Gay march sets right example for diversity demos
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Bucharest’s gay march is now an
annual event for fascists and liberals
to engage in a morality war
of pragmatism against tradition.
The 200 or so participants and as
many journalists and photographers parade
through the capital’s centre to the
Parliament Palace for a couple of hours,
intending to show pride and solidarity
with sexual freedom.
This event inspires a peculiar voyeurism
in parts of the population, who
condemn it on TV and in the street, but
watch the parade of colourful transvestites
and normal, boring-looking people,
in eager fascination.
The thousands of onlookers include
protestors proclaiming the hell-bound
journey of all Sodomites, old women
brandishing religious icons of Mary and
Jesus and gangs of young teenage boys
in cheap T-shirts and baseball caps,
looking to beat up any stray man wearing
eyeliner or tight shorts.
Meanwhile armoured vehicles and
over 400 police guard the protestors,
while offi cers keep the march moving
fast inside one lane of traffic.
This year one of the policemen, in
a cap and bullet-proof jacket, was gently
encouraging the crowd to stay into a
solid unit. A little shorter than the other
offi cers, his uniform was too large for
him, including a padded vest and trousers
with a utility belt holding a clinking
truncheon and cans of pepper spray.
Walking in the march next to him
was a Nicaraguan girl holding the symbol
of gay pride, a rainbow flag.
“So,” the policeman said in English,
turning to the girl. “What do you like
about Romania?”
“Well…er,” she replied. “The people
are very friendly.”
“Yes,” he said. “We are a very friendly
people.”
“And the country,” she said. “I want to
see more of the country.”
“Transylvania is much more pretty than
Bucharest.”
“I do get a little tired of the city.”
“The traffic is very bad now,” he said.
“Yes, I’ve noticed.”
“You must go to Castle Peles. It is very
beautiful.”
“I will.”
“And the mountains are lovely.”
“I haven’t seen enough of them.”
Then there was a pause.
“So,” the policeman said to the girl. “Do
you like house music?”
It is a measure of how far a country
has come in 20 years that now, in
central Bucharest, one can overhear a
Romanian policeman using English to
chat up a central American girl in a gay
parade.
This would not have been a regular
occurrence during Ceausescu’s time.
The Bucharest march was lucky this
year. Nobody threw any explosives and
no one ‘looking gay’ was beaten up in
the Metro.
But there are concerns. In the Republic
of Moldova last month, police
were accused of allowing rightist
groups, allegedly including Romanians,
to attack demonstrators travelling to the
gay march in Chisinau, an event which
was eventually called off.
Romania’s Conservative Party has
been scoring cheap political points by
adopting a position that arguably violates
gay rights, while a recent change to
Romania’s family code excludes recognising
other forms of family outside of
the union between a man, woman and
child. This potentially undermines EU
human rights obligations which Romania
has signed up to. All these positions
are aided by the Orthodox Church’s vocal
stance against homosexuality.
At best, these disagreements will contribute
to an informed debate in which
common sense can emerge the victor.
But there are fears that the region
will witness more violence. This means
countries with a more enlightened view
on the issue, such as Romania, should
take the lead in pressuring their neighbours
in the east to begin accepting diversity
as a matter of policy.
Michael Bird
