Quick navigation:
List of forums
Gay Thailand
Gay Cambodia
Gay Vietnam
Gay World
Everything Else
FAQ & Help
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: Gay Pride in Budapest

  1. #1
    Forum's veteran Brad the Impala's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    3,260
    Liked
    801

    Gay Pride in Budapest

    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



    In Festive Mood



    Under Police Guard



    Ok, some of the policemen were cute!






    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



    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



    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!


  2. #2
    Forum's veteran Brad the Impala's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    3,260
    Liked
    801
    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.

  3. #3
    Forum's veteran Wesley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    USA, Kyrgyzstan , Philippines
    Posts
    1,913
    Liked
    3

    All the best

    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
    All the Best!

    Wes

  4. #4
    Guest

    Commentariat

    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

  5. #5
    Senior member
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Jomtien Beach
    Posts
    803
    Liked
    17
    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

  6. #6
    Forum's veteran Brad the Impala's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Posts
    3,260
    Liked
    801
    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?

  7. #7
    Forum's veteran Marsilius's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Bristol, U.K.
    Posts
    1,361
    Liked
    489
    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!
    "The fruits of peace and tranquility... are the greatest goods... while those of its opposite, strife, are unbearable evils. Hence we ought to wish for peace, to seek it if we do not already have it, to conserve it once it is attained, and to repel with all our strength the strife which is opposed to it. To this end individual[s]... and in even greater degree groups and communities are obliged to help one another... from the bond or law of human society." [Marsilio dei Mainardini (c.1275-1342), Defensor Pacis]

  8. #8
    Member Michael's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Posts
    157
    Liked
    4
    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?

  9. #9
    Senior member
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Jomtien Beach
    Posts
    803
    Liked
    17
    Quote Originally Posted by Brad the Impala
    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

  10. #10
    Forum's veteran Marsilius's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    Bristol, U.K.
    Posts
    1,361
    Liked
    489
    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.
    "The fruits of peace and tranquility... are the greatest goods... while those of its opposite, strife, are unbearable evils. Hence we ought to wish for peace, to seek it if we do not already have it, to conserve it once it is attained, and to repel with all our strength the strife which is opposed to it. To this end individual[s]... and in even greater degree groups and communities are obliged to help one another... from the bond or law of human society." [Marsilio dei Mainardini (c.1275-1342), Defensor Pacis]

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
About us
Sawatdee Network is the set of websites for (and about) gay community of Thailand, travelers and tourists in Thailand and in South East Asia.
Please visit us at:
2004-2017 © Sawatdee Gay Thailand - Sawatdee Network