Relentless Homophobia Rages in the Balkans

[Shana A]

Relentless Homophobia Rages in the Balkans

http://www.balkantravellers.com/en/read/article/643

Text by Ekaterina Petrova   

Be IN-tolerant! Be normal!, appeals a poster (pictured above) that recently flooded the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia.

As the first gay pride parade in Bulgaria is about to take place, amid strong opposition by nationalistic organisations and a large part of society, the high levels of persistent homophobia in the country and the Balkans as a whole come to attention once again. Despite the fact that virtually all the countries in the Balkans have laws that guarantee equality and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, the lack of tolerance towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender/transsexual (LGBT) people still seems deeply engrained and prevalent.