Sexism in Czech Advertising
by Lisette Allen
Originally published on Expats.cz
Sex sells in the Czech Republic, but have recent adverts gone too far?
There’s an episode of the hit US TV show Mad Men where Peggy tries to convince boss Don Draper that her idea for an advertising campaign will work by parroting the dictum “sex sells.”
Don disagrees. “Just so you know, the people who talk that way think monkeys can do this.”
Don Draper may be a brilliant ad man, but he inhabits a fictional 1960s New York. Perhaps if he were trying to sell beer, scaffolding, or even carp in 21st century Prague, he might get a couple of scantily clad hotties to drape themselves over the product in question and print a cheesy strapline across their crotches.
The sheer quantity of adverts in the Czech Republic where babes show off their buns, boobs, and other body parts in the name of product promotion is overwhelming. It’s something which outsiders like myself can’t help being struck by, like the porno mags widely displayed at eye level – i.e., in view of children – in most newsagents.
You could say all this is just a reflection of the more relaxed attitude Czechs have to nudity. Any Brit who’s braved the communal changing room of the gym or swimming pool here has had to face their inner prude: while we’d much rather hide away in a cubicle or behind a towel, Czechs are more than comfortable stripping off in front of strangers. And once summer arrives, there’s the poolside topless sunbathing. The naturist movement is popular here too, suggesting that Czech Republic is a nation of people who are comfortable in their own skin – literally.
Whether it’s a consequence of political correctness or old-fashioned prudery, perhaps foreigners who object to too much flesh in ads are just uptight. Just look at Ukrainian activists Femen. Rather than burn their bras, these Slavic beauties have bared their chests to draw attention to the exploitation of women in the sex industry or the misogyny of the Catholic Church. These days, even feminists go topless to get their message across.
However, the existence of the Sexistické prasátečko or “Sexist Piggie” Awards shows that there are Czechs who are just as irked by the prevalence of women in skimpy panties – or even less – in advertising. The competition, which has been running since 2009, is designed to highlight offensive gender stereotyping of all kinds. Members of the public submit examples of dodgy ads, a shortlist of the worst offenders is compiled, and then the overall ‘winner’ is decided by online vote. “Every year the number of nominated commercials in the contest is increasing ,from which we conclude that people are beginning to have an interest in the topic of sexism,” says Petra Havlíková of Ženská práva, the women’s rights group responsible for organising the contest.
Surprisingly, perhaps, last year’s winning advert starred a man – or rather a teenage boy about to lose his virginity. Komerční banka’s 2011 campaign featured an androgynous young guy, eyes closed in orgasmic rapture, reclining next to the slogan, “Užij si první bankovní styk”: “Enjoy your first contact with the bank.”
How many of you have ever received such good customer service at your local branch that you almost climaxed?
I thought not.
Last year’s nominees for a Sexistické prasátečko also included a promotional calendar by Mountfield where Miss December rides a lawnmower without so much as a Santa hat on, as well as a billboard ad for a building supplies firm where a naked woman clutches her breasts while saying, “Erect it yourself as well.”
Sex may sell, but it seems subtlety doesn’t.
It could be said that such simplistic gender stereotyping just reflects the fact that relations between Czech men and women remain unequal. Without meaning to sound flippant, I’m sure I’m not the only lady expat who has often found herself wondering whether feminism ever made it this far east. There, I said it: the F word. And there’s the problem. Whatever your nationality, it’s practically impossible to use phrases like ‘women’s rights’ or ‘gender stereotyping’ without being dismissed as a hairy-legged harridan who’s had a sense of humor bypass.
In fact, when I see a billboard displaying a female astride a horse with her torso clad in armour, brandishing an impossibly large sword, while showing off her bare behind (the product being promoted? Recycling Services) my reaction is more likely to be laughter rather than outrage. Dismissing these unsophisticated adverts with a chuckle is one coping strategy, but is it the right one?
