Europride 2008 took place from July 25 to August 3 in Stockholm, Sweden. This past week, EUObserver.com published an article titled, "Anti-gay Bigotry Spans European Cultures," which looked at the contrast between gay-friendly societies and governments in Europe and the "frequent reports of violent, homophobic attacks" that nevertheless still take place. The article points out that Europride 2008 was "marked by the attempted murder of a homosexual couple strolling peacefully in a quiet Stockholm street on the night of 28 July." The reason for this blog is that the article also looks at the situation of homosexuality from the perspective of morality and religion. For example, the Turkish court decision last year to close down an Istanbul LGBT-rights group was based on arguments of morality (and law?) , although not necessary religion or the role of religion in the state. This trend of separating religion from morality has serious consequences for countries, which opt for secular government but do not necessarily restrict specific branches of government, which may disguise their religious verdicts with judgments about morality and what is “best” for society. The article further looks at the issue of gay rights from the perspective of human rights but notes that civil servants and politicians may not actually decide what rights specifically constitute human rights. In fact, and just as the article points out, religious feelings often "discourage frank debate." A recently proposed EU directive would "put discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation on an equal footing with race, gender, and disability." The key difference between these forms of discrimination is the ease with which religion and religious sentiments can be used as justification for acts of individuals, decisions of courts, or government directives. To state an obvious example, it is hardly possible to use religious orthodoxy as a justification for racial discrimination.
