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REPORT:
SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION IN SLOVENIA
introduction | separat
in pdf file (first nine pages in slovene)
A Report by: ŠKUC-LL, Metelkova 6, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
TWENTY YEARS
OF LESBIAN AND GAY MOVEMENT IN SLOVENIA
introduction (in
slovene)|
pdf file (in slovene)
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
OF GAY AND LESBIAN LITERATURE
short introduction (in
slovene)| project (in
slovene)
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN LEGISLATION REGARDING
SAME SEX PARTNERSHIPS
pdf
file (in slovene)
SURVEY ON SAME SEX PARTNERSHIP LAW
pdf
file (in slovene)
DOSSIER - Eleven years of independence
-
ELEVEN YEARS OF HOMOPHOBIA
in english
DOSSIER - THE OMBUDSMAN - first nine years of work
file (in
slovene)
ELECTIONS 2002 - survey on opinions of presidental candidates
file (in
slovene)
INTRODUCTION
"I was told by an acquaintance: 'People like you should
be imprisoned in the zoo or killed.'"
"We don't dare do what everyone else does. We are not
allowed to show that we are gay. We can't hold each other's hand
in the street or kiss in public. We can't risk being spontaneous,
but have to hide instead."
"Someone has to tell Slovenian parents that it can happen
in every family that a child is gay. My boyfriend killed himself
because of the problems within his family, who refused to accept
the fact that he was gay."
These statements provide a strong sense of how homophobic attitudes
can overshadow the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in
Slovenia today. Such statements represent a mere sample of the
numerous responses to a questionnaire survey that sought to conduct
initial research into the nature and extent of sexual orientation
discrimination in Slovenia. The survey was carried out by the
lesbian group ŠKUC-LL and represents one of four investigations
conducted in EU candidate countries (the other studies are based
in Hungary, Poland and Romania). The investigation was performed
in coordination with ILGA-Europe - the European Region of the
International Lesbian and Gay Association - and was funded by
the Open Society Institute in Budapest.
The central purpose of this report is to call attention to the
extent of sexual orientation discrimination in Slovenia, and to
increase the awareness of those actors who can most effectively
combat such discrimination. In particular, these actors are the
Slovenian government, the Slovenian parliament and institutions
of the European Union.
The survey addressed the issues of (1) violence and harassment
and (2) discrimination in employment, health care services, housing
and military service. Full details of questionnaire results are
provided in the Appendix to this report.
The survey was conducted from January-March 2001. During this
period, 172 persons completed the questionnaire. Respondents were
primarily those individuals who regularly frequent openly lesbian
and gay meeting places in Ljubljana or who are indirectly connected
with lesbian, gay and bisexual organisations (e.g., through personal
contacts or correspondence). The questionnaires were distributed
in the lesbian bar Monokel, the gay bar Tiffany, and the Metelkova
Cultural Centre in Ljubljana. The questionnaire was also distributed
to members of ŠKUC-LL as well as the youth group Legebitra, and
was made available on the website www.ljudmila.org/siqrd.
A survey of this type does not purport to produce results that
are statistically valid for the entire target population, as would
be the case with a random sample. Nonetheless, the survey results
provide valuable information and permit certain broad conclusions
to be drawn about the nature and extent of sexual orientation
discrimination in Slovenia.
In considering any findings, allowance must be made for two important
factors:
Surveys that seek to quantify the extent of discrimination directed
toward lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals confront a particular
problem: unlike many other minorities that experience discrimination,
most lesbian, gay and bisexual persons can conceal the aspect
of their identity that is the target of discrimination, namely
their sexual orientation. Thus any survey investigating sexual
orientation discrimination is likely to understate the actual
extent of discrimination.
As noted above, the survey respondents consisted mainly of participants
in Ljubljana's openly lesbian and gay scene, as well as individuals
connected with lesbian, gay and bisexual organisations in Slovenia.
It is likely that this sample is atypical of the general lesbian,
gay and bisexual population in Slovenia, since it includes a relatively
high proportion of individuals who are politically aware and open
about their sexual orientation.
The survey was coordinated by Tatjana Greif. Tomaž Bergoč
(Varianta d.o.o.) conducted the statistical processing, and Nataša
Velikonja analysed the data and produced the final report. This
report is being published in both Slovenian and English.
Whole document:
separat
in pdf file (first nine pages in Slovene)
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