Europe’s epeng divi on gay rights - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• EASTERN EUROPE WAS ONCE A WORLD LEAR ON GAY RIGHTS. THEN RAN OUT OF SPEGOATS
• EUROPE’S EPENG DIVI ON GAY RIGHTS

EASTERN EUROPE WAS ONCE A WORLD LEAR ON GAY RIGHTS. THEN RAN OUT OF SPEGOATS

REUTERS/Marton Mon/File Photo Acquire Licensg RightsBUDAPEST, July 14 (Rters) - The embassi of the Uned Stat, Germany and 36 other untri urged Hungary's ernment to protect the rights of LGBT people and scrap laws that discrimate agast them a statement ahead of Budapt's Pri march on Mister Viktor Orban's ernment promot a strongly Christian-nservative agenda and passed a law 2021 banng the "display and promotn of homosexualy" among unr-18s, spe cricism om rights groups and the European a jot statement, the embassi and about 10 cultural stutns cludg the Brish Council, the Estonian Instute and Instut Français said they supported Saturday's event which is expected to draw thoands to downtown Budapt. REUTERS/Serg Perez Acquire Licensg RightsSummaryPolls suggt right-wg parti will w Spa electnConservativ may form aln wh far-rightLGBTQ+ activists fear a roll back of their rightsMADRID, July 17 (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - The rights of gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people have taken centre stage ahead of Spa's July 23 natnal electn.

Hungary’s hardle natnalist ernment passed a new law earlier this month banng ntent that “promot” homosexualy and genr change om beg shared wh children, effectively prohibg any discsn of LGBTQ them schools.

EUROPE’S EPENG DIVI ON GAY RIGHTS

In dog so, Orbán has followed the playbook of Poland’s ernment, which has been chippg away at the rights of the LGBTQ muny for a number of years, adoptg discrimatory rhetoric and stokg homophobia. “There’s a real regrsn happeng many different untri, and rights that had been regnized are now beg challenged, ” said Evelyne Paradis, the executive director of the European branch of the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA-Europe). Orbán, like the ernment Poland and some other untri, is tryg to prent homophobic polici as a way of protectg natnal valu.

“It’s not about homosexuals, ’s about the kids and the parents, ” he told reporters, addg that he was a “eedom fighter” durg Hungary’s munist era. She add that the ia of natn is often closely associated wh a tradnal fay and genr rol – another way to “other” the gay muny. “You have plac like Germany, France, Spa where 85% or more say that homosexualy should be accepted by society and then once you’re past the dividg le, on the other si of the former Iron Curta, those numbers beg to fall pretty rapidly and then get even lower as you go to Rsia, ” he said.

Acrdg to Pohter’s rearch, 47% of people Poland and 49% of people Hungary say homosexualy should be accepted.

“When you look at the former Eastern bloc, the untri had a long tradn of really progrsive legislatn towards LGBTQ rights, Poland for stance crimalized homosexualy 1932, which is really, really early, ” Kościańska said. Duds said Hungary, too, was once ahead of Wtern Europe, crimalizg homosexualy 1961, although the muny remaed largely visible.

Sign up to get the rt, cludg news om around the globe, tertg ias and opns to know, sent to your box every a Febary asslt on a same-sex uple at a Rome tra statn, lls heightened for what Italy lacked: A hate crime law to bat homophobia. “Two young men beaten up for a kiss, ” lamented Nila Zgaretti, ernor of Laz, the Italian regn where Rome happened next beme a se study of how gay rights have surged to the foreont of Europe’s culture wars. The Italian far-right dismissed the proposed law — which would have also extend new protectns to women and the disabled — as “homosexual propaganda.