognised the #SameSexMarriage of a French citizen and her Australian wife in a landmark ruling.

Bulgarian #LGBT groups are optimistic this could be a big step toward #MarriageEquality in the Balkan nation 🎉

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 108July 25, 2019 10:47 PM

I agree with the poster above who identified the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Estonia as the most gay-friendly nations in the region. OTOH, it may defy logic to talk about gay-friendly nations as opposed to gay-friendly capital cities.

There’s certainly somewhat of a gay presence in Prague, clearly bolstered by the number of gay and gay-friendly tourists there. In some ways, for me that makes Prague the least interesting of those three nations’ capitals. Both Tallinn and Ljubljana have a fairly cosmopolitan vibe about them and are well worth visiting. And despite the strong rightward/authoritarian turn of Hungary’s government in recent years, Budapest as a city is no less gay friendly than the other three cities mentioned above.

That said, does it mean gay people can travel worry-free in any of these cities? Probably. But there’s never a guarantee that a visitor will never experience a homophobic remark or attack. Of course, the same has to be said for cities such as New York and London, right? (...despite those cities’ highly visible gay populations and civil rights protections) The point being that no matter what we post on here, it cannot determine what sort of experience any individual will have in any of these places.

For that matter, a gay visitor to Warsaw or Kiev or Zagreb might be pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere he encounters in such cities - gay life certainly exists and is not so hard to find - but in all countries in the region, once you leave the biggest cities all bets are off. (Also true in the US, of course.)

by Anonymousreply 109July 25, 2019 11:37 PM

[quote][R40], outright discriminatory laws won't pass because of EU law. That's the upside of EU membership.

Hahahahaha!

by Anonymousreply 110July 26, 2019 12:11 AM
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