Pride

Dear readers,

Due to the recent events in the USA, regarding the legalisation of gay marriage, I wanted to write a statement on the LGBTQ+ population and its situation around the world. I myself am gay, and wanted to say a few words about this topic, because I feel like there's a few things, that is not being properly said. Personally, I am happy for all US gays and their opportunity to get legally married, in the entire country, in each and every state. I am also happy for all the gays in the world, who live in countries, which have legalised gay marriage (France, the UK, Spain, Slovenia etc.) as well as for all gays in countries where the reigstered partnership is legal (Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia etc.) and for all the gays in the world, who have an easy life, where they don't have to struggle as much with their sexuality.

I recently dated a guy with the perfect setting for his homosexuality. He grew up in a city, where it is completely normal to be gay, and where no one bats an eye if you hold hands with a person of the same, or the opposite sex. Often he would not understand, just how much I struggle with my sexuality on a daily basis, because even though I grew up in Prague and went to a German School with more than 40 nationalities reprensented, I still originate from Serbia, which is really conservative about the topic of homosexuality. I do not define that struggle as something that gets me discriminated on a daily basis, through verbal abuse or something similar. I more define it as a the struggle to find acceptance in a society, which doesn't grant it to me. And I can understand them, I can completely understand homophobia and the reasons, why people have something against the LGBTQ+ population. It's weird to some social standard, and as long as no one tries to educate societies on their own issues, those socieites are not going to change.

My first travel post on this blog was about Moscow and that was for a reason. I love Russia, and I am fascinated by that country. I wanted to get to know the city, the politics, the people, and understand them, and not judge them. I feel like, if one does not judge, one will not be judged. Most people who hate a specific group, don't even have a reason for it, but are instead tought into it by their parents. In each society there is one unpopular group that is being hated. Whilst in Western Europe, most people accept the LGBTQ+ society, they don't accept Islam, whilst in Islamic countries, they accept other religions, but don't accept the LGBTQ+ society. Whilst in Russia, gays get beaten up at times, in my country (Serbia) and my other country (Croatia) national tensions against each other are building up again. There will always be hate around the world, and for it to stop we must set an example. How can the LGBTQ+ society ever be accepted, if we keep on discriminating those, who discriminate us? We're going in circles over here.

In my life, I have managed to explain to people that alternative sexual orientations are normal and are something that one is born with. Since I move around all kind of societies in the world, especially ones that are not always tolerant, I've learned how to talk to people in a way, that makes them understand that my sexuality, does not offend their beliefs and cultural values. It's difficult to tackle the topic and speak to people about it, and many gay guys I know lose their nerves fairly easily when confronted with homophobia, whilst the key to peace is diplomacy (if used correctly, and if it's not corrupted like most politicians, but that's a story for another time) and understanding. We live in a diverse world, so whilst we promote diversity, we should embrace it, instead of rank it.

Think about it, Stefan