Drew Berrymore bought a gay club!!

Hilarious! Drew Berrymore bought a gay club in Hollywood. Just read an article on pinknews:

"During the last US Presidential election, Ms Barrymore vocalised her support for now President Barack Obama. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Drew Barrymore said that Obama’s “sensitivity” on the issue had won her over:

“When I heard him speak about a gay person never having to sit outside the hospital room with their loved one sick inside, I burst into tears because so many people I care about are homosexual and it was profound to have someone be sensitive to that,” she said."

Hungarian celebrities support Budapest Pride

This is what fame should be used for?! In an ideal world yes, but in reality... I don't think so... I don't think it should be a fundamental expectation, nor do I think that is a minimal effort that everyone should do. The word should means something is compulsory... well, it is not.

But, I welcome everyone who wants to raise her/his voice in this issue. So, I called lot of celebrities the week before last week (yes, can't wait my phone bill to arrive), I talked to at least 60 people within 3 days, told them what our idea was and asked if they wanted to participate. I explained the context -- basically that the police refused to grant permission for the march and we had to turn to the court. Thus, with supporting video messages from famous people (mostly hetero supporters) we can

• reach a lot of people
• engage a lot of people to come to the march
• raise awareness of the legal discrimination and inequality
• start changing the society

I do think that we shall thank all who participated in this video project. Because it means a lot. It means a lot that famous people from the cultural sector came, told their opinion, showed and ensured their support and solidarity.

From this time on, we are going to post a video each day until the festival (july 1-8), keep following :) 

The first one is with Szabó Győző -- this is an exceptional video, because instead of a "usual" supporting message, we recorded the visual representation of our first phone call (which was actually funny). He misunderstood the event, thought it was Budapest Ride, a march with motorcycles and bikes, not Budapest Pride the march for LGBTQ people. He did not really understand why it was almost banned. It was also unclear for him why I said no, you can not come to the march by motorcycle. Finally it turned out that the whole chat was based on a huge misapprehension :)

IDAHO -- stand up against homophobia and transphobia!

Yepp, 17 of May is the IDAHO -- nah, not that one, it's a different one. Symbolic date? Exactly. May 17 was chosen as the day of the event because homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization on May 17, 1990. Since then, there are several examples of the diversity of approaches and actions that organisations engage in. One thing is common: those who participate think that it is an opportunity to raise your voice, send a message and fight for human rights -- a never-ending struggle? Arising from prejudice and ignorance, homophobia and transphobia can affect LGBTQ people’s lives in many ways. Every day, members of the LGBTQ community face disapproving comments, verbal attacks, hate speech, and physical violence, simply because their gender identity and/or sexual orientation is not what is accepted by the mainstream society. What's more in case of Hungary -- declarations of homophobia and transphobia can be heard even in the Parliament. And at this rate, Budapest Police’s practice of banning the pride march every year will soon become a Hungarian national tradition... nice.

Let's see how we celebrated IDAHO in Budapest! Organized by a couple of NGOs (including Budapest Pride, Amnesty International Hungary, Háttér Support Society for LGBT People, Labrisz Lesbian Association, the Hungarian LGBT Alliance and TransVanilla Transgender Association) the event took place at Deák tér from 4 pm and there were numerous programs. You can read the official press realease partly written by me (link here), you know I am one of the organizers of the Budapest Pride. What you could choose: support the Budapest Pride March with a video message, make sidewalk art with us, sign the Baltic Pride petition of the Amnesty International or join a discussion about transphobia held in Café Vis Major. The key is to say NO somehow.

I could not attend the discussion, but I spent two hours at Deák tér by interviewing strangers what they think about the pride march in general, if they plan to attend this year's etc. We recorded a number of speakers for this video of support. Besides one extreme homophobe guy, all the answers were relevant and instructive ...and I have to tell you my favorite one: I asked a middle-aged women who took her kids why she thought it was important to attend the event -- and what she replied was soooo encouraging -- she said that she wanted her children to be raised in a society in which same-sex couples were just as usual as hetero ones. Lovely!

St. Petersburg's propaganda law in reality

I have already written a couple of posts about what is going on in St. Petersburg and what this propaganda law is about. Well, it did come into force and now we have the first guy (a hardcore lgbtq campaigner) to be convicted of ‘gay propaganda’. 

