Gay Pride
Thanks to the pressure put on Greece from the European Union, there are no laws which prohibit someone from being homosexual, bi-sexual or lesbian. In comparison with the rest of Europe, Greece is less accepting of the gay community, even though historically, Greece and surrounding territories had thriving gay cultures. In Ancient Greece it was common for unmarried men to have lovers before marriage, but with Christianity and the occupation of Islamic Turks, the tolerance decreased. Today, Greece is considered ‘progressive', but people still hide their preference from their families. Being ‘open' about one's homosexuality within the family is not common. From the time AIDS hit, in the 1980's, people started acknowledging homosexuality more. And just last week, the first two homosexual weddings took place on the island of Tilos.
Athens, and in particular Gazi, is the center of gay life in Greece, except for the summertime, when Mykonos is filled with homosexuals from all over the world. The city of Athens has many gay bars and they are usually more authentic than those in the Greek islands. Yesterday there was a Gay Pride parade at Klafthmonos Square to celebrate the 4th Athens Pride Festival 2008. This year Athens Pride Festival was more dynamic than ever before! There were a series of pre-Pride and parallel events and parties. The parade and party had great talent from Greece and abroad with music, dance numbers, drag shows, well-known DJs and lots more!
Hopefully these events will help society take a look beyond the conservative church, and recognize that homosexuals should have equal rights with heterosexuals.