Croatian gays
come out in nation's newspapers

A large group of gay men and lesbians in the conservative nation of Croatia have decided to come out--in a big way. A Croatian gay association published a list of some 1,200 gays and lesbians in the country's largest newspapers on Tuesday in a bid to fight against prejudice against gays and lesbians in Croatia's traditionally patriarchal society, according to Agence France-Presse.

The one-page list was published under the headline "I do not want to hide anymore" but gave only first names and ages so as to conceal the identity of those not ready to reveal their sexual orientation. The letters G and L signified whether they were gay or lesbian. "There is so little which makes us different and a lot which makes us similar. Question your prejudices," said the advertisement.

Activists with the gay rights group Iskorak said the list was compiled from inscriptions to its Internet site, www.iskorak.org. An estimated 88% of Croatia's 4.4 million people are Roman Catholics, and the church has labeled homosexuality as a "handicap" and a "perversion."