According to the report of the AP, Nikolai Alekseev was said to have been fined 5,000 roubles, just over £100, by a court in Russia’s second city for the promotion of homosexuality among minors... So, what did he do? As the news and the article by PinkNews (link here) highlight, Alekseev had held up a sign reading “Homosexuality is not a perversion” outside the Smolny Institute in April in public view. Shame on him, nah?! 

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.

...about the proposals submitted by the Hungarian far-right party

"We will not stand by!" -- the title itself refers to our answer -- what the hell is going on in this country? 

We (as organizers of Budapest Pride) have just published our statement about the proposals submitted by Jobbik which is the far-right party in Hungary. (link here)

Two days ago, on April 10, Jobbik representative Mirkóczki Ádám submitted a law proposal and two proposed amendments to the new constitution of Hungary that would, if accepted, amend the media law, the criminal code, advertising laws, and the constitution to make the very existence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in Hungary criminal and unlivable. Just to highlight the irony in it: Mirkóczki is a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights, Minority, Civic, and Religious Affairs. WTF?!

So, what do all these things mean? Mirkóczki’s amendment of advertising laws would ban any ad that “portrays sexual disorders, especially sexual relationships between members of the same sex, as socially acceptable models to follow.” According to his recommendations, the constitution would guarantee the right of peaceful assembly to everyone except lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people; this would include banning the Budapest Pride march. Furthermore, it would impose fines on LGBTQ people for holding hands or kissing in public.

Well, ok radicalism, homophobia, fascism etc are fundamental factors when talking about a party like Jobbik, but I still can not believe that such proposals can be submitted in the 21st century... Seems that some Hungarian politicians not only 'supported' the propaganda law (I wrote some blog posts about that, link here) -- but based on that, they had new ideas. Congrats. As a straight supporter of the community I am deeply disappointed that this is happening in Hungary. Shame on us!!

What we reacted:

As the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and straight organizers of the Budapest Pride Film and Cultural Festival,

• We are OUTRAGED by Jobbik’s fascistic viewpoint, which Ádám Mirkóczki represents;

• We REFUSE to allow these attempts to restrict our fundamental freedoms and make our everyday lives and basic self-expression impossible;

• We CALL ON on the Hungarian government, the Hungarian prime minister, the parties in Parliament, the minister of Parliament, and the president of the republic to reject the viewpoint represented in the proposed amendment, and to make it clear that there is absolutely no room for such an amendment in Hungary in 2012;

• We DEMAND that the soon-to-be-created committee on ethics that would punish representatives for expressions of racism, antisemitism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia stand up against homophobia and transphobia as well!

SILENCE IS COMPLICITY. We ask everyone who rejects Jobbik’s proposed amendment to speak out in protest.

We welcome all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and straight supporters to this year’s Budapest Pride march on July 7!

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.

Zagreb vol. 2

It's been a while that I have not updated or posted anything new about the training I applied for. You remember, the LGBTQ seminar, organized in Zagreb that will be held between April 11 and 16. If you wish, click on the link and you can read back my first post about this (link here). 

According to their latest e-mail it is not at all sure that I am going to participate :((

Let's see: my application was accepted.

Later, the prep-team sent another e-mail that since I am not that exciting from the gender point of view I was put on a waiting list. OMG. I mean I understand that they want to create a gender balance but on the other hand it has a slight "discriminatory" effect: just because I'm a hetero girl? thanks... I think it would have been better if they found out something like "oh we selected the first applicants and you signed up later than others...", don't you?

All in all, I still hope I can go. If not, they already sent a "compensational" offer about the other two courses scheduled for this year. Until a receive the "final" e-mail, please keep your fingers crossed. Thanks.

And one more: I allowed donations because I needed money for this trip to Croatia. I already received some dollars, so thank you for that. I really appreciate... and I promise I am going to keep this amount on my PayPal until another opportunity in which I can actively take part comes. Thank you again.

NOM Declares War on Starbucks

Daily bullshit is out -- NOM declares war on Starbucks for being a LGBTQ-friendly place... NOM, the National Organization for Marriage is of course an antigay association that has just decided to fight against the company. It is boycotting Starbucks because they believe the coffee chain took sides in a culture war by supporting same-sex marriage in Washington. 

How they plan to do this? The organization launched a website called DumpStarbucks.com and said it intends to place advertisements throughout the U.S., the Middle East, and Southeast Asia that encourage people to stop patronizing Starbucks... all because the company is gay-friendly. And wow DumpStarbucks.com has 5800 pledges as of this morning... They are also asking people to call their local Starbucks and complain to the manager about the coffee purveyor’s gay marriage stance. Unbelievable... you can read more about this on advocate.com (link here)

There is one thing for sure: I love Starbucks and I think I love them more... and more... :) the space, the furniture, the smell and the beverage altogether attract me, love the place, love its management and love how they support the LGBTQ people. Go on like this!

