Croatian Parliament votes on
same-sex life partnership law
Photo: Cropix

Homophobia was the social norm in communist Yugoslavia

The significant levels of homophobia that regrettably still exist in Croatia (as it does in other countries) are not solely the product of Catholic indoctrination over the years as many, including the current communist-nostalgic government, would like to claim but rather the product of complex historical circumstances in which harsh opposition to gay sexual orientation had also been a communist party driven oppressive social norm for more than half of the communist Yugoslavia’s existence. While one can come across many media articles and reporting that tend to spin the politically coloured story that Croatia’s government officials recently challenged the Catholic Church opposition to gay marriage and passed the “life partnership” law to create greater rights for same-sex unions, the truth on the ground is evidently far more complex than that.

Same-sex sexual…