Gay Pride in Budapest

[Brad the Impala]

I am currently working in Budapest, and have been lucky enough to have my bf visiting me. There are about nine gay clubs here, that are thriving mostly at the weekends, and a couple of Gay Saunas. But it seems to me that most gay guys here are fairly closeted, and perhaps the reverse side of this coin is that a lot of the Hungarian profiles on Gay Romeo, indicate a desire for sex greatly wilder than vanilla.

For the Gay Pride march we were joined by another Anglo Thai couple, and gathered in Heroes Square, where there seemed to be a disappointing turn out of only five floats and a couple of thousand people, with a heavy police presence.

Leaving Hero Square

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride017.jpg

In Festive Mood

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride011.jpg

Under Police Guard

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride009.jpg

Ok, some of the policemen were cute!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride010.jpg




The parade set off on time, in the sunshine, but it wasnтАЩt long before the reason for the police became clear. Gangs of men, of traditional fascist appearance, shaved heads, black shirts, with jeans and big boots, were waiting on the pavements to hurl abuse at those on the parade.

The Thai guys were deeply shocked by this. They had never experienced anything like this hatred, simply because they were gay. Although I had previously explained to him that outside Thailand there are people like this, I think that he never really believed it until this day.

As the parade continued we were followed by the fascists, who tried to interrupt the parade, and were only prevented from doing so by the appearance of the riot police who were marching on either side. Ordinary passersby joined in the abuse, as did old ladies leaning out of windows. Other people joined the parade, presumably out of a sense of solidarity. Despite the police presence, missiles(bricks and bottles) were thrown at us, and two petrol bombs landed only feet away from me.

Protected by the Riot Police

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride023.jpg

Although the parade included those dressed outrageously, the vast majority were dressed in normal clothes, who marched with great dignity despite the provocation. The march reached itтАЩs conclusion, a safe enclosure called Buddha Island, which the Thai Guys thought was a slightly disrespectful name, and we partied away into the night, rather unsettled by the physical threat that lurked outside.

Some cute guys in Hungary too

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/alcibiades/HungaryGayPride020.jpg

The next dayтАЩs newspapers reported the parade, and the attacks on it, but no mention of the fire bombs. They also reported that nine fascists had been arrested, and six people had been injured, fortunately none seriously, by the attacks.

LetтАЩs not undervalue the tolerance in Thailand!

[Brad the Impala]

Hardly worth the trouble to post! If eighty people have had a look but no one can be bothered to make a comment, or thank you for making the effort.

[Wesley]

to you and your Thai guy. I hope some eyes were opened and one day you will have your own Fire Island off the coast of Boston to play in.

Wesley

There were three things on which I'd comment:
1 Do you have the phone number of the boy in the last pic?
2 The Thais are not tolerant about homosexuality; they simply don't express their intolerance. In the "tolerant" West (I exclude the US from the notion of tolerance) even the most tolerant of parents' initial reaction on being told their child is gay is "Damn. No grandchildren"
3 Eastern Europe, at least Russia and, as you say, Bulgaria has no tradition of tolerance towards any minority. Blacks in Russia are treated vilely

[Dboy]

Thanks for posting these pics. Anything else you have taken in Budapest would love to see. I was there in late fall last year... does it snow heavily there in the winter? I've seen some pics on TrekEarth that show chunks of ice in the Danube. You happen to have any hints on how to find a cheap place to stay for a month or two? I've looked at Craigslist but found nothing really inexpensive.

Dboy

[Brad the Impala]

Hi Dboy, Glad that you liked the pics but can't help with the weather in winter as I wasn't here then, but I do know that last winter was the mildest here in ages, and this summer, with temperatures up to 40 degrees, is the hottest in ages.

No special insight into cheap accomodation, except that you can certainly get very reasonably priced apartments for stays over three months. My Danube view costs me 800 Euros a month.

What was your experience when you were in Budapest?

[Marsilius]

In December 2004 - my last visit - it was very cold but, I see from my photographs at the time, with very little snow.

It was, though, very icy which made for a fun morning at Stutue Park where getting from statue of Lenin to statue of heroes of the Socialist Revolution was like trying to walk on an ice rink!

[Michael]

Thanks for the pointer from the global forum, I would have never visited here without your promting.
Why not place future posts like this on the main forum? Even if they are moved to this dark place by jinks or Spikes, a shadow is left on the main forum which makes me wonder why they bother to move it in the first place.
How did both you and your accompanying Thai/Anglo couple manage the admin/visa requirements for a Thai resident?

[Dboy]

What was your experience when you were in Budapest?

Oh I loved it there. Was able to get a nice apartment in Buda at a steal, after staying in a youth hostel for a few nights. I walk a ton, and Budapest is great for that, although the wind will freeze your face off walking over the Elizabeth Bridge (the white bridge). I was lucky enough to be there during the celebration/riots last year (1956-2006 anniversary of the Budapest Revolution). The tear gas was fun! (kidding). Had never been in the middle of anything like that before. There were anti-communist banners hanging on the walls overlooking the river, ok food and good music...nice event to see as a foreigner. Stayed in Budapest for almost a month, after originally planning to stay only a few days. That should give you an idea of my impressions of the place. Not as obviously beautiful as Prague, for instance. But the place grows on you. I found the language impossible, and was not thrilled with the food (although the Hungarian salami is probably the best I've ever tasted). Trying to work another trip there into my schedule for the winter but no real plans yet. I've mentioned the turkish baths here before; I'm relatively young, so got lots of attention at Kiraly:-) I like that place alot. I assume most people prefer Rudas, but I like the old-ness of Kiraly. And I was the only "outsider" at Kiraly. The tourist crowd seems to go to Gellert, or the late-night thing at Rudas (because it's mixed-sex on, what is it, friday night?) Overall my impression is that as a tourist, if you're only staying there a few days, the people will seem reserved and distant. But if they start seeing you regularly then they open up quite a bit. I especially noticed this in the markets. And it seems to me that the best parts of Budapest are simply unknown to the fast-moving tourist. It takes awhile to appreciate the place.

Dboy

[Marsilius]

As you say, Dboy, totally unlike Prague.

While the latter is very beautiful in the "olde worlde" way, Budapest seemed to me to be very like Paris with its wide boulevards and far more convincing air of a genuine capital city.

[Brad the Impala]

How did both you and your accompanying Thai/Anglo couple manage the admin/visa requirements for a Thai resident?

It was as hard to get the necessary paperwork for my bf, as it could be! It actually took a couple of months to get it all together, first I had to get my residency and work permits. Then, in order to get the Immigration Department to issue a formal letter of invitation, I had to provide:
Certificate of Income
A Declaration in front of a Public Notary that I would provide housing and fund his costs while here
A Copy of the lease agreement for my apartment
A Copy of the Land Registry records on the apartment
A Letter from the owner of the apartment to confirm that he was happy for this person to visit me(signed by two witnesses)
Three Page application form
Copy of my Residency Permit, Passport, and Work Permit.

Two weeks after these documents were delivered to the Immigration Department, they supplied an official letter of invitation, which needed to be taken to the Hungarian Embassy in Bangkok, along with:
Letter from BF's employer guaranteeing his job
Six months of Bank Statements
Confirmation of Travel Insurance
Passport
Copy of Host's passport
Copy of Host's lease agreement
Completed application form and photos
Confirmation of Travel Arrangments

Three days later, hey presto, a three month visa.

The other Anglo/Thai couple had it easy as they have already registered their civil partnership in the UK! Something to be said for that!