IN Bulgaria, homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals face negative discrimination in their work places, in sports, and at high schools and universities.
This was said by Desislava Petrova, chairperson of the Bulgarian gay organisation GEMINI at the end of a two-day international conference entitled Preventing and Combating Discrimination.
Petrova said that the matter of her personal life was comparable to the way other people in the country regarded their faith. The continuing intolerance in society was a result of immaturity, she said.
"Bulgarian society has little knowledge on bisexual, transgender and homosexual topics," she told The Echo. And ignorance aggravated intolerance.
"I have a homosexual orientation and that is what makes me more aware of the faith of these people," Petrova said. She has a keen interest in Roma rights, women's rights, and human rights in general, and believes that all of these should be a priority for Bulgaria and for every society.
She said that there had been positive changes in the past years in Bulgaria. For a very long time, to be a Roma person, to be an ethnic minority, and to have a sexual orientation other than heterosexual has meant being "the other" in Bulgarian society.
The Bulgarian Law on the Protection against Discrimination came into force on January 1. It bans all forms of negative discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation.
Ailsa Spindler, executive director of the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), noted the difference between a law existing and it being implemented.
To make a real difference, people needed to invoke their rights to make the law meaningful.
ILGA has been informed about two cases of lesbian women whose rights were abused on the road in Bulgaria by policemen, who threatened them with arrest.
Nothing the gay women were doing was against the law; it appeared the basis of the incident was that they matched the stereotype of what lesbians look like.
"I think in many countries, even the more liberal countries in Europe you get that type of harassment," Spindler told The Echo, adding that the northern part of Italy was an example of such discrimination. " It is very difficult to be judgmental at an European level," Spindler said.
She said that societal attitudes in Bulgaria were still conservative and traditional in many ways. This could be a hangover from communism, while there could be other influences.
"Bulgaria has had to change many aspects of its society and this is challenging," she told The Echo. At times when people feel threatened by change, they often look for people they can blame. "Sometimes minorities, sexual orientation groups can be the object of that blame," she said.
Spindler has always been struck by the allegation that people level at homosexuals: that they are promiscuous and never stay with the same partner.
"But when we ask to register our partnerships they say it is a threat to marriage. They want it both ways," Spindler said.
This is a difficult and exciting time for Bulgaria and the values that people of her generation and younger people have been brought up with, were quite different to what they are now being told is the norm, Spindler said.
A negative attitude may be found on an individual or institutional level.
"When it is individual it is based on ignorance," Spindler said. People just do not understand the issues, or have stereotyped views of how a lesbian or gay man behaves and use it as a basis to criticise their lifestyle. A bigger challenge is the institutional resistance, she said.
Hidden discrimination is hardest to combat. If you tackle the people responsible for this in the system they simply deny it, Spindler said.
Rev Elder Diane Fisher (Canadian), Regional Elder for Metropolitan Community Churches, told The Echo: "It is difficult for gay men and lesbians to become visible because in their visibility they are threatened".
She said that there certainly had been discrimination against gay men who wanted to become priests and she said that there has been harassment of many "different people" in the world, not only in Bulgaria.
In Canada when she first "came out" she was harassed and jailed. "Now all our rights are protected and we have the right to gay marriage," Fischer said. In the past 35 years, there had been many changes globally, she said.
Fisher expected people to be very excited about the law that came into effect on January 1 and she was right.
"The law gives a legal identity and protection," Fischer said.
The law protects from discrimination all physical persons on the territory of Bulgaria, the associations of physical persons and legal persons when they are discriminated upon some of the features shown in the law: sex, race, nationality, ethnical affiliation, citizenship, origin, religion or faith, education, convictions, political affiliation, personal or social status, disability, age, sexual orientation, family status, property status or every other feature prescribed by law or international treaty which the Republic of Bulgaria has entered in.
"I believe that Bulgaria has gone farther than many of the European Union countries or those candidates for the EU and it is very helpful," Fischer told The Echo.
The protection from discrimination in exercising the right of labour is provided in a separate section of the law, which includes definite prohibitions and obligations for each employer.
The conference dealing with all the issues of discrimination was also attended by COC Netherlands and ACCEPT Romania latter being awarded Equality for Gays and Lesbians in the European Institutions for overall achievements in the combat for equality of people with homosexual, bisexual and transgender orientation.
Bulgaria is one of the first countries in Europe adopted a law that fulfills all the requirements of the European Directives for protection against discrimination.
On the deadline for implementation of the Employment Framework Directive, ILGA-Europe ILGA urged all EU member states to stand by their pledge to full equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexual people in Europe.
ILGA is a worldwide federation of national and local groups dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people everywhere. Founded in 1978, it now has more than 350 member organisations. Every continent and around 80 countries are represented. ILGA member groups range from small collectives to national groups and entire cities.
GEMINI said that the Employment Framework Directive (adopted on November 27, 2000) should have been implemented by the EU member states by December 2, 2003. Yet, of the current 15 EU member states, only three meet the minimum standards of implementation - Belgium, Denmark and Sweden. Others - notably Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands - cover a considerable scope of the directive but would still need to enact some amendments in order to fully comply. All other member states either transposed the directive insufficiently or have not yet adopted or even tabled any legislation at all.
Many governments seem to have found the directive challenging, as it raises the profile of discrimination based on sexual orientation. The second-class treatment of same-sex partnerships and marriages and the churches' position on homosexuality are related topics, which are on the political agenda at the moment. To ensure a social Europe where the principle of equality is more than a mere slogan, it is indispensable that governments act to protect those most in danger of being excluded and victimised. Being far ahead in the aspect of tolerance and making all minority groups visible Bulgaria is continuing to progress with a right step and a right tone.