Why, hello again. It seems like only yesterday we told you about those two brave gentlemen who walked through Jerusalem holding hands and secretly filming the responses of your average jerk off the streets. (OK, we posted it like two hours ago.)
Related: Two Men Walked The Streets of Moscow Holding Hands As A Social Experiment. Things Did Not End Well
Well, while that social experiment yielded a barrage of homophobic catcalls — much like when it was attempted in Moscow and Russia last month — the results in Portugal turned out to be far more encouraging. Almost ridiculously so. Almost definitely ridiculously so.
Related: Boyfriend Experiment Ends In Violent Attack By Neo-Nazis
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Walking through Lisbon hand in hand for three days (with some coffee breaks in-between, we imagine), sprightly couple Lorenzo and Pedro received an overwhelmingly positive response. Sure, there were some curious stares, but no skunk-eyed glares, and no punches. Not even one neo-Nazi tried to kill them.
Related: Two Men Walk Down The Streets of Jerusalem Holding Hands. What Happens Next Totally Sucks.
In fact, as their confidence surged, Lorenzo and Pedro passionately made out a few times, and — really testing the limits of propriety — went in for an impromptu jag of Ring Around the Rosy. And by the look of the footage, people were just fine with that. (Which is pretty shocking — we’ve been glared at by gay men in gay bars for far less.)
In short, the whole thing is pretty damn awesome. So let’s all move to Lisbon.
Xzamilio
Okay, NOW it’s a little much. I’m living for the height difference, though… gives my short ass hope!!!
Glücklich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfWeL4pQkjI
Jim DelRae
Not a big fan of PDA, but I find this video very empowering.
Ashleigh Battles
Portugal has been gay friendly since 70s. What do you expect?
mz.sam
Thanks for the positive posting. Love does WIN!
Justin Jacobs
gosto muito de lisboa
Kevin Scott
Maravilhoso! XX
meghanada
@Ashleigh Battles: Do you mind expanding on that? I know Portugal had a far left government in the 70s, but it lasted little and I’m not sure it had any significant impact on Portugal’s culture and politics in the long term. If anything, Portugal is known to be more religious and provincial than any other country in western Europe, including Spain, but with the possible exception of Italy. Portugal has seen awful crimes against LGBT people; sometime in the early 2000s a Brazilian transsexual was throw into a well by a group of teenagers, who were only imposed symbolic punishment. Portuguese social media comments are also fertile in every kind of bigoted filth, though that can be said for the internet everywhere.
notevenwrong
@meghanada, I have lived in Spain and traveled quite a lot in it, and I disagree with your comment on it. Spain is socially very liberal – much more so than the U.S., for example – and not very religious or provincial at all. Spain was one of the first European countries to get gay marriage, log before, say, France or the U.K. (Germany still doesn’t have it).
meghanada
@notevenwrong: I know Spain well and I know you’re right. I said “including Spain”, not because Spain is backwards, but because Portugal is sometimes conflated with it among Anglophones.
Chris Sledge
Way to go Portugal you are on my list of places to visit ð???
Fredp
@meghanada:I will tell yo a litle bit about Portugal, until 1974 Portugal lived under a dictatorship, and it all ended with a revolution with Far left political ideals, and since that what happened is that we have been governed by “center” Parties, no back to being gay in portugal, Portugal does not have crimes against lgbt people, of that through the years there have been one or another like the one you are talking about, i agree with you that agressors/killers should have had a harder punishment, but that happened like 10 years ago, and since then haven’t been these types of crimes, Portugal was one of the first countries in the world to legalize gay marriage, In these elections exists a trans woman that is running for a spot as a deputy in the Parliament, and if that happens it will be the second in the world, in the Portugal they are discussin co-adoption and adoption by a gay couple, etc… Yes people on social media are sometimes bigoted, but when it comes to real life they are only talk…I think Portugal is and in the future will be even more one of the most LGBT friendly countries… And don’t believe in everything that you hear Portugal is one of the least religious countries in Europe, people just like to say they are catholic…
Jonathan Diamante
Viva Lisboa!!
