Analysis of policies toward homosexuals in the Czech Republic, Hungary and SlovakiaPolicy Paper
Background
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in Central and Eastern
Europe are still dealing with the same basic problem as 10 years before.
Nevertheless, it is true, that the level of success by fighting these problems
differs in each country.
These problems are: the low level of accepting LGBT people from the
side of wide society, low level of visibility in everyday life, legal discrimination,
low level of representation on the political level.
LGBT society can use basically two ways to succeed. First is to start
to convince the society to accept LGBT people as equal and let the society
make pressure to the politicians (through media) to change laws, create
new once, etc. The second way is to convince the politicians that LGBT
people are equal and that they need help in convincing the rest of the
society.
In the Czech Republic the LGBT NGOs unified their power into an umbrella.
They started a campaign with wide publicity, with a person to represent
them in all media, with clear goals and message. This was the first alternative.
It was successful. In Hungary and Slovakia the second alternative was used
and is was less successful. (See the research paper for more details.)
Current Situation
LGBT NGOs are present in all countries. The level of their influence
is different. In the Czech Republic they are fighting for the registered
partnership law to be accepted by the parliament - as it was already accepted
and introduced by the government. This proposal was prepared by the LGBT
umbrella SOHO. In Hungary, LGBT activists are trying to delete the discrimination
in the criminal law (different age of consent for homo- and heterosexuals).
In Slovakia, activists are trying to get recognized. Sexual minorities
are not recognized as minorities and their problems are bagatelized in
Hungary and Slovakia. (See attached country climates.)
Funding for advocacy and other activities of LGBT NGOs is not available
in the region.
Objectives
Czech Republic:
* To continue discussion about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender);
especially bisexual and transgender; identity within the community.
* To generate discussion about LGBT people's place within society in
general and with the public at large.
* To make LGBT people visible, to create more positive images.
* To establish regular forums of discussion with other groups in the
region; establish and encourage information and experience exchange.
* To work with gender (male and female roles in the society)
Hungary and Slovakia:
* To generate discussion about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)
identity within the community.
* To generate discussion about LGBT people's place in the society and
relations with society at large.
* To make LGBT people visible, to create a positive image.
* To establish regular forums of discussion with other groups in the
region; information and experience exchange.
Measure of the success: We made progress, if:
Czech Republic:
* LGBT people are not afraid to come out.
* LGBT people are the target audience of political parties and businesses
(commercials).
* There is a discussion about the possibility of same sex couples to
adopt children
* The Czech parliament accepts the law on registered partnership introduced
by SOHO and same sex couples can be also registered
Hungary and Slovakia:
* The LGBT lifestyle is not taboo anymore.
* LGBT people are not afraid to come out.
* LGBT people are the target audience of political parties and businesses
(commercials).
* LGBT groups are organized and strong, have clear goals and strategies.
* LGBT groups are sustainable
* LGBT lobby groups are established and begin to work.
Activities and Implementation
1. Creating a "Virtual Central-Eastern European LGBT Center" on the
Internet.
Web site in English with sub-sites in languages of different countries,
to be able to communicate with each other. Editorial staff of 2-3 people
(one web expert, others able to speak CEE languages) would look for materials
to publish, translate these materials, generate debates, etc.
2. Establishing a group of people, who would every 3-4 months react
in written
form on the homophobic media releases in one "Pink Book". The group
could
cooperate with other institutions (Czech Republic: The Helsinki Council,
Gender
Studies Center, Department of Sociology on the Charles University in
Prague,
Department of Sociology on the Masaryk University in Brno) (Hungary:
COLPI and
The Human Rights Documentation Center). The Book would be sent to the
most
Important institutions, media and presented on a press conference.
3. Establishing a "LGBT Community House".
The simple existence of such place for LGBT people to meet freely would
emphasize the existence of LGBT in the society.
The House should contain:
- meeting place for all formal and informal groups
- information center, library, archive
- place for the performances, literary evenings,
- free internet access
- space for editing the gay monthly and lesbian monthly
- HIV testing site
- inexpensive place for visiting people from country side to stay
4. Organize a CEE Conference on LGBT Issues in the Region
A 4-5 days conference with as many representatives of groups from the
region as possible to exchange experience and information, and to discuss
further plans and strategies.
5. Hire a group of professionals to work on research on social status of LGBT people in Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, on the level of homophobia and other important questions.
6. Encourage establishing Lesbian, Gay and Straight Education Networks at secondary schools and higher educational institutions.
7. Organize a summer school for teachers.
During a two-week stay provide training about discrimination of LGBT
people, disabled people, people with overweight etc. Training could be
also useful for students (teachers, medical doctors).
8. Encourage students (law, sociology) to work on cases of discrimination of LGBT people.
9. Organize a competition in poetry and prose in cooperation with one of the literary papers.
10. Together with other Soros Network programs encouraging publishing
of books with LGBT themes. (In November 1999 a pilot project started at
the Center for Publishing Development (OSI Budapest) on lesbian and gay
books in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.)