Much depends on context. My Czech partner works with a small civil engineering firm in Prague. A promotional calendar from a flooring company ended up displayed on the wall of the office featuring, yes, you guessed it, the obligatory naked girl. So far, so typical. Except that this girl didn’t have so much as a G-string to cover her modesty.
That’s not the punchline. It gets better – or should I say worse.
The office was expecting a visit from a prospective client who happened to be English. And female. My partner suggested to his colleagues that having a Playboy centrefold on display wasn’t typical in a British professional environment. Perhaps they could take it down?
The calendar remained on the wall. However, a compromise was found. For the duration of the visit, they turned the offending image the other way.
I used to think this anecdote was a hilarious example of cultural differences. As I write this though now, I can’t help wondering how I would feel if I had to sit at a computer with a naked woman’s crotch hanging above my head all day – even if it were a two-dimensional one. Depressed? Demoralised? Would I be brave enough to take it down? Difficult to say.
This dilemma leads me to my next question: why don’t more people object to these images?
“[They] feel that they cannot do anything against them,” says Petra Havlíková, one of the organisers behind the Sexistické prasátečko contest. “Generally, the Czechs are not a civically active nation, although this is gradually changing.”
Before we condemn Czechs for their apathetic nature, we should ask ourselves whether there’s any real point in protesting. In an age where we’ve all become sophisticated consumers of numerous kinds of multiplatform media, clichéd adverts where the nubile hotties have scant connection to the products they supposedly promote look amateurish and absurd. Surely, therefore, they are doomed to fail? If these adverts only succeed in making the firm they supposedly promote look ridiculous, then why waste energy objecting to them?
In any case, even if Czechs did want to complain, the country’s Advertising Standards Authority lacks real teeth. The body’s British counterpart recently responded to an influx of complaints by banning a Ryan Air newspaper advert which depicted one of its air hostesses in skimpy underwear tugging at her panties invitingly. A lot of fuss over a little lingerie? The British media thought otherwise and made the ban big news, giving the budget airline infinitely more publicity than the original advertising campaign could have. A complete ban, in other words, was ultimately counterproductive.
Perhaps harnessing the power of the internet to poke fun at lame adverts, as the Sexist Piggie Awards have done, is ultimately the best strategy. Laughter may be the most powerful weapon against crass stereotyping after all. At least then no one can accuse you of being a sour-faced feminist – although perhaps it is time I learned how to operate a power drill.
no commentsCROSS-POSTED FROM HOLLABACK BRUSSELS – David: “She is horrified. We all are. What she does not understand is that she begged them to stop and that this will forever be her first sexual experience.”
Published on April 26,2012
My daughter who turned 15 in January has been sexually assaulted at De Brouckère subway station two weeks ago. By a group of young men. She is too shocked to tell Hollaback in person what happened but she insisted I tell you her story. What happened will have tremendous consequences for the rest of her life.
She went to the movies on Wednesday afternoon with her friend. Afterwards she was to take the metro home when she and her friend were spotted by these guys. She counted five of them, two of them visibly younger than her. They approached and formed a human curtain around the girls. One of the guys showed his penis and was masturbating while another tried to kiss my daughter and her friend on the mouth. She was also touched.
After a few moments an older man intervened. One of the guys tried to push him on the rails and gave him some blows to the head. In the scuffle the rest stopped what they were doing and started to leave.
A police unit rushed to the spot but the guys were already gone. It is terrible to receive a phone call that your daughter has been assaulted and in the hospital for observation.
She is horrified. We all are. What she does not understand is that she begged them to stop and that this will forever be her first sexual experience. We’ve been advised to start therapy as a family to deal with this. Police has been very helpful but chances that they find the guys are small and given their young ages the eventual punishment will be minimal.
We will be leaving Brussels asap. We ask ourselves why we’ve stayed too long as my wife confessed she has been hasseled numerous times by men on the streets or on the tube. Personally I feel like strangling the first person I come across who in public will behave as a bastard to a lady. This whole city needs therapy.
We So Awesome!
