by Soraia Ramos
‘The Greek LGBT community daily life is to wake up and be almost hidden at home. I cannot go outside with my girlfriend. We will receive at least sexist comments or even attacks’, disembosomed Elena Diamantopoulou, from Colour Youth – Athens LGBTQ Youth Community.
According with this organization, there are a lot of homophobic attacks in Greece. However, it is very hard to make a formal complain about them in a Police Station. ‘There is no lack of labor legislation, so we are protected in our work. But we are not protected in our personal life’s on the streets, on our real life.’
Colour Youth has around 120 members that work on a voluntary basis to this cause. They launch campaigns and try to persuade and lobbying people to defend their rights on the Greek Parliament.
There are 8 organizations working actively in Greece on LGBT Community issues. They work individually and together on an online platform in a national level and in a European level, in cooperation with other associations and observatories. ‘But this is not enough’, adds Elena. ‘I don’t personally believe that the community will accept us in a near future, because we always have the big religious part of the society’, she says.
‘Every year, on Athens Parade we have also a political view. It is not a celebration. We don’t have anything to celebrate. In Greece, we cannot be on the streets with our partners. We can’t get marry nor have children. So there is nothing to be celebrated’.
