Christians and fascists make common cause
After the authorities in the Latvian capital of Riga caved in to homophobic groups by cancelling Saturday's Pride march, demonstrators still found something to get offended by – and show just how offensive they can be.
A service at the city's Anglican church saw those attending pelted with tomatoes, eggs and excrement as they left the Pride-themed service.
The Baltic Times reports that police arrested 14 people and one faces criminal charges.
Later in the day, about 300 anti-gay demonstrators, including fascists and some Christian groups, gathered outside of a hotel later to protest against a Pride gathering inside, which organisers had staged instead of the parade.
Meanwhile, the planned World Pride march in Jerusalem on 10 August has been denied a permit by police there, who say that they haven't the manpower to ensure the safety of participants in the current climate.
Oh well; at least the war means that there's enough little children getting their heads blown apart to warm the hearts of the blood-lusting religious leaders who'd threatened violence over the parade.
Organisers of World Pride said that a new date for the parade would be set once a ceasefire in the region has been achieved.
But not everything is gloomy; in the Baltic republic of Slovenia, the government has legalised same-sex unions. Some strange limits have been placed on the ceremonies that couples can have – no friends or relatives can attend the ceremony, just the couple and a local registration official.
Slovenian lesbian and gay groups have described the law change as insufficient, but stated that it's a move in the right direction.
Earlier this month, the Czech Republic became the first former Warsaw Pact country to allow same-sex marriages.
A service at the city's Anglican church saw those attending pelted with tomatoes, eggs and excrement as they left the Pride-themed service.
The Baltic Times reports that police arrested 14 people and one faces criminal charges.
Later in the day, about 300 anti-gay demonstrators, including fascists and some Christian groups, gathered outside of a hotel later to protest against a Pride gathering inside, which organisers had staged instead of the parade.
Meanwhile, the planned World Pride march in Jerusalem on 10 August has been denied a permit by police there, who say that they haven't the manpower to ensure the safety of participants in the current climate.
Oh well; at least the war means that there's enough little children getting their heads blown apart to warm the hearts of the blood-lusting religious leaders who'd threatened violence over the parade.
Organisers of World Pride said that a new date for the parade would be set once a ceasefire in the region has been achieved.
But not everything is gloomy; in the Baltic republic of Slovenia, the government has legalised same-sex unions. Some strange limits have been placed on the ceremonies that couples can have – no friends or relatives can attend the ceremony, just the couple and a local registration official.
Slovenian lesbian and gay groups have described the law change as insufficient, but stated that it's a move in the right direction.
Earlier this month, the Czech Republic became the first former Warsaw Pact country to allow same-sex marriages.
posted by Amanda Kendal at 8:35 pm
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