Zsolt Semjen, the leader of Hungary’s Christian Democratic People’s party, declared in the recent election campaign: “We have had enough of the deviance.”The climate in Russia – outside the reach of EU legislation – is uncompromising. It says it “wishes to express its deepest concerns about the homophobic statements which were made when the Parliament in Latvia decided, on 26 October 2005, to amend the Constitution in order to define marriage as the union between a man and a women, in order to block attempts by any future parliamentary majority to open up marriage to single-sex couples.”Elsewhere the political rhetoric is alarming gay rights campaigners. Latvia recently made constitutional changes to prevent same-sex marriages, and the first Gay Pride march in Latvia, which took place last summer, was marred by angry protests.In its report, the EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights is damning about the “regrettable events” in Latvia last year. An even better demonstration of popular sentiment was the fact that the winner of the Czech Republic’s version of the Big Brother reality TV show was openly gay.But the momentum in the east is emphatically in the other direction. Lawmakers in Latvia recently defied the EU by refusing to introduce a law banning discrimination at work on sexual orientation grounds.Agreeing to introduce such a law on employment discrimination was a condition for Latvia’s accession to the EU, but MPs refused to implement it in full after a parliamentary debate where homosexuality was described as a sin. The Czech Republic has recently legalised same-sex partnerships after a long battle in Parliament.

In Spain, for example, full protection may be denied if one of the two partners is foreign.By the same token there are some former-Communist countries which stand out as being progressive. Member states cannot remain passive in the face of this situation.” Greece is identified as one country where there may have been “persistent discrimination towards certain persons on the ground of their sexual orientation.” The government in Athens has been urged to combat discrimination and to mount an active publicity campaign to try to stamp out homophobia.Even in Sweden, a country normally regarded as one of the most civilised and liberal in Europe, there is a worrying trend because statistics released for 2005 on hate crimes show a rise in the number of attacks on homosexuals.Even in countries which have legalised gay marriage or civil ceremonies, there are sometimes legal loose ends. A report for 2005 from the EU Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights notes that Austria and Italy provide no legal means for same-sex partners to register their relationship (though that charge is made against six of the eight ex-Communist nations).It adds a general criticism that “prejudices continue to exist among a large section of the population towards homosexual, bisexual or transsexual persons. This covers areas such as pensions, property, social security and housing.True, the situation in western Europe is far from perfect and homophobia is hardly confined to the east. Gay married couples can also adopt children.Germany has allowed same-sex couples to register for “life partnerships” since 2001 and, in 1999 introduced a civil contract called the Pacs, which gives some rights to cohabiting couples, regardless of sex.Meanwhile, in Britain, legislation came into force in December 2005 giving gay and lesbian couples in registered partnerships similar rights to married couples. Norway, Sweden and Iceland all enacted similar legislation in 1996, and Finland followed suit six years later.Belgium legalised gay marriages in 2003 as did Spain in June 2005, despite fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. In the west a host of nations have put in place arrangements for gay marriages or civil partnerships.

In the east the tide is a more reactionary one, fuelled by conservative church leaders and populist politicians.As long ago as 1989 Danes could register same-sex partners in an arrangement that gave them the same rights as married couples. The Netherlands is one of Europe’s most tolerant nations, a country in which gay rights are taken for granted by most of the population and where gay marriages have been allowed since 2001. So popular was the maverick gay politician, Pim Fortuyn, that his murder traumatised the nation.But, though eight former Communist nations of Eastern Europe are now part of the EU, they have hardly adopted the same standards as the Dutch towards gay rights.The iron curtain may have been torn down but a new, less visible barrier divides the continent on this touchstone social issue. Now on his way to a posting in Montreal, Glaubitz absolved the Estonian government of any responsibility, saying it had behaved in an exemplary fashion. But, he added, Estonian “society is far from ready for two men, particularly if one of them is black”.
The episode has come to symbolise a growing clash of cultures between east and west over the issue of gay rights. After just a year in his job as Dutch ambassador to Estonia, Hans Glaubitz quit in June 2006, saying that life in the Baltic country’s capital had become impossible.

Glaubitz’s problem was that he is gay and his Cuban partner, who is black, proved unable to walk the streets of Tallinn without suffering verbal harassment or physical threats. It is an achievement for all of us that so many of them can live their lives without the scars of battles of equality However, Pride must also take the message to them. Not about 1972, but about 2006 and how the Pride movement is still relevant for them and their contemporaries who are only just embarking on the difficult journey towards a tolerant, open, and free society.. Indeed this will be the subject of the Prides Against Prejudice conference as people from all over Europe come together as part of EuroPride to discuss how to organise Pride in hostile environments.Ask a young person on Old Compton Street on EuroPride Day to name the year of the first Pride march in London and very few will know the answer. Even the BBC governors have recently stated that it is acceptable to use “gay” as a derogatory term for “rubbish”.By increasingly becoming an inclusive and uniting force that brings the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people together with their families, friends and contemporaries, the Pride movement remains a unique force to bring society together and break down barriers of prejudice and ignorance.On a practical level, the Pride London charity, by attracting the attention of corporate sponsors, can channel the commercial interest back into the community.

Among our aims is to provide funding for a drop-in centre for the LGBT community, many of whom still suffer from rejection, violence and bullying despite the progress made since 1972.Pride is now an international movement with over 2,000 events around the world. In the year when London has the honour of hosting EuroPride, it is vital for the festival to not only celebrate the strides made towards equality in the UK and many other European countries but also recognise the 1972 conditions, and in many cases much worse situations, facing marchers in Eastern Europe. These countries are only just beginning their journeys on the road to freedom and equality.In 2006, the first Pride march took place in Moscow amidst opposition from city authorities, police brutality, and violence from fascists and religious fanatics. The brave marchers suffered greatly, but have joined the Pride movement and it is our responsibility to support their cause so that over the forthcoming years they can replicate the progress we have made in Britain. We still live in a nation where people are bullied, abused and even murdered simply for being gay. Yet despite this, many gay and lesbian people in London, the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe, and all over the world face oppression, violence and abuse each and every day of their lives.The Pride movement has been a powerful vehicle to promote the messages of tolerance, equality and justice since 1972, and this must continue the journey towards a world where all human beings, whatever their sexual orientation, are born free and equal in dignity and rights.In this country we still have more to do to change attitudes and challenge bigotry.

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