Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Juraj Pikuliak

A Comparison of Aspects of the LGBT Communities in the UK, the and

Bachelor's Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.

2017 / declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

Juraj Pikuliak Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my supervisor, Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B. A. for his patience and advice. Table of Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Historical Development and Current Situation 4

a) History and Development 4

b) Public Opinion and Acceptance 7

c) The Importance of Media 10

d) Discrimination 12

3. Equal Marriages and Civil Unions 15

4. Pride 19

5. Organisations and Events 23

a) British Organisations 24

b) Stud and Other Czech Communities 25

a) Gay Neighbourhoods 27

6. Conclusion 30

7. Works Cited: 32

8. Resume in English 37

9. Resume in Czech 38 1. Introduction

This thesis demonstrates the actual situation of the , gay, bisexual and (hereafter 'LGBT') people and their opportunities in social life, in the terms of a law. The work suggests that the current situation in the Czech Republic and

Slovakia has been largely influenced by the foreign development, especially the British one. The English-speaking world is influencing other countries is a variety of spheres, notably the LGBT rights, visibility and acceptance.

The thesis deals with the LGBT rights and organisations and its actual situation in the Anglophone world, notably in the Great Britain and it is compared to the Czech and Slovak Republics, with a connection showing the mutual influences among the countries. Majority of the Czech and Slovak LGBT people support was built up thanks to the Western European countries, notably Great Britain, but also the United States. If there were no LGBT movements and supporters on the British Isles, there would be no major improvements in Slovakia nor the Czech Republic today. There is a connection between what has happened in Britain and what is now in Central Europe. The mentioned post-communist countries copy the trends and develop in a way that has been observed in the Anglophone world, especially because of the influence of media.

The Czech and Slovak Republics are following the steps of Britain in the way of making the society more open towards homosexuals. This is for various reasons, such as globalisation. Countries are more closer to each other and the laws in Britain inspire the law-makers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. People are travelling and finding their inspiration abroad. The Czech Republic and Slovakia are finding inspiration in

Britain. British trends are inspiring Central Europeans, with the help of globalisation.

The Czech Republic is actually going in the steps of Great Britain.

1 The Central European development of the situation animates the British one in the terms of gay rights and the reader this thesis is also portrayed the acceptance of in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Great Britain. We are shown the percentage of people who believe homosexuality should be accepted by the majority of the population and contrast/compare it with the past. The general results impose the idea that the situation and development is changing fast and in a positive way. Next follows the information on the equal marriages and civil unions and there is a comparison between the three countries. The major changes in the development of these mentioned actions have been made in recent years and decades and therefore it is important to also mention the previous situation.

A part of this work is dedicated to a closer outlook on the gay pride. There still is a significant difference in the prides that take place on the British Isles and the prides in , Bratislava and other major Czech and Slovak cities in the terms of participation on the marches, the views of the majority public and the acceptance of the prides. This is mostly caused by a more conservative post-communist approach of the people in the Czech Republic and Slovakia as well as the prejudices coming from the past. However, the younger generation is more relaxed about about those.

There is a chapter dedicated to organisations, events and places for the LGBT people too. A clear similarity between the British and Czech and Slovak institutions prove what has already been mentioned - the countries influence each other. First communities aimed to the integration of LGBT people to the community, to meet with with similarly oriented people and to have activities together. Among a few is the

STUD organisation, likewise its projects such as Film Festival dedicated to the films with homosexual tematics, and Queer Ball, presented as a

"heterosexual-friendly" ball firstly organised in Brno.

2 The major secondary sources that have been used in this work are as follows:

1. Gay And After by Alan Sinfield, which familiarises the reader with the development

of the acceptance of homosexuality in the English-speaking world, as well as the

pattern in which community organisations work their way into changes in a

country's laws.

2. Analysis of The Situation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Minority in

The Czech Republic written by a group of authors working for the Issues of Sexual

Minorities of the Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities. This analysis

is a detailed work describing the actual state of the problematics in the Czech

Republic, mentioning the major LGBT-related topics such as the community and its

relationship with the society and the foreign impact in the country.

3 2. Historical Development and Current Situation

a) History and Development

Centuries ago, the position of homosexuals was completely different. The first public discussions of queerness appear by the end of the 19th century. However, the period was not in a huge favour for homosexual people, as in the 1930s the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia ment that the people suspected of homosexuality were systematically persecuted and deported (Zurzolo). After that, the Communist regime adopted a new Penal Code in 1948, defining homosexuality as a crime against human dignity, declaring it punishable by up to one year of imprisonment (Zurzolo).

Mentioning those regimes and the oppressions connected to them, it seems as the

Czechoslovak LGBT community had to undergo a harsh period. The uneasy conditions of the Nazi-controlled Europe could be mentioned by homosexual prisoners having a huge mortality rate, and most of them did not survive the war. Those, who did survive never awaited social rehabilitation or even compensation (Benova et al. 16).

As the Destalinization era began in Czechoslovakia, the leaders convened to implement a partial liberalization of the legal system and after lengthy discussions on the issue, the new Penal Code of 1962 unexpectedly approved the decriminalization of homosexuality. Consensual sexual relations between adults of the same sex were no longer a criminal offence but it was still hard to publicly talk or make any reference to homosexuality (Zurzolo). Communist regime brought a lot of police bullying, yet there existed known places, mainly in Prague, where the homosexual minority congregated, but it is only possible to speak of truly free development of the lesbian and gay community after the revolution of 1989 (Benova et al. 16). This changed after 1989, the

4 so called Velvet Revolution, which was one of the biggest turning points in the history and development of the county. The new era and atmosphere were present and the tendency to cooperate with LGBT people too. We could say, that this was a moment, when the Czech Republic started to gain the inspiration in this problematics from abroad, mostly from Western Europe. There were no other countries to be inspired by, as the Eastern Europe generally has even worse positions in terms of LGBT rights. This way, there were no voices coming from the East. There is a fact connected to the acceptance of homosexuality in Czechoslovakia, and it is that the homosexual orientation in the "upper class" was not so dangerous for people as it was for the "lower class", which had to deal with the laws and persecution. Those laws were applying to everyone, yet there were no pogrom because of that (Fanel, 391).

