Ceturtdiena, 11. marts
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I had a cup of tea yesterday with a group
of charming and talented people who had been in Riga for the Gay Pride
march over the weekend. I had met some of them before, and it was a
pleasure to welcome them back to the embassy. They had had a good weekend.
The march had gone ahead safely thanks to excellent cooperation with
the city police. It was therefore a normal pride march, such as take
place in all modern cities almost every weekend of the year. There was
relief that Riga had not gone down the Moscow route, the city authorities
there having declared themselves homophobically opposed to the freedom
to meet and express ones views.
I fully understand that one of the hottest
buttons that can be pressed in Latvia is that concerning Gay and Lesbian
rights. The issue seems to upset people, maybe make them embarrassed.
There are religious issues. There is anger. There is also a huge amount
of unwillingness to listen and accept.
The debate seems so old-fashioned to
me. Gay rights were recognised in the UK in the 1960s. Open discussion
of gay and lesbian marriage, gay and lesbian culture and gender politics
more generally is part of the contemporary world. It is rich and stimulating.
It is important. Some people are gay/lesbian/bisexual/
I am not naïve. I know all the differences
of view. I have sat thought debates in the United Nations in New York
about human rights and where gay/lesbian rights fit in (or not). The
UK government’s position is quite clear: gay/lesbian rights are fundamental
human rights. The government promotes those rights worldwide. The UK
deplores discrimination on any grounds.
I don’t presume to comment on Latvian
domestic issues. But my bet is that education in schools lies at the
heart of the ignorance about society's diversity. The sort of education
which my sixteen year old daughter receives in North London equips her
to understand society and people. It teaches her to accept appreciate
that people are not made the same way. I don’t judge those who refuse
to open their minds, or who play politics with other peoples’ rights.
But I wish Latvia could move on and embrace in full everyone’s rights.
I would welcome your views. And for those who want to comment aggressively or unpleasantly about this blog, I of course support your basic human right to do so. But please respect my right to flatly disagree.
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How do you know what was Alexander the Great? Socrates - there are no clear proves that such man ever existed! Julius Caesar - there are no proves. Leonardo da Vinci - what he was only masons pushing that he was a "genie" but in real world he did`nt invent nothing special except primitive mechanisms that existed thousands of yers before him ! If you are not familiar with science, there are numerous scientists much, much greater like Nicola Tesla ect. Andy Warhol and Billy Jean King - who are them? Yeah right pop-art piece of shit!
Thanks, Mr. Ambassador!
Miserable English and miserable argumentation :)
'' The government promotes those rights worldwide.'' - especially in Afganistan and Iraq ?
Nice goals, bad aftereffects - be careffuly with Pride it's maybe
(.) All in all it's just another brick in the wall - All in all you're just another brick in the wall - or
'' Right! now ha, ha - I am an anti-Christ - I am an anarchist, - don't know what I want
but I know how to get it. - I wanna destroy the passer by - 'cos I wanna be anarchy,
Ho dogs body - Anarchy for the UK - It's coming sometime and maybe - I give a wrong time stop a traffic line. - Your future dream is a shopping scheme - cause I wanna be anarchy,''
yeh
How do you know what was Alexander the Great? Can you translate this sentence into your native language and ask your teacher to write it in English? Thank you!
but then again.. last year there where like 90% of people against Pride.. this year - 70-80%..
so slowly, but people are becoming more open and more understanding of what democracy is and should be :)
I would agree with His Excellency that education system in my country is paying not enough attention to the social sciences and social thinking (although it is changing slowly), but I absolutely disagree that gay and lesbian rights are "hot issue" for people.
I am sure that most of the people more or less do not care about this topic, they have nothing against that g/l rights are increased and dicreased. Whay should they care about such thing? I believe it is not too pragmatic in this case to judge the society according to behaviour of some remonstrants, radicals are in every society.
Regarding to the situation with gay and lesbian organizations in Latvia I would say that these organizations are playing with these peoples. Actually they are the ones that are seeking for confrontations and looking for possible expressions of anger. From my point of view this is the only reason why this Pride thing was moved back in dates to happen in May, few weeks before the elections. So, in stead of this "group of charming and talented people" I would think one more time wether it is reasonable to come to this event and to be a toy in the hands of others.
Your Excellency, that's the way to destruction of the European nations that you are propagating. These people do not make babies! That's the issue! Surprisingly the people who stick to, so to say, untraditional from the moral point of view way of living are not eager or able to make children. I think (and it's not just my opinion) that thanks to these people and those who support moral "diversity" "Muhammed" was the most popular name for a boy in the Netherlands a couple of years ago. Thanks God our brains are not so fatally transformed by the EU ideology as those of the "old" Europeans, and we are able to think and analyse the situation and not just repeat the general guideline forced by the EU functionaries. I really hope that those were your own thoughts that you have stated in the article, because if it comes to ideology, the ability of the USSR regime to press their opinion is a piece of cake if compared with the EU ideology. Sorry for my English.
