Gay rights the European Unn: The long journey out of the closet for Lhuania’s gay muny | Internatnal | EL PAÍS English

Contents:

• THE BEST LHUANIA GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LHUANIA
• THE BEST VILNI GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS VILNI
• GAY VILNI
• GAY LIFE LHUANIA
• SURPRISG HISTORY OF FIRST UNRGROUND GAY CLUBS LHUANIA
• WEIRST, MOST ENTERTAG, FUNNIT GAY CLUB EXPERIENCE MY LIFE
• THE LONG JOURNEY OUT OF THE CLOSET FOR LHUANIA’S GAY MUNY
• GAY RIGA
• A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

THE BEST LHUANIA GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LHUANIA

Sixteen years after Lhuania liberated self om Soviet shackl, the hardly-risque Internatnal Lbian and Gay Associatn (ILGA) announced they will hold their annual European nference Vilni. One participant, speakg out agast homosexuals, said, "Of urse, they will soon anise a march Vilni and therefore we need to ensure advance will not be possible.

THE BEST VILNI GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS VILNI

This opn is more mon than not the Baltic untri where homophobia remas firmly entrenched, ntrast to Wtern Europe where gays and lbians have bee visible, if not fully accepted, members of society.

GAY VILNI

In fact, homophobic jok and allns are monplace Vilni' prs, where daily tabloid Vakaro Zs ('The Eveng News') routely refers to gays as 'chickenpricks. Perhaps the most shockg factoid me om a 2003 poll which revealed that 68% of Lhuanians would prefer to live next door to a dg aler or nvicted crimal than a homosexual.

Until 1993, was still illegal to be homosexual Lhuania, and the law was only then repealed bee of prsure om the Council of Europe, which Lhuania was tryg to jo.

" This wispread and stutnalised homophobia mak almost impossible for gay Lhuanians to reveal their sexual orientatn (no Lhuanian celebry or public figure has ever e out as openly gay).

GAY LIFE LHUANIA

Lol anisatns like the Lhuanian Lbian and Gay League (LLGL) have been quietly meetg and orchtratg sensisatn mpaigns, semars and bat for over a . That such an anisatn - workg towards the regnn and acceptance of gays LT - is forced to operate wh such extreme discretn speaks volum about the current stat of homosexuals the untry. Regardls of public reactn to this event, the ftival is a major step towards creatg solidary wh Vilni' gay and lbian muny, enuragg muny awarens and slowg wearg down Lhuania's evasn of homosexual issu.

SURPRISG HISTORY OF FIRST UNRGROUND GAY CLUBS LHUANIA

Wh Rabow Days as a primer for the nference, lol and European anisatns should have a better ia of how ready and willg Lhuania is to face the gay skeleton s closet, and how bt to support s 'g out.

WEIRST, MOST ENTERTAG, FUNNIT GAY CLUB EXPERIENCE MY LIFE

For gay travellers to Vilni, the cy has snt offergs terms of gay-iendly nightlife, wh only one official gay club (perhaps the only all of Lhuanian), but 's a doozy. Per he' Luania tanti problemi e poi giro per Italian tostrada nei percheggi troviamo mnisti Che si lasciano fare Di tutto da noi Gay e' gorse Che a Casa logo Hanno Lra poi quanto sono fluori l loro terrorial fanno tutto CIO Che non pls sono fare Luania a UDINE nel parchegg Della dogma a al sabato sera e Domi dove parchegg no si fa Di tutto e dipiu' basta dare loro barre e works poi ti fanno saltire sul Camn e li fai n Lui CIO Che tu voi allograft mi domanda se lomossuala' non e' accept tats Luania per he' quanto sono fluori l loro terror fanno tutto e si se to ntenti e liberati dal loro modo Di venre...

THE LONG JOURNEY OUT OF THE CLOSET FOR LHUANIA’S GAY MUNY

Jt when you thk Amerins take the ke for beg homophobic then you go to Lhuania and fd out there are people more stupid and partner is Lhuanian and god for bid his fay or village fd out he is uld/would kill him and would be totally acceptable. A lot of young handsome people, mostly gay and bisexual boys and mens, addn som lbian girls an dwimens, and some one who has not sid yet, or are cure for what they want.

GAY RIGA

Please be assured, that gay people, along wh their straight iends, will never stop fightg for equaly and for the realisatn that is not a bad thg to love someone of the same sex. I saw Gay Pri Vilni and was very strange - small, shy monstratn wh most foreign people (also wh Polish supporters) lookg like a prott of workers of a supermarket. I have personally enuntered an unpleasant scene sna when a young fay wh children were forced to leave bee gay uple were almost havg sex there takg no regard of the others.

A GAY UPLE RAN A RAL RTRANT PEACE. THEN NEW NEIGHBORS ARRIVED.

I mean, such nduct is highly improper not only for heterosexuals but also for homosexuals, and I wouldn't be happy to see the heterosexual uple matg somewhere near.