After the end of Communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, the country became more open towards social changes and happened to be more influenced by the Western

European neighbours. The trends mentioned here refer to the more positive viewing of

LGBT people in the media. Public media have always been a huge influencer throughout the history, influencing the general public not only during the elections, but also during everyday life. Therefore it is imporant that the LGBT people are portrayed in a positive light. There are a few ways of how to achieve a positive outlook, favourable results coming from abroad being one of them. As this brings a constructive soil for future improvements in countries such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic, it is crucial to receive as many supportive ideas as it is possible in order to make a change.

In 1991, the so called "pink letters", which were in fact lists of homosexuals registered by the police, were discarded and in 1993, homosexuality was removed from the list of illnesses and any type of treatment or cure for it was forbidden (Fanel, 7).

5 Since the beginning of 1990's, media representation of homosexuals has shifted from images of 'wicked ' or persons with mental problems toward more positive images, including depictions of LGBT activists lobbying for equal rights. The media has become more differentiated and nuanced in its portrayal. The fact that the media have introduced a different, positive image of the homosexuals to the public is a great step forward, as the news are a significant authority that has the power to alter the opinion of many. An effective picture is a first step that needs to be done in order to make greater, more significant changes in the future. It is natural that the valuable opinions come from the news from abroad, particulartly Western Europe, including

Great Britain, where those issues have already been discussed earlier.

When comparing the countries of the European Union according to the percentage of young people aged 18-29 that still live at their parent's place, the result of the finding suggests that the people in the Western European countries happen to live on their own more than the people of the former Communist block. However, it is the same with the acceptance of homosexuality. Countries, that saw a high percentage of shared households of children and their parents, had a lower support of gay marriages. The

Eurofound report from the year 2011 shows that only 26% of young adults in the United

Kingdom still lived with their parents, compared to 57% in the Czech Republic and

61% in Slovakia (Sedghi, Arnett). For a comparison, in Denmark, a country that legalised homosexual marriages in 2012, (two years before the Great Britain) and that was the first country in the world to accept the Civil unions for homosexuals in 1989,

(Duncan) the percentage is only 23%. The connection that is here suggests that when young adults move to their own flats and house, the pressure and stress from coming out is less present and therefore the environment for a more open relationships appear, that leads to a better acceptance and understanding.

6 As in Slovakia, many LGBT people responded that they are afraid to come out to their parents in fear that their relationship would change. It is therefore possible that the more young adults share their living with their parents, the more of them stay in the closet, meaning that they do not tell the people such as their parents and friends about their sexuality. This minority of people prefers to keep it for themselves, not telling anyone. This also happens because of more traditional reasons, such as family bonds and the need and willing to stay at one's parents for either financial reasons, or because of one's relationship with their family. The Western European counties' inhabitants, less struggling with their financial situation therefore do not have any problems allowing themselves to live on their own, creating a friendly atmosphere for a coming out.

When it comes to Great Britain, the year of 1967 is considered as the start of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country, but even after that year, thousands of gay men have been convicted in the following decades (Tatchell). It is important to realise that the situation on the British Isles has also undergone vast improvements that formed the country and created laws that work there today.

b) Public Opinion and Acceptance

The Czech Republic has a forward-looking position of the LGBT community in the measures of Central and Eastern Europe. For example compared to Russia, which is known for its ban on the "homosexual propaganda", which says that adult people cannot talk about homosexuality in front of the under-aged youth. In the Czech Republic the position is much better and relaxed. There have been Civil Unions since 2006, which is not a case in many countries located to the East of the Czech Republic. This is caused by a rather open-minded society that lives in Bohemia, Moravia and the Czech Silesia.

7 One of the reasons why the Czechs seem to be accepting homosexual relationships in such measures is the fact, that the country is predominantly Atheist and a research has shown that the more religious a country is, the less tolerant it is towards homosexuality

(Zurzolo). This could explain why countries like Poland and Slovakia, which are much more religious than the Czech Republic still do not have the mentioned civil unions of people of the same sex. The Czech Republic was the first post-communist country to legalize same-sex registered partnerships, preceding many other European countries in making some headway (Zurzolo).

Undoubtedly, the Czech Republic appears much more tolerant in comparison to its conservative neighbours such as Poland, Austria and Slovakia, but it is not yet ready to take the lead to improve LGBT rights' equity in the region. Czech 'tolerance' is more often seen as indifference. A low level of religious belief might make the Czech

Republic more tolerant than Poland or Slovakia (Zurzolo). The majority of people with differing sexual orientation remained hidden for centuries of existence of religiously shaped Christian civilization. They lived their lives in utter isolation or in a deeply illegal subculture (Beňová et al. 9). However, this was the case mostly in the previous decades. Today the Czechs do not feel very controlled by the laws of the Church, which would dictate them what to think and what ideas they should believe in.