BRIEF COUNTRY CLIMATS
Age of consent
Czech Republic: 15 years for homo- and heterosexual couples.
Hungary: 14 years for heterosexuals and 18 years for same-sex couples.
Sexual contact with same sex partner is in certain circumstances described
as
"fornication against nature" and "seduction".
Slovakia: 15 years for homo- and heterosexual couples.
Common law relationship
Czech Republic:
There no law on domestic partnership for same sex couples. In March
1999 the Czech Cabinet approved a bill on the legal partnership of homo-
and heterosexuals. The draft bill will have to survive three readings in
the Parliament, be passed by the Senate, and then be approved by the President.
The bill is scheduled for its second reading in October 1999. If it becomes
law, it will enable persons of same sex to conclude a legal agreement that
gives them most property and social rights now reserved to married couples,
excluding the right to adoption.
Hungary:
There is a law on domestic partnership for same or opposite sex couples.
Since the level of coming out is very law, this possibility is not
really used. There is no need for registration, but same-sex couples cannot
adopt children.
Slovakia:
There is no law on any kind of registered partnership for same sex
couples. The NGO Ganymedes worked out a proposal for the same-sex partnership,
but the Slovak government refused to deal with the issue.
Representation
Czech Republic:
Around 20 LGB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual) NGOs and groups from all around
the country are covered by the umbrella association SOHO (founded 1991).
This is unique in the region.
Lesbians have been organized separately since the beginning of the
movement.
There are no bisexual and transgender representatives as registered
organization at all.
Hungary:
There is no umbrella organization for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender) groups. There are no bisexual and transgender representatives
as organized groups at all. Several groups are informal, (big progress
was made at universities in the countryside where few students groups are
established). Hatter is the biggest and strongest NGO, established to run
a help and information line for LGBT people.
Slovakia:
There is no umbrella organization for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender) groups. There are no bisexual and transgender representatives
as organized groups at all. Slovak gay and lesbian NGOs were part of SOHO
during the federal state of Czechoslovakia.
The oldest NGO, Ganymedes, is rather passive nowadays; so is the lesbian
group, Museion. A new group of young people in Bratislava, HaBio; and new
lesbian group from Banska Bystrica, Altera, are active and seem to have
a different perspective.
Infrastructure
Czech Republic
LGBT media: Monthly Absolute SOHO Revue (A4, color print) is mainly
male oriented and was available in newsstands until May 1999; there are
several papers for gays (especially with personals) and several separate
papers for lesbians (non of them available at the newstands).
Bona Dea is a weekly (25 minutes) radio program at the state owned
station, CR1.
Meeting places: Gays in Prague have many opportunities to meet at bars
and discos. Lesbian places are available as well.
Gay pride: The Rainbow Festival with gay pride march was started in
1998 in Karlovy Vary . There are events on World AIDS Day in Prague. In
1999, the fifth lesbian film and cultural festival, Apriles, was held.
In 1999 the first gay film festival was held; however, it was not open
to the wide public, only 60 people participated.
Hungary:
LGBT media: There is one mainly gay men oriented monthly newspaper
"Masok", black and white, A5. There are two radio programs. One monthly
at the state radio, Petofi: "Onazonos," presented by a lesbian and a gay
man. The second is a biweekly program at the local community radio station
in Budapest, Tilos Radio, presented by a gay man. At the Internet there
is a possibility to listen to a weekly "Paradiator."
Meeting places: There are several bars and discos for gays or gay friendly.
Most of them are gay man oriented and have certain days for lesbians or
the general public. There is no women place in the country.
Gay pride: Since 1995 there is a regular film and cultural festival
in Budapest every summer. Gay pride march has been organized since 1996
during the festival. For several years there is a candlelight march on
December 1st, World AIDS Day.
Slovakia:
LGBT media: There is no official regular paper on LGBT issues in Slovakia.
Few lesbian papers exist, none of them available at the newsstands.
Meeting places: There are several bars and discos. In Bratislava, there
is also a "Center" for LGBT people with programs organized by HaBio.
Gay pride: In 1999 HaBio organized the first open gay film festival
in Bratislava. In previous years the festival was held, but was not accessible
to the general public.
Presence of LGBT people in the mainstream media
Czech Republic:
Jiri Hromada and other leaders of SOHO have been present in the media
since 1991. Because of the discussions about the proposed registered partnership
law for same-sex couples, the issue of LGBT people's equality has been
present in the society since 1995. Most of the media is gay-friendly.
Positive role models, famous LGBT people are present in the media (Jiri
Hromada as former actor, openly gay; Vaclav Fischer as candidate to the
Senate and now Senator, openly bisexual).
Hungary:
LGBT people are present in the media only as victims or as participants
of some sort of scandal. In most cases pedophilia, homosexuality and transgenderism
are mixed and these categories are mentioned only as negative virtues.
Positive role models, famous LGBT people are not present in the media.
Slovakia:
Articles about homosexuality are rare. If they appear, their language
is neutral, positive or negative. Famous gays as role models are not present
in the society.