Czech Gay Exhibit Traces Evolution of GLBT Rights

The Czech Republic has made great strides in GLBT equality since the collapse of Communism. Now a touring exhibition showcases some highlights.

The exhibit was presented to the public in the Hrzansky Palace to make the day of human rights, reported the Prague Daily Monitor today (www.praguemonitor.com/en/231/life_in_the_czech_republic/15830/).

A leader in the Czech Republic's early GLBT equality movement, Jiri Hromada, spoke with the press about the exhibit, telling news outlets that the exhibit will be on display in Prague in Jan., 2008.

Hromada said that the exhibit will be housed in the Prague House of Ethnic Minorities from Jan. 5--25, The Daily Monitor reported.

Explained Hromada, "We want to show to the public that gays and lesbians did not fall from the Mars."

Continued Hromada, "The older generation used to say there were no homosexuals in its youth."

The exhibition consists of three parts, which sketch a history of GLBT people in the region from the ancient world, to the upheavals of the 20th century, and the post-1990 era, afer the end of the Communist regime.

OF the three periods, the latest has seen the most activity among GLBT people. Several organizations devoted to the rights and needs of GLBT citizens have emerged in the past 18 years, including Gay Initiative, Lambda, and SOHO, the article said.

The Prague venue is, according to the Gay.com Out Traveler Guide (www.gay.com/travel/premium/?sernum=553), a GLBT-friendly place with an active night life, a thriving arts and culture scene, and--fitting for the capital of Bohemia--a scenice beauty that was spared the ravages of World War II.

The modern Czech Republic offers freedoms to all its citizens, including a registry for domestic partners--a considerable change from earlier times, considering that homosexuality had been illegal in the region until 1961.

Said Hromada, "Virtually everything we have sought has been achieved since the fall of the Communist regime."