No matter how great the situation seems to be compared to the neighbouring countries of the Czech Republic, after all, there are voices of the local activists saying that the Czech tolerance is an attractive myth that does not reflect the reality as it is

(Zurzulo). This could be because of the Czech Republic is surrounded by religious nations and therefore, looking at the country itself and comparing it with the others, one would claim that it is very different in the religiousness and therefore the LGBT acceptance would be on a much better level. However, not the whole country is

8 supposed to be on the same level when it comes to the friendly environment in terms of

LGBT people, as there are voices that the atmosphere outside of Prague differs. The capital cities of Europe are generally more open-minded than the rest of the country.

Aside from Prague and Brno, where the international atmosphere allows gay individuals to have an easier time coming out, Czech society is still hesitant to recognize more equality towards LGBT people. It makes the 'less homophobic' than the rest of the Central and Eastern Europe but not necessarily ready to go further, which means that there is still a long way to go and much remains to be done to both consolidate and improve the gains reached till now (Zurzolo).

A research done in 2014 by the Public Opinion Research Centre shows how the respondents answered a question "Would a coming-out cause problems with your neighbours in your village or a town?", showing the results as follows: 53% replied that it would either definitely cause a problem or it would be problematic just partially, while 37% replied it would not cause a problem. 10% did not know. This result implies that there still are homosexual people (and they are in a majority), who fear to come-out in order not to be deprived of their security (Čadová).

The fact is, that many LGBT people move to Prague, where the society is more open-minded than as it is in the rest of the country. Doing so, they create a "minority community" in bigger cities, which in fact happens, when homosexuals move away from their families after coming out. This happens for various reasons, either because of bad reactions of their family or just a natural step in life when a person moves out because of work or any other reason.

When it comes to Slovakia, a different attitudes prevail compared to its Western neighbours, specifically the Czech Republic. Slovakia being a predominantly religious country (round 70% claim to be religious) (Danish Institute, 8), there is a contrast in the

9 viewing of homosexual people set side by side to the Czech neighbours. The fact is, that the more religious a nation is, the more homophobic it is, there are a few claims confirming this fact.

The famous persons observed by the public generally contribute to the opinion- making of the majority of people who follow media largely. The fight against negative stereotypes in the LGBT community is often supported by homosexual celebrities after they come out of the closet and tell the public about their sexuality. In the Czech

Republic, there have been a few public coming outs, including the chairman of the

Green Political Party, Matěj Stropnický, and this way more people in the country happen to see that LGBT people are the same just as the heterosexual majority

(Stropnický). The trend of politicians coming out is observed in Western European countries too, such as Johanna Sigurdardóttir from , who was the first openly homosexual prime minister in the world (Ray). In Great Britain, the British voters have

"returned a record number of LGBTQ MPs to Parliament in the general election" in

2017, including the first openly transgender MP (Member of a Parliament) (Batchelor).

However, this does not change the fact that a significant numbers of gay people fear they would still face discrimination if they sought to play an active part in politics, whether as a potential Member of Parliament or local councillor. And many of the political parties' own gay supporters believe that gay candidates would face discrimination (Stonewall, 2).

c) The Importance of Media

The media is one of the main factors today that infuence public opinion and it also includes the sexual minorities. By means of information and presentation of LGBT people in various contexts, the media infuences the attitudes of not only the

10 heterosexual majority but also of LGBT people themselves, especially if they live outside the community and don't have access to other sources of information. On the other hand, it is true that in a democratic society, the media is in turn influenced by social reality, and thus to a large extent, it reflects its development. This may be seen even by the approach of the Czech media to the LGBT issue. It is possible to generalize that this development began catching up rather quickly after 1989 to Western European trends in both the quantitative and qualitative aspects. LGBT people began to appear more often in printed and electronic media sources. The contexts in which they were presented also began to differentiate (Benova et al. 49).

Not only the Central European countries are influenced by their Western

European neighbours but also the British LGBT community follows some of their

American counterparts' ideas, as Nick Walker comments: 'Walk down Old Compton

Street and you see the American influence right down to the soles of the Timberland boots. The gay village is, after all, an American concept... London's status as the gay capital of Europe is partially an expression of the fact that England is an American cultural colony (Sinfield 103). The foreign impacts on people are clearly present not only in the Czech, Slovak and British relation, but also on the American-British one.

However, as Polly Toynbee points out, when companies such as Absolut Vodka advertise in gay magazines they 'are saying a lot more about themselves beyond wanting to sell to the gay market. They are making a style and position statement designed to appeal to others, particularly the young. Gay is cool, gay is chic' It is the same case when IKEA furnishing advertisement shows two men buying a table together, as it says about IKEA that it is the sort of stylish shop where "cool gay people" would buy their tables (Sinfield 161). This way, the people are unconsiously being shown the positive image of the sexual minority and similar advertisement helps

11 creating it.

d) Discrimination

To start with, one needs to understand that there is no perfect country in the world when it comes to the treatment and laws of the homosexual minority. Generally speaking, the situation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is a positive one despite the occasional homophobia. Compared to the rest of the world, these two countries mentioned happen to enjoy the relatively safe and relaxed atmosphere and there is no life threat on the people. Not all countries in the world are having a similar positive approach towards the LGBT people.

In Slovakia, the Catholic Church is influential, and pools have shown that negative attitudes toward LGBT persons are common among persons with strong religious views (Danish Institute, 3). Therefore the main reason why the cases in

Slovakia and the Czech Republic differ on such a huge level. There is no high percentage of religious people in the Western part of former Czechoslovakia, therefore the prevalent position of people towards the mentioned sexual orientation is relaxed.

Conservative opinions of people are therefore existent in Slovakia and they form the current laws that also deal with the rights every person has, including the LGBT people.

