Nearly two-fifths of people who identify as LGBTQ+ in Czechia have faced harassment or insults because of their orientation or identity over the past year. And seven out of ten people think insulting remarks from politicians are widespread. This according to a new study produced by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Queer Geography group. I asked one of the authors of the study, Michal Pitoňák, why these numbers are so high.
“They are part of phenomena that have been overlooked thus far. Issues and topics related to LGBTQ+ people are being overlooked. They not being paid enough attention to and people also internalise this.
“Most people think that discrimination is something that they are used to. That it is something that is happening in their everyday lives. They end up thinking that it’s ok, that it is part of everyday life.
“However, it also reveals how largely overlooked the problem is. Almost a half of the surveyed people are being discriminated against or have been discriminated against over the past five years.”
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Author: Thomas McEnchroe