These people have existed throughout history and there has always been a quota of people who do not make children.
Muhammed was the most popular name for a boy in the Netherlands, because "morally corrupt" Europe is still wealthy and attractive as a place of residence to Arab and African people who live in poverty in their countries, uncorroded by EU ideology and market economy.
It is quite impossible to compare Latvia to UK, because UK has a long history being a democratic country while Latvia is a democratic country only for 18 years now and before was enslaved by Soviet regime for 50 years. In Soviet times talking about sex was a big tabu, so of course those old bones with bibles in their hands think that the world is going to end if things like pride will be allowed.
We will get there, it will just take some time.
I was quite shocked when our so called "democratic government" took such an anti-democratic actions forbidding the Gay Pride march.
Human rights are not a priority in Latvia for sure.
I think that the small number of replies to this blog/article (comparing to that great number of comments to all previous articles in this portal concernig pride theme) show the level of people's knowledge, I mean people - fighting against human rights. It is easy to hit somebody with words, but not easy to learn. Learn anything.
Pride? - again ang again: '' LONDON, England (CNN) -- Michael Martin, the speaker of Britain's House of Commons, said Tuesday he would resign in the face of widespread public anger over expense claims by lawmakers.''
I think it's sad that it's even an issue, that the ambassador even had to make that blog.... it should be so self-explanatory and understandable.... I don't know what's wrong with this country ... Of course there are countries far worse than Latvia in terms of human rights, but which direction we want to take - Moscow or London? I think the answer is clear.
While Mr Ambassador is largely correct I would be interested to know if the great integrated school in North London his daughter attends is a state-run school or a private one. If it is a private school that must be paid for perhaps she is missing out on contact with a large part of diverse society known as "the poor".
Can you actually imagine that in this country some people - or rather majority - really believe that a person becomes a gay because of his own wish, being 'spoilt'??? Being perverse?!
There's noone in the school to tell kids: hey, gays are just as everyone else!
It's such a SHAME! Next thing that we'll start doing is burning them, just like witches in Middle ages.
I am/was not somebody particulary enthusiastic about 'prides'; I thought: who cares about the others sexual orientation? But I wasn't living in Riga. Here, indeed, the pride, march or call it whatever IS necessary to reming people that gays exist and they merit to have all the (human) rights.
The Latvian legal processes worked showing that Latvia IS recovering from the Soviet occupation and loosing some of the Soviet habits of banning and repression. After suffering the loss of freedom for so long it is unimaginable to me that anyone would want to prevent anyone-else freedom.
And Opinion by the way, the world is heading for 9 Billion population, there is no danger of insufficient babies and perhaps you will support lesbian and gay people when they WANT to make babies? I am sure you will! ;-)
Good article Richard - thanks.
KKK is absolutely correct when he/she says "We will get there, it will just take some time". However, this is a reason and not an excuse, and there's nothing wrong with a gentle push in the right direction, be that from inside Latvia, or from elsewhere. Bearing in mind the Pride march a few years back which was badly disrupted, the event this year was a considerable improvement.
There's a common view amongst Latvians that a democracy is one where only those with the majority view are allowed to organise an event and be afforded the full protection of the state (my Latvian girlfriend is one of them!). This is a very simplistic view of democracy though. A real democracy protects both majority AND minority views and the rights of citizens to peacefully express those views whilst being afforded the full protection of the state. I noted that Pride took place this year. I also noted that additional protests (religious and otherwise) took place against the Pride march. That's fine. So long as the protests are peaceful, both sides have equal rights to be heard.
My parents in the UK would have been very against the current UK "Civil Partnership" laws if they had been introduced 30 years ago. Since the laws were were introduced fairly recently however, my parents didn't give a Donald Duck! Societies mature over time and so will Latvia's. They might not like to admit it at the moment though where Pride is concerned:)
I hope the day will come when the last Pride was marched. Not because I'm against Prides. More because question "What for?" will get no answer. If un-traditional oriented couples could inherit, visit their partners in hospitals etc. e.g. be treated as legal partners, if neither gay nor lesbian would be "bad by definition" and could work in school and other places without any remarks then why to waste day for Pride? Better go to fishing. But it will be not so soon, unfotunately. There are so many people that are looking rather wise until Pride is touched. Then their common sense switches-off and they are not capable to hear any logical arguments.
The little amount of coments beside this article shows the intelectual level of anti pride activists. Like it or not. They can not come and discuss their disgusting arguments in another language which are used by international society.