Mentioning the conservative religious society, the current Prime Minister Robert Fico has stated that the relationship with the Church is more imporant thatn introducing same-sex partnership. The church is influential in the sense that politicians will often consider the opinion of the church before they submit policy proposals. As the organisation Iniciatíva Inakosť claims, Polls have shown that negative attitudes toward

LGBT persons are common among persons with strong religious beliefs (Danish

Institute for Human Rights, 8-9).

12 This shows that secularism is not as established as it is in other countries, making it more difficult for LGBT people to establish their laws. The influence of the

Church over the law-making in a country guarantees bad conditions for further development. It also afects spheres of life such as health services, as it has been discovered that most respondents chose to hide their sexual orientation from doctors and other medical personel, which sometimes leads to health risks.

The Barometer of 2008 shows the answers to 'How would you personally feel about having a homosexual (gay man or lesbian woman) as a neighbour?' (1 being

'very uncomfortable' and 10 meaning 'very comfortable'). The figure in Slovakia was

6.5, with an EU average of 7.9. Romania was the lowest with 4.8 (Danish Institute, 4).

The Slovak result was certainly influenced by the fact, that the majority of Slovaks are shaped by the Church when it comes to relationship with homosexuals. Slovakia being a part of the European Union since 2004 nonetheless became a part of the block that puts the equal rights for all of its citizens as one of the main features. The actual situation and mood in which the Slovak people happen to be today is therefore largely influenced by the other members of the union and thus there are inspirations coming from abroad.

Since the Western countries of Europe generally have more positive ranking when it comes to this topic, it is quite easy to see that the presence of Slovakia in the European

Union brings the LGBT rights to a better way. Notably the Great Britain is one of the big influencers, partially because of a lot of Slovak people travelling there either as tourists or for a work, bringing back a "healthier" views. The Slovaks are connected to their neighbouring countries and this results in adopting similar opinions on various topics of life. The change from a conservative and closed country (in terms in acceptance of new features from abroad) is a slow process, yet there are already visible changes that have been done in the past twenty years.

13 Sexual orientation was added as an additional explicit ground of non• discrimination, including in the areas of education and healthcare (Danish Institute, 3).

Withal the occurance of non-positive results exists too, such as the ones of the 2006

Eurobarometer, when attitued towards same-sex marriage were examined in every member state of the European Union. 42% of the EU citizens agreed that such marriages should be allowed throughout Europe; while the figure was just 19% in

Slovakia. With regards to adoption, the level of acceptance decreases in the EU and in

Slovakia. 31% of Europeans felt that homosexual couples should be allowed to adopt children throughout Europe; the figure was 12% in Slovakia (Danish Institute, 4). Those results demonstrate that the Slovaks are not yet ready for the laws that would enable all citizens equal rights. It is, however, chagning with time.

When it comes to the Central European acknowledgement of homosexual people by the public or the doctors, the opinions differ largely. Despite the fact that it is against official EU guidance to classify homosexuality as an illness, a large proportion of medical professionals in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania and

Slovakia all suggested that you could 'catch' homosexuality (Kale). Put in other words, the Slovak medicians still view homosexuality negatively. Even though the Czech and

Slovak Republics once formed a country together, the views of their citizens on homosexuality differs. In the Czech Republic, a third of the society has a negative opinon on gays and (Benova, 47). This is in fact a smaller number than in

Slovakia, yet there is still much to change. What is more, the 2006 Eurobarometer showed, thath only 12% of Slovaks are in favour of adoption for homosexual couples

(Danish Institute, 3).

14 3. Equal Marriages and Civil Unions

As the historical development and current situation are linked and largely connected, a chapter dealing with the equal marriages, civil unions and adoptions of children to homosexual couples is going to follow next. This way, a more general picture of the development is going to be shown more profoundly. The fact is that the highest establishment of an relationship towards the state is a marriage, which brings advantages to the married couple in the sense of various gains. Since the homosexual marriages are an outcome of an accepting society, the priviledge of having this marriage is not present in all countries yet, not even in all of the

European Union. Therefore, the closest institution that gets to the marriage is a , which currently is present in the Czech Republic and not yet in Slovakia.

The fact that countries in the Western Europe have established gay marriages helps the Slovak and Czech LGBT people. It is important for us to have this kind of countries that already have the marriage so the average Slovaks can see that it works. Since the people who are not in favour of gay marriages object it can damage a traditional family there is a clear example that it does work well and all people are happy. It seems to be most of the times like this - in the West they start doing something and then it comes to Slovakia 10 years later. So it is definitely a positive thing. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have never been closer to accepting gay marriages than they are now.

The British and world-wide influence of the Central European countries of the

Czech Republic and Slovakia is seen in the way that it brings positive results on the

LGBT rights and the people's lives. When dealing with the English-speaking countries, differences among them appear on the level of the LGBT acceptance and rights,

15 including the marriages. Having discussed how the religiosity of a country affects its

LGBT privileges, it is possible to observe the actual inequality among the former

British colonies. As these former colonies of Great Britain tend to find inspiration in each other's public acts, it is essential to take a closer look on their operations.

Canada was the first English-speaking country to establish the gay marriages in

2005, after the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain were the first ones globally (Eichler).

New Zealand approved the marriages in 2013, preceding Australia, which still has not allowed them, yet there is a majority of population in favour of those mergers (Jackson).

Great Britain following the few European neighbours in this social development act made an inspirational step that aroused other countries to do so. The United States of

America authorized the gay marriages in the whole country in 2015. Before that, the laws on this issue differed from state to state, for example the state of Massachusetts legalized this marriage as early as in 2004 (BBC News, 2015). The Republic of Ireland approved the gay marriages in 2015 too, despite being a strongly Catholic country

(McDonald).

