Plans for Bulgaria's First Pride March Draw Fierce Opposition

Bulgaria's influential Orthodox Church on Friday called on authorities to ban the country's first gay pride march.

Bulgaria's influential Orthodox Church on Friday called on authorities to ban the country's first gay pride march. The march, planned for Saturday, has already been moved from a downtown area of the capital, Sofia, to a remote park after municipal authorities cited security concerns.

The church argued the event would undermine the country's Christian traditions.

"Bulgarian society needs healthy, strong, and moral individuals to build new life on the indestructible foundation of faith, prayer, repentance, honor, Christian culture, and morals," a statement said.

Gays in Bulgaria face widespread hostility despite a 2003 antidiscrimination law that protects their rights. Before the march, gay rights groups expressed fears that far-right parties could stage violent protests against the event.

One of them, the Bulgarian National Union, is calling for "open resistance" to the gay pride parade. (AP)

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Name: Dhruv
Date posted: 6/30/2008 6:49:00 AM
Hometown: Bangalore

Comment:
Bangalore/Delhi had there very first pride march! It was really great! We got fabulous support and good coverage.
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Name: Yavor
Date posted: 6/29/2008 4:14:00 PM
Hometown: Plovdiv

Comment:
The Bulgarian Orthodox church was against the parade but, after 45 years of communism, is not that influential. But homophobia is indeed widespread in Bulgaria despite recent statements from politicians that Bulgarians are a tolerant people, etc. Tsvetanka Rizova, a leading, and not uninteligent, journalist from Nova TV, one of the three broadcasters with national coverage, stated today in her popular political talk shaw that she did not believe there was discrimination in Bulgaria against gay people. Couldn't believe I was hearing this.

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