Rewarding Opportunities for GLBT Students Going to Eastern Europe: A Look at Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary

Sending American students to a former Communist country that is undergoing political transition offers them distinct insights. After the fall of the Berlin wall, more and more student exchanges have taken place to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. In particular, these countries offer exciting opportunities and different challenges for young GLBT scholars from U.S. colleges. As a study abroad advisor, there are various cultural considerations you may want to communicate with your students that are unique to this area of the world.

In general, many GLBT students comment that they identify with the greater awareness and sense of political and social freedoms people embrace in Eastern Europe. The demise of Communism has led to an emerging civil society with NGOs, support groups, and student organizations that address GLBT issues and concerns. Especially in cities such as Prague, Warsaw, and Budapest, an active and vibrant gay community is easily found. In the 1990’s more bars, nightclubs, and social groups that cater to a gay constituency in urban areas had become common (extremely less so in rural areas). For instance, the Warsaw School of Economics has an active GLBT group that organizes social and awareness activities. Prague has many popular gay bars, clubs, and associations. Budapest offers the same social opportunities but is lesser known among foreigners.

Media freedom has led to some excellent GLBT resources. Prague publishers produce gay magazines in Czech, German, and English. Students can find GLBT publications in Budapest such as Masók (“The Others”) in Hungarian and The Budapest Flame in English. This invigorating sense of freedom also is revealed in the annual pride parade in Budapest in early summer. Magazyn Men! is a publication geared towards gays in Warsaw. Nowadays, GLBT resources for Eastern Europe are easily found on the internet (albeit not always in English).

Institutional religion is not a major barrier for GLBT individuals in this region. For many years, Communism forbade religion as “opium for the masses.” Interestingly, the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary and the Czech Republic collaborated with the Communist government and became even less influential once the country transitioned politically. Conservative Church views regarding homosexuality resonate less in these countries. In contrast, the Catholic Church played a unique role in Poland as a strong opposition voice to the authoritarian regime. Once Communism was gone, Catholicism remained a very popular voice in the rural countryside. Issues such as abortion and homosexuality produce lively polemic in Poland, but remain in the realm of discussion.

During the days of Communist rule in Eastern Europe, some GLBT individuals were jailed and public harassment was common. Nowadays there are no local laws on the books that condemn homosexuality and/or sodomy. In fact, the opposite seems true. In the Czech Republic, for example, there are gay civil union initiatives circulating in Parliament. In Hungary, government officials are considering domestic partnerships. Police in these countries are not known for harassing gay people and very few American GLBT students have reported overt homophobia.

Students who study abroad in Eastern European programs mostly live in university dormitories (with other English speakers) or have the option to rent their own apartments. Since the majority of them do not live with local families there is a particular challenge that must be overcome – language. In most cases, this is true for a student’s initial stay in the host country. However, joining a GLBT organization or participating in GLBT community events offer another way to meet locals (and not hang out with fellow Americans). This becomes a particular issue in Prague, a city filled with English-speaking ex-patriots and currently the number one tourist destination in all of Europe. Despite this influx of foreigners, which in itself is a rich example of Post-Communist transition, the local GLBT scene in Prague offers any motivated student a chance to meet Czechs and practice their Czech language skills. Similarly, Poland and Hungary offer a rewarding language (and cultural!) experience when students participate in the GLBT scene. Overall, Eastern Europe is a unique stage to learn how societies transition to full-fledged democracies while offering various opportunities for GLBT participants in study abroad programs.