Rainbow Pride festival in Bratislava in 2024 (source: Sme - Jozef Jakubčo)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nominee) is fulfilling her promise of LGBT+ organisations in Slovakia not receiving "a cent" from her office.
Nevertheless, despite the fact that many have to resort to reducing their activities, contracts, work around smaller budgets and lessen the impact on the community, they still try to organise their events, reports the Sme daily.
In early December last year, SNS put up billboards reading "We have stopped the funding of LGBTI projects".
"This is clearly in violation of the Constitution and laws of the Slovak Republic; to tolerate this would be inconceivable if other minorities were there instead of LBGTI people. I'm convinced that if billboards reading, for example, "We have stopped Jewish projects" were put up, the reaction of politicians and society would be completely different," says Martin Macko from the Inakosť initiative.
No awards this year
The initiative applied for a grant supporting marginalised communities, along with the regular Filmový Festival Inakosti (FFi, Slovak Queer Film Festival) event last year, which saw its 18th edition. Its total budget is €73,000; the initiative did not get any money. In the past, the festival received support even when the ministry was in the hands of the Smer party.
The Dúhový Pride Bratislava initiative, which holds the pride parade every year, also applied for the same grant. Just like the Inakosť initiative's project, this one too did not receive any money, despite both receiving an amount of points from an expert group similar to those of projects that did receive money.
According to Macko, the pride parade will have to make do with half of last year's budget, meaning the programme and scope of this year's edition will be reduced.
"However, we do not accept the possibility of these events not taking place," he emphasises.
However, the annual Ceny Inakosti awards given to people and activities that positively promote LGBT+ people, will not take place due to insufficient money and personnel.
Reduction of activities
Saplinq, the only LGBT+ organisation in eastern Slovakia and until recently the only one to provide free legal and psychological counselling, is now awaiting whether it gets any money from the Slovak Arts Council (FPÚ), a formerly independent cultural fund, but with the Culture Ministry having greater control over it.
In the past, Saplinq used the money it received to fund its activities as well as the pride parade in Košice. However, in January 2024, Šimkovičová said that Saplinq and similar like it will no longer "leech off the ministry".
"We are reducing the scope of some activities, we have agreed with some colleagues to reduce their contracts. However, we are looking for a balance so that the impact on the community and our activities is as low as possible," explains Róbert Furiel, director of Saplinq.
Neither did Nomantinels, the only LGBT+ theatre group in the country, receive any money from the culture ministry last year. Their project also applied for a grant at the Justice Ministry, but received nothing.
"Now, the decision-making is not transparent. Culture Ministry representatives are making it clear that they will not support LGBTI projects, even boasting about it as a fulfilled promise, which is clearly discrimination," says Andrej Kuruc from Nomantinels. He adds that such statements affect the entire community and increase its minority stress, all the while being deprived of support.
The Drama Queer theatre festival did not get any funds from FPÚ either, despite being evaluated as one of the best projects. "The sum required from the fund does not reflect the significance of the event for Slovak culture and art," claimed the FPÚ.