Our very own Emily May, Executive Director of HollaBack! was included in The Huffington Post’s list of 20 powerhouse women alongside Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Rachel Maddow, Diane Sawyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and more!
Check it here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marlo-thomas/womens-history-month_b_1333011.html?ref=marlo-thomas#s765343&title=Emily_May
16 Days of Activism
16 ACTIONS FOR 16 DAYS
Take action and make your voice heard during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. Say NO – UNiTE offers 16 actions that you can take to protest and prevent violence against women and girls. Pick as many as you like, or take the action of the day!
HollaBack! will be the featured action on December 3rd. Let’s all open our mouths and tell our stories!
Check out: http://saynotoviolence.org/16days2011
Things You Can’t Unsee
by Alicia Brooks
There are certain things in your daily life that you do without even thinking about. Things like brushing your teeth, going to work, crossing the street or waiting in the inevitable line at the Albert. They have become such a part of your life that thinking about them would be redundant. You have been putting on your shoes for years, why bother giving it a second thought?
Taking public transit in Prague has become one of those things for me. I know which trams to take, what time the bus comes and what car I should get into for optimal speed upon exit. It’s clockwork. It’s clockwork except in the case of taking the night trams.
I swore off night trams when I swore off partying downtown. I like being able to walk home – or stumble home – as the case may be. But just this past week I found myself going home at 3am on a night tram. Twice. I had conveniently forgotten about the smell of puke, the loud drunks and the way it seems to take an eternity to get home no matter where you live.
Thursday night I was waiting at Narodni Trida for the 58 with my flat-mate. We had had a fun evening full of laughter and alcohol and topped it off with an always delicious and regrettable slice of street pizza. The tram was going to take another fifteen minutes to get to us, so we took a seat on the steel benches. My friend was regaling me with a story about something when I saw him. I didn’t want her to have to see what I was seeing so I tried not to change expression in any way.
He walked by us as if he were on one of those moving platforms they have at airports – slow and sooth. He wanted me to get a good look. He had his penis in one hand shaking it rapidly in my direction and the other hand (which was somehow far more offensive than the penis) was under his mouth, fingers in a peace sign tongue lapping at the air. The international sign for “lick pussy”. He seemed to walk in slow motion.
I think I was stunned into silence. As soon as he was out of sight I turned to my friend and said, “Holy shit! Did you see that fucking guy?” It was obvious to me that she hadn’t, and for that I was glad. One less person who has that image scarred on their retina. I recounted what I had witnessed and was met with multiple “Ewws”. I quickly remembered why I don’t like to take night trams.
One of the things that I refuse to get used to is harassment – in any form. A strange man shaking his genitals, an ass grab at a bar, yelling at me from across the street how “hot” or “fuckable” I am. It’s all harassment, and it will never be second nature as long as I continue to get pissed off about it.
“I’ve Got Your Back” Campaign – Delejte neco!
This week subway folk heroine Nicola Briggs partners with Hollaback! to launch “I’ve Got Your Back,” a campaign to empower bystanders in the fight against street harassment. For six years Hollaback! has worked to empower and provide a meaningful response to folks experiencing street harassment – incorporating mobile technology and building an international movement. “I’ve Got Your Back” takes this work to the next level by providing a real-time response to those who are harassed.
“When we see a parent with a baby struggling to enter a building, we open the door for them. When someone drops their hat, we pick it up and give it to them. So why when we see someone being harassed do we look the other way?” said Hollaback! Executive Director Emily May. “That’s where ‘I’ve Got Your Back’ comes in.”
In November 2010, NYC resident Nicola Briggs stood up to a sexual predator on the subway and ensured with the assistance of bystanders that he would be arrested. Her brave actions were caught on a cell phone video and Briggs quickly became a subway heroine with over 1 million views on YouTube. The incident led to Briggs’ to become a regular blogger on Hollaback!’s website and a core partner for the “I’ve Got Your Back” campaign.
