Nayonika Parag Manna and Johanne Elina Nielsen
Our project in Greece focused on the contrast between the legal rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and the level of public support for those rights. According to Equaldex, the legal rights for LGBTQ+ people in Greece are relatively strong, rated at 90%. However, public support for these rights is only around 40%, which represents the second-largest gap between legal rights and public opinion in the world.
- Article: Queer in the Cradle of Civilization: A Cultural Clash – Link
- Video: Attacked in the Subway –Link
- Video: Why the Stigma Runs Deep: Part 1 – Link
- Video: Why the Stigma Runs Deep: Part 2 – Link
- Video: The Legal Hypocrisy – Link
- Video: Still a Long Road Ahead for Greece – Link
This, along with the fact that Greece has recently passed several laws that are not very progressive. For example, the reinstatement of the blood donation ban for men who have sex with men and the law allowing surrogacy for heterosexual couples but not for homosexual couples were why we believed going to Greece would be both a meaningful and compelling story.
We think the story turned out great, even though it was more difficult to find sources than we initially expected. It was especially challenging to find people who were openly against LGBTQ+ rights, as it is a sensitive topic in Greece. We spent two days trying to gather vox pops without finding a single person willing to speak on camera. However, we did manage to interview a priest in Athens, which, although difficult, was a valuable part of our reporting.
We’ve learnt a great deal throughout this journey, which contributed to our personal growth and taught us valuable professional lessons. We now know the importance of having clear agreements with sources and what it’s like to work in journalism in a country where not everyone speaks English and where we were unfamiliar with the cultural norms.
Overall, we are proud to have successfully delivered a project on such a sensitive topic, and none of this would have been possible without your support.