PFLAG in short

In case if you don't exactly know the abbreviation PFLAG: parents and friends of gay & lesbian. (Yepp, it lacks a couple of letters T, B, Q, whatever... but only in its name, to tell their defense.) It is a community with a couple hundred thousand members. Actually, it is not only a community but a non-profit organization. 

What do they do? As you may probably see in the picture, they celebrate the diversity since they envisioned a society in which dignity, civil and legal equality are all fundamental factors -- a society that embraces everyone, including those of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Celebrate, support, whatnot in order to create a safe world (yepp, safe!) in which young people can grow up and be educated with freedom from any form of discrimination, fear of violence.

Not surprisingly, PFLAG is quite popular in the US, whereas it is a relatively "new" thing in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe. However, the goal is (of course) to reach everyone in the world so that a society - that is first of all healthy, and second of all respectful towards human diversity - can really be formed.

Budapest Pride March is ON!!!

Pride march is on -- surprisingly... or NOT. Last Friday, the court of Budapest has reportedly overruled the police’s decision not to grant a license for this year's pride march. Hurrah, the right to assembly (as a fundamental right) is still acknowledged -- the court said and ensured that the police had no legal grounds on which to deny the application. I still can not believe that we (as organizers) had to undergo exactly the same procedure as last year (as the police tried to block the march in 2011 as well...)

What can I say? Nice try? No... it is such a shame that such things can happen (and does happen) in this country. The police argued that it would be impossible to maintain the free flow of traffic, however we all know that it is only about a political decision. Discrimination? Exactly. Are we going to take further actions? YES!! With the help of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, we are going to take further legal actions against the police department, you can read our press release about this (link here).

I do not think that this is a victory of the lgbtq community since it is a fundamental human right. A fundamental right that has to be acknowledged all the time. I want to live in a country in which a person or group is not treated unfavorably on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity... as you already know, I am "just" an anxious hetero citizen, but I have to admit that it is so hard to be gay in Hungary. (sorry for writing gay, I hate that expression...) You can say that I am an outsider, but I disagree. Not because I'm one of the organizers but because the violation of basic rights (to be free from discrimination) is what affects everyone... as an activist, I fight for equal treatment which definitely should be the basis of the society. This is what I believe in, this is the basic principle of my life -- I don't know if I can change the world but at least I can try.

Police refuse to grant permission for this year's Budapest Pride march

Let's see what happened so far... As you may know, I'm one of the organizers of the Budapest Pride -- so the following press release (link here) was partly written by me and translated by another organizer. 

As an answer to the police's step we've made a video asking if they really think we are going to disappear. They can't ban us and we will be at the Budapest Pride!! Enjoy the background music: Blur :) 

The Budapest Police Department has refused to grant permission for this year's Budapest Pride march. The march had been announced for July 7, 2012, with a route from City Park to Alkotmány Street along Andrássy Avenue, by the festival’s organizers, the Rainbow Mission Foundation. This is not the first time the police have tried to prevent the march, and this year they again justified their decision to restrict our freedom of assembly with the claim that it is impossible to redirect traffic to another route. With the help of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ), we are filing a petition for review of the ban. We look forward to the Budapest Metropolitan Court repealing the police’s decision, which is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

The march is a part of the Budapest Pride Film and Cultural Festival, whose goal is to raise awareness about the discrimination and legal inequality faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The festival aims to build and strengthen the Hungarian LGBTQ community, address and involve heterosexual allies, and stand up against stereotypical and homophobic portrayals of our community.

Banning the march is one of the means used to silence the LGBTQ community. The last two years have seen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law threatened in Hungary, and through its actions, the government has infringed upon the rights of many groups. The Basic Law, passed in April 2011 and in effect since the beginning of this year, the “family protection” law voted on last December, and the Hungarian Society for the Science of the Family founded in February all severely violate the rights of LGBTQ people. Banning the Pride march would only exacerbate the social marginalization of this community.

One of the themes we are highlighting in this year’s festival (June 30 - July 8)  is the diversity of the LGBTQ community in Hungary. Given that the community is often invisible, our diversity of identities and experiences often goes unrecognized even within the community. For example, bisexual, queer, and trans people frequently find themselves marginalized and their voices unheard. LGBTQ people who are members of other marginalized groups as well (disabled people, national, ethnic, and religious minorities, etc.) are hardly ever allowed the opportunity to express their full identities. Mainstream society’s view of the LGBTQ community is restricted to a very narrow segment of the group, primarily gay men and lesbian women, and this picture is often based on explicitly homophobic and transphobic stereotypes.

Close The Gender Pay Gap!

So what is this about? What's this gap? The gender pay gap is the average difference between men's and women's hourly earnings. This gap reflects ongoing discrimination and inequalities in the labor market which, in practice, mainly affect women. Getting 17% less than you deserve? Women in Europe experience this everyday... so this day, the "pay gap day" is another opportunity to highlight the problem.

In addition, our Women's Group at the Amnesty International organizes an event for women's day (March 8) that will also emphasize the inequalities. According to our plan, we will sell cookies and their prices will be in direct proportion with the average salaries women and men receive for the same job. Thus, men will have to pay more for the same portion. This is our compensation. But, I am going to write about this project in a later post -- I mentioned here only as an introduction.