Latvia's first
gay parade canceled after prime minister deems it
"unacceptable"

Officials in Latvia's capital of Riga, citing security concerns, canceled what would have been the Baltic country's first gay pride parade on Wednesday, just hours after the prime minister said he deemed the event offensive. The parade, planned for Saturday, would have traveled through Riga's Old City and included participants from nearby countries including Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland, the organizing group said. The Gay and Lesbian Support Group said it was outraged and warned that the cancellation could hurt Latvia's international reputation as a tolerant, Western-oriented country. Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis told LNT television early Wednesday that he thought it was unacceptable that "a parade of sexual minorities will take place in the very heart of Riga, right next to the Dome" cathedral. "We are a state based on Christian values, and we can not promote things that, say, are unacceptable to a large part of society," he said. Riga city council director Eriks Skapar then canceled the parade because his office had received a flood of protests from religious and extremist groups who threatened to disrupt the march, spokesman Ugis Vidauskis said. "Mr. Skapars believes that this event, which is meant to increase tolerance against sexual minorities, will actually result in decreasing that tolerance," Vidauskis said. "This is not tied to one organization protesting," he added. "We concluded that the majority of society was against it, and it could result in unrest." The Gay and Lesbian Support Group said it would sue the city council over the decision. "Politicians, representatives elected by people, are violating the country's constitution. They are breaking all the possible laws," spokesman Imants Kozlovskis said. The gay and lesbian community in Latvia has been struggling to find a political voice after having been forced underground during nearly five decades of Soviet occupation, which ended in 1991. "There is no gay press, no sociopolitical organizations to speak of, or gay sports teams to join," said political commentator and TV personality Karlis Streips, who is gay. Ojars Kalnins, head of the state-funded Latvian Institute, which is charged with promoting the country's image abroad, said it was unfortunate the parade had been canceled. "Clearly, their action and this whole event doesn't help our image, and it makes us seem more conservative and backward." (AP)