On October 12, 2022, the murder of two young people in a gay bar in Bratislava shocked Slovakia. A year later, Robert Fico, far-right, pro-Russian and openly homophobic, has just closed a government agreement, which leaves him a few centimeters from power. What is the situation now for the Slovak LGBTQ community and what awaits them?
“What happened in Tepláreň (the bar where the attack happened) was very strong for the LGBTQ community. They took away one of those spaces that we had created to feel safe,” says Anet, a young resident of Bratislava, who used to frequent the place where Matúš Horváth and Juraj Vankulič were shot to death.
The homophobic terrorist attack last year must be understood from the hostile reality in which the LGBTQ community lives in Slovakia, a fairly conservative country with a strong influence of the Catholic church.
Walking around Bratislava this summer, I saw small rainbow flag stickers in several establishments, symbolizing the guarantee of a safe environment for members of the LGBTQ community. Some local people explained to me that the initiative had arisen as a result of the 2022 attack. Acts like that are important in a country where only 26% are open to being LGBTQ. For the EU average, this percentage rises to 47%.
Only six EU countries do not offer any form of legal recognition for same-sex couples, one of them, of course, being Slovakia. Slovak homophobia is even present in its constitution, which was reformed in 2014 to define marriage as a single union between a man and a woman.
Attacks on the LGBTQ community are common on the Slovak political scene. Last year, two deputies proposed banning the rainbow flag in state institutions; And without going any further, during the recent electoral campaign, Fico's party released a video where a character similar to Michal Simecka, leader of the liberal PS party, defender of the rights of the LGBTQ community, appeared, wrapped in a rainbow flag and weighing which bathroom to go to during recess at school.
“While the progressive Misho (Michal) decides whether it is a boy, a girl or a helicopter today, for us gender ideology is unacceptable and marriage is a single union between a man and a woman,” announced a smiling Fico in front of to the camera.
“Hate speeches towards the LGBTQ community are a strategy by Fico and other far-right parties to make people think that we are a problem and forget about other issues such as corruption,” said Anet.
It should be remembered that Robert Fico, the winner of the Slovak elections on September 30, and twice prime minister (from 2006 to 2010 and from 2012 to 2018), was forced to resign after the murder of a journalist and his partner in 2018. Fico was connected to an Italian mafia, by the murdered journalist Jan Kuciak, and was charged with leading a criminal organization.
But the charges were dropped and, at that time, Fico enjoyed immunity due to his position as a deputy. An immunity that will continue given the result of the last elections.
After a couple of weeks of negotiations, Fico yesterday managed to sign a government agreement with Hlas (voice in Slovak), a formation led by former members of Smer-SD, and the right-wing Slovak National Party (SNS). It appears that Slovakia will be governed by three groups that agree on issues such as condemnation of EU sanctions against Russia and opposition to immigration and LGBTQ rights.
If Fico governs, a possibility that is almost a reality, "we will not be able to expand our rights in the next 4 or 5 years," Anet stated. However, the young Slovak woman had a little hope that the progressive party PS, second in the elections with 17% of the votes, will exert strong opposition.
But in addition to the legal advances that must be carried out to improve the situation of the LGBTA community, a large part of the problem lies in the polarization of society.
“In Bratislava, especially young people, are more open,” Anet explained to me on the phone. “But in the towns there are people who really hate us a lot, who think that we are going to destroy society. The problem is that there is a great lack of sexual and gender education.”
Anet told me that one Valentine's Day his girlfriend kissed him on the cheek, on the street, and a man started yelling at them. “He went crazy, it seemed like he wanted to kill us.” His and her girl avoid holding hands in public, like 77% of Slovak homosexual couples.
According to Anet, the country is even more polarized than before the homophobic attack last year. Shortly after killing the two boys and wounding another person, the killer posted on Twitter, now X, that his act had been motivated by hatred towards LGBTQ people. Prior to the events, he had even written a manifesto expressing his hatred towards Jews and the LGBTQ community. After the attack he committed suicide.
But even so, “many people still do not recognize that it was a hate crime,” Anet told me. “This idea is very common that the problem comes from gays showing themselves, but we have to show ourselves to fight for our rights”
There is still a lot of work to be done, but in the meantime the LGBTQ community is determined to keep fighting. Today they will gather in front of Tepláreň to commemorate the victims of the homophobic attack of October 12, 2022.