“When I was accosted by that creep, I announced his wrongdoing to as many people as possible, and to tell him in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t get away with it,” said Briggs. “I also insisted upon the conductor being notified, as well as transit police. But aside from those actions, which were essential for controlling the perpetrator, immobilizing him by making him the center of attention, the most important thing that I did was to call upon the help of the other passengers. I asked ‘Men, guard the doors!’ And frankly, if it weren’t for their assistance, the creep would probably have been able to high-tail it out of there.”
However, even if someone doesn’t call out for assistance, it is still important that bystanders recognize their role in a situation – and feel empowered to support someone they believe is being harassed. Even if it’s just to ask, “Are you ok?” The campaign is designed to show people how to intervene, and to celebrate it when they do.
The campaign will include an interactive map, updated apps for iPhone and Android, a film, and a groundswell of support from advocates and site leaders internationally. But before campaign can get started, Hollaback! needs your support. We are launching a $25,000 campaign through Indiegogo, with tax-deductible donations to be matched by our board of directors. Help us out by WATCHING THIS VIDEO and investing in this campaign today!
no commentsItica’s Story
V dubnu 2011 jsem se vracela jsem se krátce po půlnoci domů. Chystala jsem se projít metrem z jedné strany Vítězného náměstí na druhou. Přede mnou vyšli z metra 3 mladí muži. Jeden z nich na mě zakřičel: “Klobásy, kukuřice, párek v rohlíku, pojďte si vybrat”, následeoval smích.
It happened on my way home in April 2011, I was walking back home and I was about to go through the metro underground on Víťězné náměstí. I met three young guys, one of them shouted at me: “sausage, corn, sausage-meat, come to pick”, others laughing laudly.
Czech Position Hears Our Hollas
Czech Position
ceskapozice.cz/en
by Martina Čermáková
Cesky prekladani je dolu
Women ‘Holla’ Out to End Street Harassment
Prague is joining a global online movement against street harassment — but experts say attitudes are 20 years behind Western Europe
Most women or members of the LGBT community at some point have had to deal with vulgar remarks, insults, innuendo or maybe even stalking or worse. The harassment is often tolerated or ignored, and goes unreported. These frustrations incited a group in New York City to set up a blog in 2005 that would grow into a global movement against street harassment by encouraging victims to share their stories and pin them on a Google map.
By creating a platform for women and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people to “holler” about gender-based harassment, Hollaback! is transforming an isolating experience into something sharable.
Since its official launch as a nonprofit organization in May 2010, the project has spread to 27 cities and 10 countries with over 1,000 incidents of harassment mapped on the site, its co-founder and director Emily May said. The organization hopes to expand to more than 50 sites in 2011.
The bilingual Czech sister site Ozvi se!/Hollaback Czech!, started by long-time Prague resident Gail Whitmore — who also organizes the annual V‑Day Prague to end violence against women and girls — hasn’t officially launched yet, as Whitmore is searching for a Czech native to collaborate with.Whitmore’s original impetus for participating in the movement was to hold perpetrators more accountable. “We want to document stories with specific locations so that victims and harassers will no longer be the only ones who know what happened,” she said.
For the victim, sharing the experience is a way to reclaim the power that’s otherwise tipped in favor of the perpetrator, she said. As an example, she said she snapped an iPhone photo of a man who was harassing her on a night tram and then posted it on Facebook. “I had a feeling like I’d done something. I didn’t feel victimized. It was a feeling of taking my voice back.”
Since November 2010, users have been able to instantly post stories and photos of assailants and pin them on a map using the Hollaback! iPhone application. In a similar vein, projects like LASH, the London Anti-street Harassment Campaign, and the Cairo-based HarassMap have began crowd sourcing to track down harassment incidents.
The user-generated content is also a way of gathering evidence to present to legislators. May is currently working with the New York City Council and Cornell University to fund a two-year study on street harassment using data collected from iPhones. She said it was first of its kind internationally.
In the Czech Republic, street harassment isn’t explicitly anchored in the legislature, although victims can press civil charges relating to the protection of personality rights in regional courts. The anti-discrimination law approved in the Czech Republic in 2009 — the last EU state to do so — addresses discrimination in access to employment, business, education, health care and social security, but leaves out many areas.
