Conclusion, Part II

With this blog, Goran and I have tried to find the principle differences between gay rights in the countries of the European Union, specially the situation of gay rights in Bulgaria. We have compared the development of these rights in Europe. The result is that every country has its own laws. So each one regulated gay rights there.

At the beginning of the semester, I knew that the situation of gay rights in Bulgaria was not as tolerant that in Spain. But I understood what is going on because in my country, Spain, ten years ago the situation was very similar. If somebody saw two boys or two girls kissing each other people were very surprise. But, nowadays, nobody is surprised. After months talking with Bulgarian people, despite that is not easy, I am positive with the progress that will come here.

 It is true that in Bulgaria, the situation has to progress to be more tolerant. They are the last in the gay right of Europeans. But not all is as negative. As we explain in the video this country has made a big effort to progress, despite it needs more to achieve being a tolerance country.

 Time. That is what Bulgaria needs to understand homosexuality and accept it. It is not going to be easy because some Bulgarians (most of them) do not admit this sexuality orientation. However, as a European member has to follow the Union’s ideal, and inside this, there is the necessity to accept relations between people from the same sex.

Conclusion, Part I

So after several months of writing this blog, Tamara and I have found different bad as well as good signs concerning the development of equal rights for gay people in Bulgaria. So far, the situation is not very comparable with that of most other European Union members: there is no recognition of civil unions, gays have no adoption rights, and are not even recognized and protected by the minority-protection law.

However, it is not all that bad. Although the stigma preservers, the few largest cities in Bulgaria now have gay clubs, and there is a gay-rights organization in the capital, Sofia. The access to internet has made things easier for many people, who can look for information and support online, both on Bulgarian and foreign websites. And the most promising of all is the progress of the gay pride parade in Sofia, which has been met with decreasing resistance and violence since its appearance in 2008.

A lot of progress needs to be done. The general population’s attitude continues to be very negative. All Bulgarians admit them, and some even take pride that homosexuality I not accepted in their country, as they few it as unnatural and dangerous. However, the Pride Parade shows that attitudes are changing, if not in the entire country than at least in the biggest cities. Under the pressure of the European Union, it is only a matter of time before Bulgaria develops its civil laws, as it has been made clear from Brussels that this is the Union’s ideal. Until then, we can wait until this development occurs naturally, so it is comfortable for all people who live in this changing and developing nation.

Goran

Bulgaria-Mexico

Nadia, Mexican exchange student, tell us her experience during fall semester, 2011. She compares the homosexuality between Mexico and Bulgaria.

A step foward

The United Nations declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity is a French initiative supported by the European Union, presented to the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 18, 2008.
That statement sparked off another statement in the opposite direction promoted by Arab countries. Nowadays, both statements continue open to new firms.

The proposed declaration includes a condemnation of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also condemns killings and executions, torture, arbitrary arrest and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights on those grounds.

On one hand, among the UN members that signed the declaration is Bulgaria as well as all the European Union countries. In total there are 66 countries of the 192 UN members. In the other hand, among the countries against this declaration is the Vatican. The world’s smallest state isn’t in favor that countries recognize marriage between same sexes.

Signatories to the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity are colored in blue and signatories to the opposing statement in green.

Who is Azis?

Gay icon of Bulgaria. This can be the shortest and most directly definition of him. But Azis is more than that. He is a Bulgarian singer who has suffered double discrimination: first because he is gypsy, and a second one because he is homosexual.

Behind his flamboyant image, it hides a man concerned about gay rights. At first people didn’t take him seriously, but Azis has demonstrated his involvement in homosexuality problems. He has supported campaigns for gay equality, Roma people and women. These three groups are the most discriminated groups in the Bulgarian society.

Among his fans are mainly women, but also he has his detractors as homophobic, racist or nationalist Bulgarians.

But one week ago, Azis announced that he wants to leave the country because the homophobia has grown a lot.