The fact that the Czech Republic is predominantly non-religious plays a significant role when it comes to acceptance of gay marriage, which is not the case of

Slovakia, a country being mostly religious. The laws vary a lot when it comes to civil unions and the same-sex marriages in Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Generally speaking, the situation for homosexuals is the best on the British Isles, compared to Slovakia, where the constituion recognizes marriages only as unions between one man and one woman. The Czech Republic appears to be somewhere in between those two areas in the terms of laws and acceptance by the public.

As for the registered partnership bill, a proposal regarding adoption took long

16 time to be discussed and only in October 2016 the government supported a plan which would allow gay people to adopt the children of their partners, but it is not mentioned anything related to same-sex marriage (Zurzolo). Interestingly, even Great Britain is diverse in the terms of same-sex marriage and civil unions. The civil partnership is available for everyone in the whole of Great Britain, while the marriage between homosexuals is legal and practised only in England, Wales and Scotland, leaving

Northern Ireland without the option to marry. (NIDIRECT) Considering the same-sex marriage as the "higher form" of civil unions with more positives, the three countries can simply be shown as follows:

Great Britan: Same-sex marriage since 2014

Northern Ireland: Civil unions since 2004 (Gov.UK)

The Czech Republic: Civil unions since 2006

Slovakia: Non-existent civil unions, neither same-sex marriages.

There are anti-discrimination laws in all three countries. This means that the employer is cannot discriminate against anyone because of their sexual orientation. The law against sexual orientation discrimination at work covers recruitment, terms and conditions, pay and benefits, status, training, promotion, transfer opportunities, redundancy and dismissal. This comes as an useful and positive thing for the LGBT people, as they can not be treated less favourably and the civil union partner is entitled to the same benefits as a married person like survivors benefits under a company pension scheme.

However, no matter how gay-friendly Great Britain seems to be compared to the Central European countries, there still is no museum on LGBT history in Great

17 Britain, which would educate people about the rich history of gay rights in the country (which still isn't taught about in schools), or for queer people to go and reflect on their political and personal identities (Abraham).

It has been predominantly recent decades that saw a change in the European countries regarding the public opinion on homosexuality. Public opinion has changed considerably in the past decade, but gay marriage is still much more widely accepted in Western European countries than elsewhere in Europe. Indeed, while several Western European countries have legalised same-sex marriage in the past few years, bringing the number of EU member states with marraige equality to nine, the opposite seems to be taking place in Central Europe and among candidate countries (Csaky).

Slovakia and Macedonia recently followed in Croatia's footsteps and approved amendments to their constitutions that define marriage as a union

"between a man and a woman." Currently, seven EU members and three candidate countries have constitutional bans on same-sex marriage, with just two of them,

Croatia and Hungary, keeping civil unions open to gay people (Csaky). When it comes to the recognition of same-sex partnerships, Slovakia still legally does not recognise them (Danish Institute, 3).

18 4. Gay Pride

The gay pride is a manifestation of the LGBT communitiy's inherent existenceand a tool of empowerment to increase the visibility. The pride parade is a mass congregation of people whose varying, diverse identities do not fall under the conventionality of heterosexual (Lee). The purpose of a gay pride is the promotion of equality rights, increse of visibility, dignity and promotion of the sexual diversity. The pride also helps building up new communities. For LGBT people themselves, a Pride parade shows the unity and strenght of their community. The feeling of belonging somewhere is what makes Pride such a big event for some.

The pride of LGBT people also indirectly shows us a bit how the country's people are viewing sexual minorities. There can be a clash between people who think this is just a useless and a harmful parade (children should not be seeing homosexuals like this on a street) and those, who support the idea of making the LGBT community more visible. There are people that are aware of the situation of LGBT people in their country and therefore they support gay prides. As gay and bisexual men are four times more likely to attempt suicide in their lifetime than heterosexual men, it is important to show public messages to the people, for example in a form of a parade (Ferlatte). The pride parade does not only support the LGBT community inside of a country, but many times the organisers aim to look outside of the borders of the Czech Republic and as the head of the Czech festival, Czeslaw Walek says, the people look at the situation of lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals in other countries, especially in those countries where the LGBT rights are violated (Willoughby). The 2014 motto of the Prague Pride was "Rise Up Against Homphobia" and the ambition was to refer to the countries, where homophobia is still prevailing. This way, the Czech Republic showed its

19 standpoint of the problematics and provided partial support to the oppressed communities abroad. The Anglophone countries have been using a similar strategy in other attitudes towards the foreign countries.

In Great Britain, the gay pride has been existant since 1972 and in 2017, the pride march not only celebrated the LGBT community but also the fifty years since the

Sexual Offences Act of 1967, which decriminalised homosexuality in England and

Wales (Quinn). London now holds the United Kingdom's biggest and most diverse pride that includes people of every race and faith, whether disabled or able-bodied and all sexualities (Pride in London). The British capital already welcomes the minorities in this way, with a celebration that takes place every year.

When it comes to the Czech Republic, the activists managed to organize the first

Prague Pride in 2011. It rose oppositions from conservative and far-rights groups, as well as politicians who did not endorse the event, despite of opposite expectations. For instance, the main disapproval came from the former President Václav Klaus, who not only called gay people as 'deviant people', but also affirmed that homosexuality is something to be tolerated but not celebrated (Zurzolo).

