Tiraspol welcomes gays banned from marching in Chisinau, Moldova

The gay, lesbian and transgender community is welcome in Tiraspol but banned in Chisinau, Moldova

TIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times) - The Chisinau city authorities has, for the third year running, banned a Gay Pride public event. As reported by UK Gay News, the ban on this year’s Gay Pride march comes just months after the Moldovan Supreme Court ruled that last year’s ban by the city authorities was illegal. Apparently unfazed, Chisinau upholds its ban and promises jail time to any gay or lesbian who marches in public.

Tiraspol's city authorities has instead welcomed the gay marchers, offering the city - about an hour away from Chisinau - as an alternative venue for the public Gay Pride march which Moldova has banned.

It is unclear if the organizers are willing to move their march with just one week's prior notice. Sources with the European Parliament in Brussels say that, as a result of Moldova's ban, the public Gay Pride event in Chisinau could well turn into a protest of the violation of human rights by the Chisinau city authorities.

The Moldovan LGBT organization GenderDoc-M has scheduled their “Rainbow over the Dniester – 2007” Gay Pride event for between April 27 and 29. Elements of the event might still take place, but hidden away from public view.

Forcing gays back into the closet

" - We are being forced back into the closet," says an activist affiliated with the organizers, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He did not want his name used for fear of persecution by Moldova's authorities.

" - Human righs in Moldova today are worse than in Soviet times," he stated. "We do not have freedom of speech. Nobody can speak out. I can't. No one has any rights here."

The move by Tiraspol to open the city for gay rights is in line with Pridnestrovie's more tolerant atmosphere for its gay and lesbian communities. The unrecognized country, which is also unofficially known under names such as Transdnestr, Transnistria and Transdniester, has a history of freely allowing its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community to organize public events throughout 2005 and 2006. There are no indications that 2007 will be any exception.

The European Parliament's Intergroup website has published commentary praising the gay-friendly position of Pridnestrovie's authorities.

" - We have found Transnistria to exhibit a higher level of openness and tolerance on issues of gay and lesbian rights. We especially laud the position of Human Rights Ombudsman Vasili Kalko and his office's work with the Constitutional Law Court to ensure the conditions for a satisfactory climate of non-discrimination," explained liason officer Dieter Graf.

While the rights of gays are being denied in Moldova, many now look to Pridnestrovie for an example of the new, tolerant face of Eastern Europe.

See also:
» EU Parliament group slams Moldova over gay crackdown; praises PMR