 

“I am fed up of this country. Fed up and upset of the homophobia and the racism…”

 

 

Gay rights change at the same time that elections happens

The situation of the gay right inSpaincould change after the elections of this Sunday. All the probes indicate that Partido Popular, a democratic party, is going to be the winner. That fact will change a lot of laws inSpainabout the education, health, unemployed… And also it will change the legal situation of the gay people inSpain. Nowadays, if you are gay and you live there you are able to get married and be parent, too. The last fact made that this country was the first one to recognize the right to make a family with two men or two women like parents.

But now, this advantage that achieveSpainlike one of the most libertarian countries inEuropecould change.

PSOE, a republic party, has been worried these last years to obtain the same rights for all the people. One of the most controversies right was the fact that gay people can be parent. But with the change of the party in Moncloa that it is going to happen in few days, the situation would change again. This time the change would be a step to the past. Actually, Partido Popular is not in favor of gay weddings and it has ask to Spanish justice for not allow these marriages.

What had happen inBulgariawith the gay rights in the last elections?

Will the (name of the actual party in the government) change laws for obtain more or less gay rights?

 

Media use by Spanish gays

AIMC is a Spanish association for media research. Every six months they publish a general media study called EGM. In this study you can find information of media use by Spanish, which media they use more or what age is the most common in the different media. Thanks to EGM, media agency Carat has done a study about the media use by gays in Spain.

The main conclusions are that Internet, radio, cinema and magazines are the most used media by homosexual men. While, television and print media have a similar use between heterosexual and homosexual. But the latter ones consume more than the heterosexual.

According to data from the EGM shows that Internet use among the group of gay men is higher than heterosexual men aged between 18 and 65. In relation to the location of access, home, work and place of study are the favorite places for both groups, although in the case of gay men, the connection from other sites is more common. The characteristics that define their access to the network are that they use more the net to chat, purchase goods or services, find and make new personal contacts and participate in discussion groups.

The study emphasizes that the monthly and weekly free distribution, as well as pay monthly magazines are the favorites of the group analyzed. In contrast, the weekly payment magazines are more consumed by heterosexual men. In the supplements, 62% of the gay community read at least once a week, but only 43.7% of the other group do the same.

Another media with more penetration in the group studied is the cinema. The purchase of tickets is usually done at the ticket office, although 4.3% buy the ticket online. The most watched genres are action/adventure, drama and science fiction, but the favorites are thrillers, musicals and comedies.

On the use of radio, 8 out of 10 gay men listen to the radio and preferences are to radio stations or music content formula. While heterosexual men only 6 out of 10 make use of this medium.

The law

In July 1991 a new Constitution was adopted in Bulgaria, in which the system of government was fixed as parliamentary republic with a directly elected President and a Prime Minister accountable to the legislature.

The  articles that affected gay rights are:

Article 4 ( Human Rights): The Republic of Bulgaria shall guarantee the life,dignity, and rights of the individula and shall crate conditions conducive to the free development of the individual and the civil society.

Article 6 (Human Dignity, Freedom, Equality): (1) All persons are born free and equal in dignity and rights. (2) All citizens shall be equal before the law. There shall be no privileges or restriction of rights on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic self-identity, sex, origin, religion, education, opinion, political affiliation, personal or social status, or property status.

Article 46 (Matrimony): (1) Matrimony is a free union between a man and a woman. Only a civil marriage shall be legal.

Does the people know what is allow and what is not? We have ask different people.

 

 

 

And you, what do you think?

That’s the question that we have asked people in Blagoevgrad if they saw two girls or two boys kissing each other. It’s not a very usual situation in this city. And we want to know what the people think about it and how they react about the scene.

Nadia’ opinion by Tamara Molina

 

Mike’s opinion by Tamara Molina

 

But depending on the context that we are the answer is not going to be the same. For example, one night in a very famous club from Blagoevgrad there were two girls kissing each other. No one paid attention to what they were doing. But do the people think that it would be the same if the scene had happened in a chalga club (tipical music from Bulgaria)? Or in the middle of the city center?

Boryana’s opinion by Tamara Molina