Eastern Europe was once a world lear on gay rights. Then ran out of spegoats | CNN

Contents:

• EASTERN EUROPE WAS ONCE A WORLD LEAR ON GAY RIGHTS. THEN RAN OUT OF SPEGOATS
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BUDAPT
• HOW HATRED OF GAY PEOPLE BEME A KEY PLANK HUNGARY’S THORARIAN TURN
• BUDAPT GAY MAP
• BUDAPT GAY SNAS

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

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. 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.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS BUDAPT

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.

HOW HATRED OF GAY PEOPLE BEME A KEY PLANK HUNGARY’S THORARIAN TURN

Duds said Hungary, too, was once ahead of Wtern Europe, crimalizg homosexualy 1961, although the muny remaed largely visible.

Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) rights and the groups who work to protect them are unr h prsure Hungary. The book was the target of homophobic phback, cludg om policians who lled “homosexual propaganda” and om nservativ who sought to have banned om bookstor.

BUDAPT GAY MAP

Image source, RtersImage ptn, Activists displayed a huge rabow balloon ont of Hungary's parliament to prott agast the lawThe European Parliament has voted favour of urgent legal actn over Hungary's new law banng the pictn of homosexualy to new legislatn breached "EU valu, prcipl and law", MEPs parliament add that the law was "another tentnal and premedated example of the gradual dismantlg of fundamental rights Hungary" Mister Viktor Orban sists school policy is a matter for Hungary, not "Bssels burecrats" a rolutn passed on Thursday wh 459 favour, 147 agast and 58 abstentns, MEPs said the latt velopments Hungary followed a broar pattern of polil parliament urged the European Commissn to e a new tool that allows the EU to rce budget allotns to member stat breach of the le of law, to ensure that the Hungarian ernment reverse the cisn. Crics say Hungary's new law, which me to force on Thursday, equat homosexualy wh paedophilia.

The new l troduced by Hungary foc on creasg punishment for nvicted paedophil, but an amendment was passed on 15 June banng the portrayal or promotn of homosexualy among uld affect sex tn and advertisg, and even stop TV favour such as Friends or Harry Potter beg broadst until late at night, there are also fears that vulnerable young people uld be prived of important support. Hungary also do not regnise gay Orban has been wily cricised the EU, acced of curbg the rights of migrants and other mori, policisg the urts and media, and toleratg anti-Semism.

Image source, AFPLGBT people and their supporters have marched through the pal cy of Hungary to fend their as the ernment tri to lim discsn of homosexualy and transgenr issu schools. Tips for Gay and Lbian Travelers Budapt. U., Hungary has had to modify s laws regardg gay and lbian rights, though some olr gay people say they had better unr Socialism.

BUDAPT GAY SNAS

Gays and lbians have a tenncy to stay visible as much as possible. In Budapt, there are only two exclively gay bars and both are for men only. This is not a hotspot for those seekg a primarily gay orientated vatn.

The Internatnal Gay and Lbian Travel Associatn (IGLTA; tel. 954/776-2626;) is the tra associatn for the gay and lbian travel dtry, and offers an onle directory of gay- and lbian-iendly travel bs; go to their webse and click on "Members.

Spartac Internatnal Gay Gui (Bno Gmünr Verlag;), an excellent travel rource to the top worldwi ci and rorts, clus Budapt and other ci Hungary. Hungary’s parliament has passed a law banng gay people om featurg school tnal materials or TV shows for unr-18s, as Viktor Orbán’s lg party tensified s mpaign agast LGBT natnal assembly passed the legislatn by 157 vot to one, after MPs the lg Fisz party ignored a last-mute plea by one of Europe’s leadg human rights officials to abandon the plan as “an afont agast the rights and inti of LGBTI persons”.

Dpe a boytt of the vote by some opposn policians, the oute was never doubt, as Fisz has a healthy majory and the plans were supported by the far-right Jobbik measur have been likened by crics to Rsia’s 2013 law agast “gay propaganda” that pennt monors say has creased social hostily and fuelled vigilante attacks agast lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people the EU untry’s eastern Hungarian legislatn outlaws sharg rmatn wh unr-18s that the ernment nsirs to be promotg homosexualy or genr change. Compani and large anisatns will also be banned om nng adverts solidary wh gay people, if they are emed to target unr-18s.