As for Slovakia, the history of gay prides is the shortest, compared to the Czech and

British ones. In this Central European country, the two biggest cities bear gay prides:

Bratislava, the capital in the Western part of the country, and Košice, the metropolis of

Eastern Slovakia. Bratislava has been holding gay prides since 2010. Those prides are very imporant for the country's LGBT community and the inspiration for organising this event comes mostly from the USA and Europe, where half a century of experience show that the acceptance of homosexuals in society is the fact, that people personally got to know LGBT people in their families, workplaces, schools and similar places

(Dúhový Pride Bratislava). The country's first pride is supported by a few other

20 organisations and culture clubs, in order to support its existence. However, the outcome of the prides in Slovakia is not always a positive one, as the first Slovak gay pride event in 2010 was disrupted by skinheads and far-right extremists, leading to injuries and arrests, and forcing marchers to abandon a parade route through downtown Bratislava

(Nicholson). Similar events happen in other former communist countries, where the acceptance of homosexuals is generally worse than in the rest of Europe.

In 2010, Slovakia was the last country in the European Union to announce that it would hold a pride festival (Pink News). As Paul Birrell, the chair of Pride London stated, "It is shameful that even in Europe there have, up until now, been countries where it hasn't been possible to celebrate Pride. There continues to be opposition and violence at some events, such as Sofia and Belgrade, but Slovakia is sending a strong message that no country in Europe is a pride-free zone." (Pink News). The support of

LGBT issues is crucial in the European Union and therefore not only the Slovak people greeted the pride in Slovakia, but also other spectators from abroad. The event was supported by individuals from other countries too and it made Slovakia a country more similar to its Western neighbours.

However, it was not always so easy for the pride to make their way in the country. Due to a rise of extremism in Slovakia, it was crucial that the officials in the state, cities, companies showed their positions on the LGBT people being a part of a country (Pruchnerovičová, Dúhový Pride Bratislava). This way, even the support from abroad makes a difference. All these factors make people change their attitudes and allow them to have a different point of view over the topic. As it has been suggested in the previous chapter, advertising via large companies and brands make a vast influence and the people are more likely to like the mentioned idea. Therefore the fact that

Bratislava gay pride was in favour of more famous institutions created a bit more

21 positive grounds for the pride to grow.

After the first gay pride in Slovakia was held in 2010 in Bratislava, the gay pride was in Košice for the first time three years later, in 2013. The capital city pioneered the march of sexual minorities in the country and after that, other Slovak regions started to get an inspiration. Naturally, the second place where a pride was held was the second largest and populous city in Slovakia. Košice has an important location in the centre of the Eastern part of the country, resulting in the fact that LGBT people who want to attend the march do not have to travel for a long distance to the West of the country, which takes hours. It is important that the minority has a presentation in all parts of the state, giving an image of a concern that is present in the whole country. The main reasons why Košice pride exists are similar to those of the one in the capital. Pride

Košice is aiming to create a society, where the LGBT individuals and community are integrated in the society and that the minority is a source of inspiration and enrichment for the majority population (Pride Košice). Being held in Eastern Slovakia, this pride follows the realities of this region, however, it has an ambition to contribute to the

European context. Košice Pride has grown a lot since its first time in 2013. In that year, only a few people attended the march but in 2017, the pride's fifth anniversary commenced with a small festival a few days before the march, that offered a series of activities and festivities (Furiel). The pride has managed to show people that it is a crucial feature in the efforts of creating same rights for LGBT people not only in

Eastern Slovakia during the five years of its existence.

22 5. Organisations and Events

Among the main purposes of the gay organisations include connecting LGBT people with the majority and socialisation among themselves, as it is crucial for a young individual to feel that they belong somewhere. As for this sexual minority, a feeling of exclusion may be present and this may lead to depression and other negative feelings that have no place in an organised and fair community. Secondly, a feature that is necessary in countries such as Slovakia, is the fight for political rights and visibility, in order to enforce desired proposals. Including the gay marriages (usually followed after the civil unions), adoptions of children to homosexual couples, or just the anti• discrimination laws, which are already existent in countries that join the European

Union. Other function of organisations that are led by the human rights advocates is the visibility of the LGBT people in the eyes of public, in the television and media, as this contributes largely to the creation of the general opinion on the sexual minority by the majority and its further acceptance. The Czech Republic has some organisations that are concerned about this function, such as . Then, the communication with the heterosexual majority is another feature that contributes to the existence of LGBT organisations. People may address the head of an organisation, when addressing the community.

To sum up the reasons of LGBT organisations existence, it could be characterised by the need to create a positive image of the sexual minority, as the picture affects the majority of people who are then potential voters in the questions such as gay marriage and adoptions. This is why organisations such as STUD Brno and

QueerLab exist in the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, the organisations are not as visible and popular and they are mostly located in the two major cities of Bratislava and

23 Košice. Therefore, many LGBT people from the Slovak Republic find their "sanctuary" in the neighbouring Czech Republic, as there is no language barrier and the relationship among those two countries is extraordinary. The Czech Republic however is not the only destination of LGBT people who come seek a better place for life. For those people, who are forced to leave their countries because of their sexuality, there is an organisation in Great Britain called UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group

(UKLGIG), which promotes equality and dignity for LGBT people who seek asylum in the United Kingdom. This community is mostly addressed towards the people coming from countries that still persecute LGBT people (UKLGIG).

a) British Organisations

When it comes to Great Britain, one of the most influencial organisations dealing with sexual minorities is LGBT Consortium. This Consortium of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voluntary and community organisations is a national membership organisation focusing on the development and support of LGBT groups, projects and organisations; so they can deliver direct services and campaign for individual rights. The programme activities of this institution include promotion of the existence and value of LGBT groups and organisations, creation of resources for helping its members grow their organisations and avocating the members' concerns and issues (LGBT Consortium). The STUD Brno organisation follows the steps of the

LGBT Consortium in Great Britain, having similar features and purposes. Their mutual goals are to support LGBT community in various spheres of life and cast a positive light on it (Stud).

