Croatian gays 'come out' in newspaper ad
Two biggest selling dailies, Jutarnji List and Vecernji List, ran the ad entitled "We don't want to hide anymore". It contained first names, age and sexual orientation - gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans-sexual - of 1,200 Croats.
"And this is just the beginning," the advert said, inviting readers to visit the Web site
Tuesday is National Coming Out Day, meant to encourage homosexuals to publicly display their sexual orientation and fight for equal rights as those enjoyed by heterosexuals.
Coming Out Day commemorates the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, when more than half a million people protested against the U.S. government's inadequate response to the AIDS crisis and to anti-gay legislation. Homosexuality was considered a deviation and was never publicly discussed during 50 years of communist Yugoslavia.
Croatia gained independence in 1991 but gay rights did not improve until reformers ousted hardline nationalists from power in 2000. The first gay rights parade in Zagreb was held in 2002, under heavy police protection.
"This is a symbolic coming out, but it shows that gays in Croatia are mustering courage to fully reveal their identities. That means the society is becoming more tolerant," said Dorino Manzin of gay rights group Iskorak (Step Forward).
Almost 90 percent of Croatia's 4.4 million people declare themselves as Roman Catholics. Homosexuality is still a taboo and very few publicly known Croats have admitted to being gay.