Stephany Pascoal
Giancarlo85
@meghanada: TERRIBLE POST. Spain and Portugal are some of the most secular countries in the region. Spain has 70% support of same sex marriage and so does Portugal. Both countries have a huge cultural awakening after the dictators were deposed or died. Francisco Franco died and Spain had a huge cultural awakening.
Bringing up one example of a hate crime (when there have been MANY in the US) is not the making of a good argument. Portugal has major support for LGBT rights and equality (something around 70% like Spain). this exceeds the United State and even the United Kingdom. In fact this level of support also exceeds France, Germany and Italy.
You don’t have any clue what you’re talking about.
jwtraveler
The best reaction is no reaction.
Glücklich
@Giancarlo85:
Nicely said. Megonorrhea’s a reeeeeaaaal piece o’work.
meghanada
My comment got stuck in moderation for some reason I don’t know. Trying again:
@Giancarlo85: @Fredp:
The Eurobarometer has consistently found Portugal to be the most religious country in Western Europe. When asked if God exists, the Portuguese are among the most likely to say yes – they top even Italy and Ireland. So what you mean that Portugal is one of the most secular countries in Europe? You surely can’t be talking of the population. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Europe
And, Giancarlo: Portugal and Spain are vastly different on how they feel about religion and important it is to them. Conflating the two, as you keep doing in typical Anglo fashion, doesn’t make you look very knowledgeable of any the teo countries.
@Fredp I followed debate on marriage equality legalization in Portugal, and the only reason the President signed the document was, in his own words, that Portugal was undergoing an economic crisis and an austerity wave, and he would rather get over the marriage debate and return to more pressing subjects than have the Portuguese get divided over the gay issue. It was the least inspiring message that the head of a state that just passed marriage equality ever delivered on the subject. And approval itself was strongly contested on the right.
@Giancarlo85: You’re making up facts out of thin air. I don’t know you, but I can actually speak Portuguese and see for myself what the Portuguese are saying. Google doesn’t turn up any results for polls on marriage equality support in Portugal, so you’re invited to give the source for that 70% comment, even though I know you don’t have any. I don’t doubt that most Portuguese people support it now, if only because that’s what happened in many US states that saw marriage approval; after equality passes, and people see that God has not made fire rain over their heads, they stop caring about the subject some years down the road. But I doubt that was the case in 2010, when equality passed. I do know of Spanish polls showing good numbers, but again, just because it is so in Spain, it doesn’t it will be the same in Portugal, something you’d know if you had any knowledge about either country.
meghanada
@Glücklich: You’re so easily impressed. Giancarlo doesn’t know shit about Portugal – he’s just repeating what Fred said in his own words, lol.
Giancarlo85
@meghanada: Your posts are a disaster. Portugal with a vast majority of the population supports same sex marriage and marriage rights exist in the country. They do not in Italy or Germany. Portugal is more advanced than Italy and Germany.
YOu don’t know anything about the two countries. I know more about Spain than you, you dumb fool. You are the one that paired both countries up and cited Spain as an example for your argument. You just backtrack.
I’m not making up anything. You can’t speak for anyone. A majority have supported same sex marriage, especially after it was legalized. Same sex marriage was legalized for years in Portugal.
You don’t have ANY knowledge about either country. You’re just an uneducated idiot troll who thinks he knows everything.
Giancarlo85
@meghanada: “But I doubt that was the case in 2010
YEt you can’t back up this statement. You’re an idiot and you don’t know shit about Portugal or Spain, you fucking idiot.
You grouped up Spain and Portugal yourself! You really are an illiterate idiot.
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/26/gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013/
Portugal’s parliament passed the measure themselves. Those who are elected by the people of the country.
” I do know of Spanish polls showing good numbers, but again, just because it is so in Spain, it doesn’t it will be the same in Portugal, something you’d know if you had any knowledge about either country.”
YOU ARE THE ONE THAT PAIRED BOTH COUNTRIES TOGETHER YOU BIG FUCKING IDIOT!
