Outrage in Croatia over burning of children's same-sex family book

[Stonecold]

Outrage in Croatia over burning of children's same-sex family book

ZAGREB (AFP) -
Croatian gay and parents' rights groups filed a complaint Tuesday against the organisers of a children's carnival where the country's first children's book about "rainbow families" was symbolically burnt.
An enlarged effigy of "My Rainbow Family", a picture book created for kindergarten-age children, was put to flames in front of several hundred children and parents on Sunday at the carnival in Kastela, near the coastal town of Split.
Three gay rights groups -- Zagreb Pride, LORI and Rainbow Families -- and the RODA parents' rights group issued a statement labelling the book burning a "public incitement to violence and hatred".
A criminal complaint has been filed with prosecutors, the statement added.
Kastela's mayor defended the organisers, saying that the carnival has an annual tradition of burning something that symbolises evil.
"The town has never interfered into the carnival association's decisions" mayor Denis Ivanovic told local media.
The rights groups dismissed this excuse.
"Although the burning was done within the carnival context it does not remove the organisers' responsibility since... it calls to hatred towards a minority," the groups said.
The book burning was also condemned by the country's education minister and ombudsman for children.
It took place barely two weeks after the book's official launch by Rainbow Families, an association of lesbian, gay and transgender people who have or plan to have children.
The group published 500 copies of the book available free of charge.
Nearly 90 percent of Croatians are Roman Catholic, and a Church-backed group earlier in January criticised the book, which it described as "controversial".
Croatia, the European Union's newest member state since 2013, has seen a gradual liberalisation of gay rights in recent years.
Homosexual couples have been able to register as "life partners" since 2014, with many of the same rights as heterosexual married couple.
But the law does not include provisions regulating the adoption of children, leaving it down to state-run bodies to decide on individual applications.

http://www.france24.com/en/20180206-outrage-croatia-over-burning-childrens-same-sex-family-book

 

[haiducii]

Here is an interview with Danijel Martinović, coordinator of NGO „Rainbow Families" in Zagreb, who talks about the Picture book and the big public interest for it in Croatia.

1. How did the idea of the picture book „My Rainbow Family“ emerged?

We realised that most of our members, especially those with small children, have to order books, picture books and manuals from abroad, in English, German and other foreign languages. Our first thought was translating an existing picture book or stories from English to Croatian, but then we decided to try publishing our own picture book about rainbow families in Croatian.

2. Can you present the picture book in a few words?

The picture book is fairly simple, it deals with the same topics as most preschool picture books – favourite fruit, holiday seasons, activities like drawing or looking at picture books... The only difference is that the main characters have same-sex parents instead of mother and father, in one story two dads and in other two moms. Both stories are in the same picture book which can be read from both sides and in the middle they all gather for a picnic, which resembles the traditional picnic we organise for our members each summer.

3. What can you comment about the public interest in the picture book?

To say we were surprised would be the understatement. At first we planned to publish the picture book for us, our families and friends. That's why we published only 500 copies, which were reserved before the picture book was formally presented to the public. Interest about the picture book is not fading and we are getting daily requests – truly unbelievable amount of positive reactions and inquiries, and we cannot thank everyone enough. Because of that big interest, we decided to set up a crowdfounding campaign, by which we collected more than 200% of planned amount for the publishing activities.

4. What are your further plans with the picture book and as well with the other activities in 2018.?

We hope to enable everyone interested in the picture book to get their own copy – through crowdfunding campaign, projects, donations and similar. We will start planing for new releases, new picture books. Also, for our friends and supporters, we plan on organising public events and activities aiming to present rainbow families to the public, discuss family lives of lgbt people, and we hope to contribute to developing tolerance and appreciation of diversity in our country.