Among the other British communities, an organisation of Stonewall takes place.

After the birth of the son of Kate and William in Great Britain, Stonewall made a survey

24 asking people of Great Britain if it would be a problem for them if the child of the royal couple, George, would be homosexual and would become a king. 83% of the respondents stated that they would either not mind the fact, or that they would like the idea (Titlbach). This survey is an exemplary case of how the party can contribute to the positive image of homosexuality in a country.

b) Stud Brno and Other Czech Communities

The gay organisations in the Czech Republic are existent for a few reasons; there was a need for a better enlightment of the homosexual community as there were no major organisations that would have the same purposes. After that, the wish for sport activities, discussions and political activity appeared (Beriova et al. 67). People of the same interests gather together to form different alliences and organisations. This Czech organisation follows the steps of the LGBT Consortium in Great Britain, having similar features and purposes. Their mutual goals are to support LGBT community in various spheres of life and cast a positive light on it (Stud).

STUD Brno is considered as one of the most involved organisations in the Czech

Republic dealing with the LGBT people. This activist association was founded in 1996 in Brno, the Moravian city. Its main purpose is to help the LGBT community in search of "the right place in society". As there still are voices in the country that call after better conditions and rights of the mentioned sexual minority, the existence of STUD

Brno provides a more positive future expectations involving the outnumbered. The name of STUD is derived from the word "students", as in the past the primary target people were lesbian, gay and bisexual students.

The main projects of STUD Brno organisation feature the Queer Ball, which is an original and unconventional ball for LGBT people and their friends; Mezipatra

25 Queer Film Festival, that deals with films with LGBT topics, held annually since 2000.

Another projects include QueerLab, which provides a space for social and cultural activities outside the heteronormative social framework. Through their ideas, they aim to allow non-heterosexual people present themselves in a representative and respective manner (Queer Ball). The Czech organisations of LGBT people address to make a positive image of the LGBT people for the heterosexual majority, as this way, the progress in society can be done. Another Czech LGBT community is GaTe, which is a

Brno-based organisation that deals with young gay people. It exist under the association of STUD Brno and the people targeted in this community include the teenagers and young adults in the age of 15 to 26 (the name of the community is derived from "gay teens"). Among their main features includes organising various meetings about topics that the youth currently deals with. For example, there are events organised a few times in a year in order to do sports and discussions. This community also works with other gay and lesbian organisations (GaTe). These communities are well-connected and create a feeling of solidarity and friendship among the people. GaTe is mostly about the young people and activities that interest them, as well as a help in order to come out is consulted with the young LGBT people.

Among the Prague-based organisations remain Gay and Lesbian League, which is one of the few that deal with political activities. However, after passing the

Registered Partners Act of 2006, the political involvement of this organisation started to quiet down (Benova et al. 67-68). Since there are not as many pro-gay politicians in the

Czech Republic as there are in Great Britain, the presence of this type of institutions was crucial in order to pass numerous laws concerning the LGBT people.

The Czech film festival Mezipatra is organised by non-profit organisation Mezpatra and Stud Brno. The aim of the festival is to introduce hundreds of Czech and foreign

26 films with LGBT issues, while a professional jury appraises the films as a part of prestigious international competition (Mezipatra). One could consider this festival as a celebration of the sexual minorities and the acceptance of homosexual people in the country.

In the English-speaking world, the queer ball culture used to be largely underground and lacked recognition by the general public as well as helping professionals. The House/ball culture began in New York City during the Harlem

Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s, in the midst of a flourishing black nightlife and culture (Rowan et al. 184). During the past three decades, there were glimpses of the house/ball community in American media. The 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning profiled several members of prominent houses in New York City, including Paris

Dupree, an icon in the house/ball scene (Rowan et al. 184). The notions and realisations of queer balls have been present in the Anglophone world before they took part in the

Czech Republic, as the first queer ball in the Central European country was organised in

2013 (Queer Ball). Since then, the event has been held annually. The phenomenon of a ball oriented for LGBT people is not yet present in Slovakia.

The Queer Ball of the Czech Republic was first discussed in the country in 2012, by the leaders of Stud Brno and GaTe. It was the next year, 2013, that saw the first ball organised in Brno, the Moravian capital and since then, the celebration took place each year. This festival takes place annually in Brno and Prague and its main purpose is to provide the people in the Czech Republic with a space for discovering the variety of sexual identities (Queer Ball).

a) Gay Neighbourhoods

There tend to be areas in a town that are remarkably more friendly towards the

27 LGBT minority as it is an example in countries such as Great Britain. Generally, those areas are usually known boundaries in a city, therefore it is possible to enter it and see the differences from the rest of the town. The main feature of this type of neighbourhood is a presence of many gay-oriented establishments such as gay bars, clubs, bathhouses, restaurants and bookshops. However, there do not have to be any gay businesses around, as far as it is considered as a gay-friendly part of a city.