Fredp
@meghanada: I just wanted to clear somethings up, the legalization of gay marriage had nothing to do with the president, the decision was made by Portugal’s parliament they passed measure themselves with the vote of the majority, and with support of the government and the prime-minister, that is actual words were ” today is an historic day in parliament, we made a step forward in the way of fighting discrimination” and more… that thing about religion Portugal is one of the most secular countries in the world in the way that church doesn’t interfere in the political decisions and yes the majority of portuguese say they believe in god, but does that interfere in their decisions in their life, i don’t think so… The problem that the right had was that it was called marriage, they wanted it to be called civil unionship…
Ditamo
Being that my family is from an old Portuguese colony and still have many ties with the country, I think I have some inside knowledge to say that Portugal still has misconceptions about gay people and are quite religious, but at the same time Portuguese people are very tolerant and willing to accept new concepts and change for the better. As seen in this video, people in Portugal respect others even if they might think it is something odd. I wish the best for the country and that it continues to work for equal rights for all.
And as a few have already pointed out, Portugal is very religious and the majority of people do believe in God, but at the same time, it is no less secular than any other EU country, with the church having no say in what government does.
McShane
@Giancarlo85: How is it that given any topic somehow you’re magically more educated, you know more, everyone else is such a stupid liar, every single time. You do this exact same thing, every single time. You’re turning a perfectly nice video into another one of your endless arguments. What’s your point?
Legalized marriage- Spain, 2005. Portugal, 2010.
Same sex adoption- Spain, 2005. Portugal, no.
Gays allowed to serve openly in the military- Spain, 1979. Portugal, 1999.
Opinion polls for same sex marriage- Spain 77% for 23% against. 2015
Opinion polls for same sex marriage- Portugal 52% for 43% against. 2014
Opinion polls for same sex adoption- Spain 73% for 27% against. 2013
Opinion polls for same sex adoption- Portugal 19% for 74% against. 2012
http://www.ilga-europe.org/sites/default/files/Attachments/side_a_rainbow_europe_map_2015_a3_no_crops.pdf
Yes, Portugal is getting better, but they are still completely different.
Here, join https://en.gravatar.com/ Put your face where you mouth is. I guarantee that you wouldn’t speak to people the way that you do if your face was attached to the awful things that you say.
meghanada
@McShane: Thank you, McShane. For all of Giancarlo’s hilariously enraged, expletive-rich outburst, he at no point adduced evidence for what I asked for – only you did, and it clearly shows that Giancarlo’s numbers were taken out of his ass.
RobvR
I hope someone will make a video like this in my home town Amsterdam. There’s a big Caribbean and Muslim community that both don’t like homosexuality and it will be impossible to pass by without being commented. Apparantly Lisbon doesn’t seem to have that. But maybe this video was taken only in the touristic center?
Fredp
@McShane: Where did you get those numbers? I am not saying that they are wrong i just find them a little outdated, but i have to agree with you Portugal is not as advanced as spain. And that Map is a bit odd when they have ireland with only 40%, when they were the first coutry to legalize same-sex marriage by the votes of people
@RobvR: This video was taken in different places of Lisbon, the touristic center, but they also went into Cova da Moura, wich is one of the most problematic neighbourhood in Lisbo, and they also went to Vasco Da Gama, a very frequented Mall.
meghanada
This Eurobarometer poll has more interesting results – though the poll is old (2006).
Asked if marriage equality should be legalized throughout Europe, 56% of Spniards said yes vs 29% of Tugas. http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb66/eb66_highlights_en.pdf
I’ll see if there’s something from the last 5 years.
Giancarlo85
@McShane: Oh look everyone. It’s the revisionist dipshit who just pulled a website out of thin air and cited one poll with a shitty sample. What else is new? YOU pull this same stupid fucking act everytime you reply to me. You never properly back yourself up.
Meghanada’s entire argument is out of her ass. She doesn’t have anything to back herself up.
@meghanada: And where are your numbers, dipshit? Asides from a poll from 2006… you really don’t know shit about Spain.