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Current AffairsCzechs come out to Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Although the Velvet Revolution has brought huge social changes, the gay and
lesbian community in the Czech Republic still has a low profile. The
Mezipatra film festival recently ended in Prague and is one of the most
significant events celebrating gay and lesbian culture. In addition to
films screened this year, there were also theatre performances, literary
readings, photography and painting exhibitions and two festival parties.
The first festival was held in 2000 and drew eight hundred viewers. Since
then the popularity of the festival has exploded, drawing a crowd of seven
and a half thousand people this year. Ales Rumpel is the festival's
programmer and spoke about the festival's popularity.
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Talking PointSame-sex unions: Is the Czech Republic ready for gay marriage?
A new bill on registered partnerships for same-sex couples is due to go
before the Czech parliament in the coming weeks. Although similar
legislation has failed in the past, polls show that public opinion has
become increasingly favourable toward same-sex unions in recent years, and
analysts say that this time the legislation has a reasonable chance of
being adopted. So is the Czech Republic about to join a number of Western
European countries in permitting registered partnerships? In this week's
Talking Point, we look at the issue of same-sex unions in the Czech
Republic and ask whether Czechs really are ready to accept gay marriage. More
Press ReviewPress Review
All the papers lead with stories as varying as former environment minister
Milos Kuzvart's appointment as the Czech Republic's first commissioner to
the European Union, the government's failure to begin discussion on a bill
on same-sex marriages, and a potential crisis in the cabinet over rising
rents. We begin, however, with the daily Mlada Fronta Dnes, where the lead
headline declares "Czechs are losing the opportunity to work in
Europe".
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Press ReviewPress Review
Making headlines in the papers today - claims that British Prime Minister
Tony Blair is worried about an influx of Czech Romanies following EU
enlargement, a dispute in the cabinet over registered partnerships for gay
couples, and denials from Labour and Social Affairs Minister Zdenek
Skromach that the government has reached an agreement over regulated rent.
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One on OneHana Kulhankova - on the Mezipatra Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and fascination with identity
In this edition of One on One Jan's guest is Hana Kulhankova, a specialist
in American avant garde and experimental cinema, and a fifth year major at
Brno's Masaryk University. Hana is also is the head organiser of the
important Mezipatra Gay and Lesbian Film Festival that kicked off in Brno
last week and is now on its second leg in Prague.
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Current AffairsCzech gay and lesbian film festival arrives in Prague
Mezipatra 2003, the fourth annual Czech gay and lesbian film festival,
started in Brno last week, where it was very well received. The festival
kicked off in Prague on Monday and it will run here until next Sunday. We
went along to the opening night to assess the local reaction to the event.
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Current AffairsNew book looks at transgender experience in Czech society
"I'm just trying to describe the current situation of our minority
here in Czech society - I mean the transgender minority - because I think
the situation could, for sure, be much better."
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MagazineGays say time is ripe for same-sex marriages law
Unbelievably, as late as in 1992 homosexuality was still registered as a
medical problem in the Czech Republic and efforts were made to find a cure
for it. Many homosexuals entered into heterosexual marriages and led a
double life, keeping their secret even from family and friends. The gay
community in the Czech Republic has come a long way since. Today it is
pushing for the approval of a law on same sex marriages. In this weeks
Magazine Daniela Lazarova talks to a member of the gay community about
what life is like for homosexuals in the Czech Republic today.
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