There is a feature often discusses when dealing with those neighbourhoods and that is the phenomenon of gentrification. This is, in the sense of urban planning, a renovation of an aesthetically-challenged part of a city usually caused by an influx of a more moneyed inhabitants. Usually this changing of a part of a city can be seen as a positive one, as the uglier and non-attractive parts of a town start to prosper and grow either economically or in a different way with newcomers changing this area. This can be easily applied to the homosexual neighbourhoods such as SOHO in London, South

End in Birmingham and Canal Street in Manchester, which are the most significant. Of course there are other ones in different British towns, varying on the dimension of a given area or the density of those gay-related businesses. Sometimes, it is difficult to say which part of a city is the gayborhood, either because it is not so important or because the businesses may be located all over the whole town. However, negative sides are existent too, for example the former or older residents of the area may experience a rise of prices of the flats and everything in general due to the changes and this may act as a push factor leading to finding a different residence.

Those gay neighbourhoods have various purposes. Being a safe place for the

LGBT community is one of them. The mentioned areas often react to the current situations involving the society, as was it a case after the Orlando club shooting on 12

June 2016, which resulted in a solidarity march in London's gay neighbourhood,

28 SOHO. This shooting was attack on a gay nightclub which represented a safe haven for

Orlando's community. An emotional vigil dedicated to the Orlando massacre victims took place the day after (Hall). This type of solidarity is often seen at other events, usually of international importance. In the Czech Republic, namely in Prague, the district of Vinohrady is considered to be the city's gay neighbourhood (Wilder).

29 6. Conclusion

A lot has been said in order to demonstrate that the English-speaking world influences the Czech and Slovak republics and it is a major opinion-maker enabling the people to broaden their horizons and accept and pass laws regarding LGBT rights. The current situation differed a lot decades ago, as developments in this sphere are changing fast. The countries of Europe have experienced decades of changes that shaped them in the way we know them today. The way that the overall situation of homosexual people is going in a forward-looking direction.

If there were no actions for LGBT laws in the Anglophone world, they would hardly be present in the former Czechoslovakia today. Inspiration from abroad is one of the main key features that are observed in the region and that are related to the topic. As it was mentioned, not only the countries of Central Europe find their ideals in the West, but also Anglophone countries influence each other in a way that laws of a specific country are changed due to the public's pressure. This is especially the case of the

LGBT topic. A crucial feature that helps the minority to enforce their laws and needs is to provide a positive image of the community to the majority. Only after the public views this minority as a positive part of the society, various laws can be passed and the life quality of all people will be higher. In order to present the community in a positive light, there need to be actions taken, such as the work of LGBT-related organisations, gay marches and other events promoting the life of non-heterosexual people.

Not only it is gay prides that help the LGBT community in representation, but also various organisations dealing with diverse topics. It is crucial that the media provides a positive image of the minority community, so that the rest of the population learns how important it is to accept the LGBT individuals as equal, empowering them

30 with the same rights as the majority enjoys. The overall situation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is different than the actual situation in Great Britain. This is because of various reasons, such as the historical development of the countries, different world views, opinions and values of the countries' inhabitants relating to LGBT people.

However, the situation is changing rapidly. This is the case not only in Central Europe, but also a world trend. The trend is that more countries are establishing anti- homophobic laws, there are more gay marriages and generally the people of the

Western countries are relaxed about those topics.

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36 8. Resume in English

This bachelor thesis aims to explore and describe the topic of homosexual rights and overall situation in the European countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as Great Britain and other English-speaking countries outside of Europe. The main idea is that the countries influence each other in the terms of creating new laws and adaptation of components resulting in formation of a more LGBT-friendly society. The

Anglophone countries including the United States of America and Great Britain contribute to and affect the happening of the mentioned Central European countries, mostly through the media, which is present in many spheres of life. To mention one, the annual LGBT-related ball in the Czech Republic contributes to a more positive viewing of the homosexual minority in the country.

The chapters of this thesis describe the historical development and current situation in the mentioned countries, as well as the public opinion of the people and the level of acceptance of LGBT community in the society. The importance of media in creation of a positive image is highlighted, as films, news and other publishing have an impact on the people. The different state of affairs is portrayed in the countries and the position on equal marriages and civil unions is mentioned. Gay prides are introduced in the following chapter, as they also contribute to the influence. Finally, in the last chapter the organisations that deal with LGBT people are mentioned and some of their most important projects too, such as Mezipatra Queer Film Festival and the Queer Ball.

37 9. Résumé in Czech

Tato bakalářská práce se zaměřuje na výzkum a popis problematiky práv homosexuálů a celkové situace v některých evropských zemích jako je Česká republika,

Slovenská republika, Velká Británie a v některých mimoevropských anglicky mluvících zemích. Hlavní myšlenkou je vzájemný vliv těchto zemí na vznik nových zákonů a adaptaci složek vedoucí k vytvoření společnosti přívětivější kLGBT komunitě.

Anglofonní země, včetně USA a Velké Británie, ovlivňují a přispívají k dění v již zmíněných zemích střední Evropy převážně prostřednictvím médií, která jsou přítomna v mnoha sférách života. Například každoroční LGBT ples v České republice, který přispívá k pozitivnějšímu náhledu na homosexuální menšinu v této zemi.

Kapitoly této práce popisují historický vývoj a aktuální situaci ve zmíněních zemích stejně tak, jako i názor veřejnosti a míru tolerance LGBT komunity ve společnosti. Důraz je kladen na důležitost médií při vytváření pozitivního dojmu, jelikož filmy, zprávy a další sdělovací prostředky mají vliv na lidi. Také jsou popsány rozdílné situace týkající se rovnoprávného sňatku a registrovaného partnerství v těchto zemích.

V následující kapitole jsou představeny „Gay Prides", které také přispívají k tomuto vlivu. V poslední kapitole jsou zmíněny organizace, které řeší problematiku LGBT komunity, mezi jejichž nej důležitější projekty patří filmový festival Mezipatra a ples

Queer Ball.

38