A horrific display of homophobia took place in the town of Imotski, Croatia this past Sunday as an effigy, of two gay male parents with a child was paraded through it through the streets, and then burnt as the crowd which included children cheered and danced at its annual Carnival.
Via Pink News:
Effigies at the traditional carnival events in Croatia commonly draw on news stories and public events, and the doll bore the face of left-wing Social Democratic Party MP Nenad Stazić, who recently made news in the country by saying same-sex couples should be permitted to foster children.
The crowd, which included very young children in fancy dress, cheered and danced to music as the effigy burned.
An announcer told the braying crowds: “My head is spinning from this culture of death… This year, let’s set this grotesque family with baby Nenad Stazić on fire!”
“We are a conservative society, and follow tradition. Give a child to a mother, as the saying goes. We think it’s the right thing to do.” the festival organiser told the Slobodna Dalmacija newspaper.
Croatia does officially bans discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity the country imposed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage via a referendum in 2013, with 66 per cent of voters backing the measure after an intense anti-gay lobbying campaign supported by the Catholic church.