Ahead of the ‘pride month’ in June, the NEOS makes four demands to the government that are intended to improve the situation of LGBTIQ people in Austria. At the top is a ban on “gay healing,” as LGBTIQ spokesman Yannick Shetty emphasized on Wednesday. In Vienna, co-governed by pink, the first ‘queer youth center’ will be built this year.
Six in 10 gay and lesbian people wouldn’t hold hands in public, Shetty said. “For the first time in decades, we are experiencing a social backlash, driven in Europe by countries like Hungary or Poland.” In Austria, too, it is declining for the first time in many years. The ÖVP does not rule out FPÖ chairman Herbert Kickl becoming chancellor, Shetty criticized. The “backlash” would then also flow into laws.
Zadic to enforce ban on conversion therapy
The NEOS are demanding a ban on conversion therapies from Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens), for which the National Council has already passed a unanimous motion for a resolution. The party also started a petition. How large this phenomenon is in Austria cannot be quantified, Shetty said.
Demands for schools, authorities and police
Furthermore, the NEOS calls for anti-discrimination campaigns, high-quality sex education in schools that presents the different realities of life on an equal footing, as well as training for authorities and police on how to deal with LGBTIQ issues. Shetty recalled the case of a refugee who was labeled “not gay enough” by asylum authorities and whose application for asylum was rejected.
“A lot is happening in Vienna”
In Vienna, where the NEOS are in the coalition, “it goes a lot further,” said the pink MP. For example, NEOS Vice Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr highlighted the “queer youth center” that is due to open this year. In June, a memorial will be unveiled in Resselpark for people who were persecuted by the National Socialists because of their sexual orientation and murdered in concentration camps.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
