As Budapest gears up to host the annual LGBT sportsfest known as the EuroGames next summer, one thing’s fairly clear: The Hungarian capital’s mayor, István Tarlós, won’t be watching.
In a just-released letter to Berlin’s openly gay mayor Klaus Wowereit, Tarlós says that while he respects the right of the EuroGames folks to do whatever they and their “like-minded people” want, “I disassociate myself from both [the] lifestyle, as well as from the event. It is not for me, in my power, to support them.”
Hungarian media reports that Tarlós has furthermore taken to playing the heterophobia card: “Is this not a discriminatory event, if this tendency is only that such people can participate? Because… this is a form of exclusion.”
Despite the lack of love from the mayor, the EuroGames will take place in Budapest from June 27 to July 1, 2012, with about 4,000 athletes from across the European continent expected to participate.
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Photo via tarlosistvan.hu
Jari
The EuroGames are inclusive and heteros are allowed so even the mayor is welcome to participate.
Tim
Wait, haven’t gay pride parades in Budapest in the last decade been really violent? Neo-Nazis were throwing rocks at and threatening the few brave marchers, who needed to be protected by police escort. Why did the EuroGames choose to give their money to this city?
Kenny
White homophobia.
SEXXYJAMAICAN
@Kenny: +20. You made my morning.
Gigi
Yup. They’re my people. Glad I don’t live there any more.
Kieran
Someone should have reminded the mayor you always pull your pants down before taking a dump.
DonsterNYC
This guy must be out of his mind. 4,000 athletes plus their support teams are converging on his city. His city is going to make millions off this one event and he’s dissing it. What a fricking idiot. He should be doing everything humanly possible to make this even run perfectly; including calling off the violent homophobes. Doing so would only entice other events to choose his city. Obviously, he missed his economics classes back in school. He’s nothing but a short sighted moron.
Timothy (TRiG)
Hungary is having severe problems at the moment. It’s turning violent and right-wing. The mayor being a bit spitty is far from the biggest problem.
TRiG.