I took this photo at a local Starbucks in Budapest during the winter. What I tried that time was a limited offer (toffee nut latte)

...to lawmakers in St. Petersburg

Just to continue the previous post... so, what is the point in protesting against this horrible bill? Ok, I mean what can be the result? Actually, the bill won't become law until it's signed by the Governor. 

 

So, here is a list of facts, based on the article on All Out (link here): 

No. 1: St. Petersburg is one of Russia's number one tourist destinations. True. That's why an international storm of bad publicity will force the Governor to think twice about the cost of signing this bill. Worth the risk? 

No. 2: Conservatives in St. Petersburg passed this "gay gag rule" despite condemnation from world leaders - and even the country's own international treaty obligations respecting freedom of expression. But at the same time, Russian leaders recently announced that they want to invest $11 billion dollars to build their international reputation and attract tourists from around the world. St. Petersburg, Russia's cosmopolitan "window to the west" is key to that strategy. 

Silencing everything connected to "gay" is not really a western thing... so, I can only show my support, go on with the protest!

As in case of last week, there was another solidarity protest in Budapest, right outside the Russian embassy. This time the demonstration was accompanied by a drum show, just to highlight how important it is to raise your voice. Though the video is pretty dark, the message is clear: "we cannot be censored, banned or silenced" -- in various languages. 

Against the Russian "propaganda law"

Let's start with clarification: this is not an action organized by me, I did not even join but I show my support. 

I do think it is important to say some words -- what is going on with this issue? It already became known that the governor of St. Petersburg (Georgiy Poltavchenko) signed the homophobic law (gay gag law) imposing administrative fines on the so-called "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderism" and paedophilia to minors. The lawmakers passed the notorious "propaganda" law to silence any reading, writing, speech or debate on anything "gay." The goal? To make LGBT people disappear. No question.

Having read the article (link here) posted onto ILGA-Europe's site, I can only quote it, because it perfectly summarizes what the problem is:

"In fact, this law has little to do with protecting minors. Today, neither homosexual people, nor human rights defenders, nor lawyers can answer the question of how this law is going to be applied in practice, due to its vague nature and non-legal terminology. To talk about existence of homosexuality, to publicly denounce homophobic violence, to develop sense of self-awareness and dignity in homosexual people, to promote tolerance – all of these acts can fall under the "propaganda" law. This law will serve directly to further isolate and marginalize the gay community and encourage hate towards a social group."

There was a banner-making afternoon nearly two weeks ago -- oh yeah, how to be creative but serious: spread your message and raise your voice.

There has already been a "sympathy" protest last week outside the Russian Embassy in Budapest and another demonstration is to be held tomorrow. What is the aim? To show rage against condemnation of this bill and also to pressure the governor to withdraw the law. In addition, it is an opportunity to show solidarity with the Russian LGBTQI community.

6-day-long training on LGBTQ rights in the Balkans

It was yesterday when I applied. There is going to be a nearly week-long course on LGBTQ rights, focused on the queer community, held in Zagreb. I applied but on my own -- not as a representative of any NGO I regularly work for. Fortunately, accommodation and food will be provided, but I do have to pay for my travelling costs. Zagreb is not that far away from Budapest so I hope it is not going to be that expensive. So, I'm going to install a donation option for this blog. I'm not asking for money (or at least not directly), but whoever wants to support my work, I gladly welcome him/her and would be very grateful. :) thank you thank you.

Organized by the Green European Foundation, the title "Queering Green Theory / Greening Queer Theory" refers to an approach how the Greens can address LGTBQ as a Human Rights issue.

The term "queer" is quite a new expression that is usually and wrongly used as a synonym for gay/lesbian. However, it is rather a lifestyle than a sexual orientation... lifestyle? it is an "ideology" I would say. It is interesting that those associating themselves with lgbt communities are not even familiar with the meaning of queer.

During our last Pride meeting it also turned out that a "clarification" is necessary. We are going to have a sensitization training sometime during spring and the queer-question (oh, how much I hate this expression) is one of the topics that we need to discuss. Complicated or just too modern? Why aren't we aware of these things? Back to my point: this course will definitely be fundamental for me -- as a degree collector, I always say that :) awareness-awareness-awareness, key concept of my life. Hope they accept my application... we'll see...