Tuesday, May 29, 2007



Homophobia in Eastern Europe

Homosexuality is legal in Russia. So, supposedly, is public protest. But if you try and hold a gay pride march, they call in the riot police, who stand back and watch while you are beaten by Neo-Nazi skinheads, then arrest you.

Meanwhile, in Poland, the government will be holding a formal inquiry into whether the teletubbies promote homosexuality. You can't make this stuff up.

Both of these countries are members of the Council of Europe and parties to the European Convention on Human Rights. But apparently, these countries feel that they can ignore its protections of privacy, freedom of expression and equality under the law, at least when it comes to gays.

8 comments:

"Justice delayed is justice denied"

The Strasbourg process takes so long that states like Russia, Poland and Britain are able to get away with abuses for many years.

Which is why countries need an entrenched Bill of Rights and Strasbourg as a backstop.

Sadly we have neither, just an advisory "Bill of Rights".

Posted by Rich : 5/29/2007 02:59:00 PM

The mind boggles at imagining Ms Sowinska's possible methods for establishing the sex of a Teletubby...

Posted by Psycho Milt : 5/29/2007 03:06:00 PM

Rich: I agree that an entrenched BORA (and in Europe the ECHR as a backup) is the way to go. OTOH, even our unentrenched BORA has had far more effect than people back in 1990 thought it would.

It would be nice however if the government took it seriously, rather than trying to work around its protections.

Psycho: well, first you have to skin them...

Posted by Idiot/Savant : 5/29/2007 04:22:00 PM

Psycho, perhaps you could ask the toilet-sexers[1] or someone in a similar line of business. Gender-fetishests always seem to know what sex *everything* is, so teletubbies should be a breeze.

[1] I kid you not. There are people who are absolutely adamant that there are male toilets, and there are female toilets, and the difference is unmistakable.

Posted by Moz : 5/29/2007 05:31:00 PM

Yes, the female toilet is the one with a long queue of women outside.

That's why unisex toilets are a Bad Thing!

Posted by Rich : 5/29/2007 08:12:00 PM

Poland and Russia should be thrown out of the Council of Europe, and Poland should be ditched from the EU too (now that all the cute Polish plumbers have left for Britain we don't need any other Poles)

Posted by Hans Versluys : 5/30/2007 01:17:00 PM

I'll have you know, as an avid watcher of Teletubbies that they are gendered.

Tinki Winki is a boy. Dipsy is a boy. Laa Laa is a girl. Po is a girl.

Muerk

Posted by Anonymous : 5/30/2007 05:57:00 PM

Idiot do you want to do a post on homophobia in the Middle East.

They also beat people up and execute homosexuals.

All done under the guise of the religion of peace.

Posted by Anonymous : 5/31/2007 04:48:00 PM