Slow road to gender sensitivity
Marta Vohlídalová of the gender and sociology department at the Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV ČR) said the country lags 20 years behind Western Europe in gender-related issues. She has just published a study on sexual harassment in higher education.“The issue of sexual harassment, in general, was uncovered in the ’70s in the United States,” she said. “[The focus] was first on the workplace, then the school environment, with other topics and areas opening up gradually. The trends of the areas being uncovered are lagging behind here. Even in Europe, the first complete study that concerned sexual harassment in the workplace took place in the late ’80s. Here, serious studies only began to emerge at the beginning of the 21st century.”
Vohlídalová’s study, released in early April, show that 67 percent of respondents from an unidentified Prague-based university have experienced some form of sexual harassment. “Most of the time, students didn’t pay attention to it, perceiving certain forms as something normal,” she said. The milder forms of harassment, like inappropriate remarks or jokes, were widely accepted.
The results mirror, to an extent, the tolerance of the Czech society toward gender-based violence, she said. While the public might be becoming more gender-sensitive —compared to the anti-feminist mood of the ’90s —Vohlídalová said that, in contrast to Western Europe, Czech society remains fairly patriarchal.
There is a tendency for people to perceive harassment as an overblown and artificially constructed phenomenon imported from abroad and associate it with more serious forms, like blackmail and physical assault, not so much with the milder, gender-related ones, she added.
For many, it’s wrongly seen as “the price to pay for living in a city,” Whitmore said.
Tolerance versus respect
Similarly to milder forms of sexual harassment, most hate crimes against the LGBT community go unreported due to fear of being outed, the fear of revenge and a general distrust of police officials, Kristýna Ciprová of the nonprofit organization Gender Studies said.
While statistics indicate a move toward greater tolerance, it is a conditional sort of acceptance, Ciprová said, and areas, such as marriage and child adoption still spark controversy. For instance, while more than two-thirds approve of registered partnership and 49 percent agree with same-sex marriage, only 29 percent support letting same-sex couples adopt children, a 2010 poll by the Public Opinion Research Center (CVVM) showed.
“The mainstream society tolerates [LGBT people], but it isn’t the same thing as respect and acknowledgment,” she said.
Contrary to expectations, the younger generation isn’t significantly more accepting, Ciprová noted. According to a 2007 study by the nongovernmental organization People in Need, some 72 percent of high school males perceive gays negatively, although the percentage is much lower for girls, 24 percent.
Along with relevant education and a public discussion, one key ingredient to change is systematic that has been lacking is pressure on legislators. To address that gap, a nonprofit group to act as a platform for equality, recognition and diversity called PROUD is launching mid-May.
Refining thresholds
During a discussion Whitmore held March 20 to mark the first International Anti-street Harassment Day, she found that, despite being initially dismissed by many of her Czech friends as unnecessary, Ozvi se!/Hollaback! has made people realize they have more stories to tell than they think.Besides creating a safe space to share stories, the get-together also generated a number of questions about the gray zones, such as the fine line between flirting and being intrusive. Whitmore said that when it comes to gray areas of milder forms of assault, if it makes you feel bad, consider it harassment.
“Most guys are good guys,” she said. “We want men to be our allies in this and speak up if [they] see something — if your friend is engaging in this behavior or if you see a strange man doing it to call them on it.”
ČESKY
Ženy se „ozývají“ pro ukončení obtěžování v ulicích. Hollaback! v Praze
Praha se připojila k celosvětové síti proti ukončení pouličního obtěžování – ale podle expertky jsou společenské postoje stále 20 let za západní Evropou.
