"Gays and lesbians in western Europe enjoy legal rights and levels of tolerance that would have been almost unthinkable 15 years ago. But in eastern Europe, hostility and discrimination against homosexuals still run deep." [Deutsche-Welle]
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I read articles like this all the time and the difference really is startling. I count myself incredibly lucky to have been born here in Ireland, where acceptance of gays is very, very high (more than 70% support gay marriage, according to a recent poll in the Irish Times) and not in backward Poland or Bulgaria!
the word "tolerance" when refering to the homosexual lifestyle is offensive.. "enjoy levels of tolerance"? well, thank YOU!
I blame Soviet oppression. All that no-god business compelled them to leap for the most ridiculously twisted expressions of 'traditionalism' once they got off the leash.
In an ideal world, where you live shouldn't matter. But it certainly does.
In the United States, for example, gays and lesbians on the West Coast and Northeast enjoy a high degree of social acceptance. The legal systems in these states are generally designed to protect them from discrimination. And same-sex unions are recognized in some form or another.
Conversely, you go to the Southern states, and it is always hunting season on "sexual perverts." They can literally do anything to gays and lesbians without any legal reprecussion.
If they murder you in South Carolina, they'll simply use the gay panic defense to get off the hook. If they fire you from your job in Texas, you cannot retaliate in any way. The attorneys in Texas (who are mostly anti-gay themselves) will sooner laugh in your face than accept your lawsuit.
And we're talking about the same country here!
If the European Union had a "red state/blue state" divide like the United States do, most of the former Eastern Bloc would surely be equivalent to our southern "red states". Shame.