Většina žen nebo příslušníků LGBT komunity se někdy během života ocitli v situaci, kdy byli vystaveni urážkám, vulgárním poznámkám, narážkám, nebo možná dokonce stalkingu či horším formám obtěžování. Toto obtěžování je často tolerováno nebo ignorováno a zůstává neohlášeno. Lidé nespokojení s tímto stavem vytvořili v New Yorku skupinu, která v roce 2005 založila blog, jež se rozrostl v globální síť, bojující s obtěžováním v ulicích tím, že podporuje oběti ve sdílení jejich příběhů a označení míst, kde k obtěžování došlo, na Google Maps.
Vytvoření platformy Hollaback!, kde se lidé mohou ozvat, pokud se stanou obětí obtěžování založeném na genderu, znamená přeměnu zkušenosti, která by jinak byla vnímána jako izolující, v něco, co je možné sdílet s ostatními.
„Od května 2010, kdy Hollaback! zahájila svoji činnost jako nezisková organizace, se projekt rozšířil do 27 měst a 10 zemí a na mapě incidentů se již objevilo více než 1000 příběhů“, řekla spoluzakladatelka a ředitelka Emily May. Organizace doufá, že v roce 2011 bude mít více než 50 webových stránek.
Dvojjazyčná česká odnož Ozvi se!/Hollaback! Czech Je zatím provozována Gail Whitmore, která dlouhodobě žije v Praze. Gail Whitmore také organizuje každoroční V-Day Prague pro ukončení
násilí na ženách a dívkách. Stránka zatím nebyla spuštěna oficiálně, Whitmore hledá v Praze spolupracovníky.
Prvotním impulsem Gail Whitmore pro připojení se k této iniciativě byla snaha učinit pachatele obtěžování více zodpovědný za své chování. „ Chceme dokumentovat příběhy a místa, kde se udály, takže oběti a agresoři už nebudou jediní lidé, kteří vědí, co se stalo,“ řekla Whitmore.
Pro oběť je sdílení zážitku způsob, jak získat zpátky moc, která je v opačném případě zcela na straně agresora, tvrdí Whitmore. Jako příklad uvádí situaci, kdy se jí podařilo vyfotit na svůj IPhone muže, který ji obtěžoval v noční tramvaji, a zveřejnit fotografii na facebooku. „ Měla jsem pocit, že jsem něco udělala, necítila jsem se jako oběť. Byl to pocit, že jsem slyšet.“
Od listopadu 2010, mají uživatelé možnost okamžitě sdílet příběhy a fotografie útočníků díky Hollaback! IPhone aplikaci. V podobném duchu hromadně sbírají data projekty jako LASH (London Anti-street Harassment Campaign) a HarassMap se sídlem v Káhiře.
Data, která shromáždí sami uživatelé, mohou být také použita v komunikaci se zákonodárci. Emily May v současné době jedná s radou města New York a s Cornell University o financování dvouleté
studie obtěžování v ulicích, která by využila data nasbíraná uživatelkami IPhone aplikace Hollaback! Podle jejích slov by to byla první mezinárodní studie tohoto druhu.
V České republice není pouliční obtěžování explicitně ukotveno v legislativě, nicméně oběti mohou dosáhnout určitého potrestání násilníka díky ochraně práv osobnosti. Antidiskriminační zákon, který Česká republika přijala jako poslední stát EU v roce 2009, se zaměřuje na diskriminaci v přístupu ke vzdělání, zaměstnání, obchodu, zdravotní péči a sociálnímu zabezpečení, ale mnoho oblastí v něm zůstává nezmíněno.
Zdlouhavá cesta k genderové citlivosti
Marta Vohlídalová z výzkumného oddělení gender & sociologie Sociologického ústavu AV ČR tvrdí, že názory na problémy s genderovou tematikou jsou v Čechách stále 20 let za západní Evropou. Vohlídalová nedávno publikovala studii o sexuálním obtěžování v terciárním vzdělávání.
„Problém sexuálního obtěžování obecně byl objeven v sedmdesátých letech v USA. Pozornost byla nejprve zaměřena na pracoviště, později na školní prostředí a další témata a oblasti se začaly postupně objevovat. Trend objevování nových oblastí tady ale zaostává. V Evropě první souhrnná studie týkající se sexuálního obtěžování na pracovišti vznikla na konci osmdesátých let. Tady seriózní studie vznikají až na počátku 21. století,“ říká Marta Vohlídalová.
Její studie, publikovaná na počátku dubna, ukazuje, že 67 % respondentů z jedné pražské vysoké školy zažilo nějakou formu sexuálního obtěžování. „Studenti tomu většinou nevěnují pozornost, jisté formy obtěžování jsou považovány za něco normálního“, říká. Mírnější formy obtěžování, jako nevhodné poznámky nebo vtipy, jsou široce přijímány.
Výsledky výzkumu do určité míry odrážejí toleranci české společnosti k tomuto druhu násilí, říká Vohlídalová. „Zatímco ve srovnání s antifeministickou náladou devadesátých let se česká společnost stává více citlivou ke genderové tematice, ale ve srovnání se situací v západní Evropě je stále silně patriarchální.“
„Existuje zde tendence vnímat obtěžování jako nafouknutou bublinu a uměle konstruovaný fenomén zavlečený ze zahraničí a spojený s více závažnými formami jako je vydírání a fyzické násilí, a ne tolik s mírnějšími formami“, dodává.
Mnoho lidí se mylně domnívá, že obtěžování je zkrátka „cena za život ve městě,“ tvrdí Gail Whitmore.
Tolerance versus respekt
Podobně jako mírnější formy sexuálního obtěžování zůstává většina nenávistných trestných činů proti LGBT komunitě neohlášena. Děje se tak ze strachu ze sociálního vyloučení nebo z odplaty a kvůli
všeobecné nedůvěře ve státní instituce, říká Kristýna Ciprová z Gender Studies o.p.s.
Ačkoli statistiky naznačují posun k větší toleranci, jedná se spíše o podmíněnou akceptaci, tvrdí Ciprová, a témata jako manželství a adopce dětí jsou stále jablkem sváru. Například zatímco více než dvě třetiny populace souhlasí s registrovaným partnerstvím a 49 % s manželstvím osob stejného pohlaví, pouze 29 % podporuje možnost adopce pro homosexuální páry, jak ukazuje výzkum Centra pro výzkum veřejného mínění z roku 2010.
Většinová společnost toleruje členy LGBT komunity, ale to ještě neznamená respekt a uznání, říká Ciprová.
Oproti očekávání není mladší generace výrazně více otevřená. Podle studie organizace Člověk v tísni z roku 2007 zhruba 72 % chlapců na středních školách vnímá gaye negativně. Toto procento je nicméně výrazně nižší u dívek, 24 %.
Společně s vhodným vzděláváním a veřejnou diskusí chybí také soustavný tlak na zákonodárce nutný k tomu, aby mohlo dojít k nějaké systémové změně. V polovině května zahajuje činnost nezisková
organizace PRAUD, jež chce být platformou pro rovnost, rozmanitost a uznání, a tím pomoci vyplnit tuto mezeru.
Zjemňování hranic
Během diskusí, které se uskutečnily v rámci prvního Mezinárodního dne proti násilí v ulicích, zjistila Gail Whitmore, že navzdory tomu, že mnoho jejích českých přátel původně stránku odmítalo jako nepotřebnou, návštěvníci Ozvi se!/Hollaback! zjišťují, že mají více příběhů ke sdílení, než si původně mysleli.
Vedle vytvoření bezpečného prostoru pro sdílení příběhů, vzešla ze setkání také řada otázek týkajících se šedých zón, jako je například tenká hranice mezi flirtem a obtěžováním. Whitmore říká, že pokud jde o šedé zóny a jemnější formy napadení, platí, jestliže se kvůli tomu cítíte zle, považujte to obtěžování.
Většina mužů jsou dobří, říká Whitmore. „Chceme, aby muži byli v tomto našimi spojenci a aby promluvili, když vidí někoho obtěžovat, aby upozornili své přátelé nebo i neznámé muže v případě, že se budou tímto způsobem chovat.“
