[TinyRedLeaf]

EU LGBT poll on homophobia sparks concern

The Hague (May 17, Fri): A quarter of gay people surveyed in a major European Union survey say they have been subjected to attacks or violent threats in the past five years.

Poorer and younger respondents were more likely to face discrimination due to their sexuality, the poll found.

The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency surveyed 93,000 people in the EU and Croatia for what it calls the most comprehensive survey of its kind.

The EU LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Survey shows some worrying trends. Among other things, it found that some 26 per cent of respondents (and 35 per cent of transgender respondents) said they had been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years.

Of greater concern, more than half of those who said they had been attacked did not report the incident to the authorities, as they believed that no action would be taken.

BBC

In related news,

Topless protest disrupts opening of Barbie house in Berlin

Berlin (May 17, Fri): Women's rights protesters disrupted the opening of a giant pink doll's house in Berlin yesterday, saying the Barbie "Dreamhouse Experience" objectified women.

Promoting the doll made by Mattel Inc, the house allows paying visitors to try on Barbie's clothes, play in her kitchen and have a go on her pink piano. The exhibition will be open until Aug 25.

A handful of protesters gathered outside the shocking pink house that has been erected in one of central Berlin's greyest areas.

A topless woman, a member of the Femen protest group, who had the slogan "Life in plastic is not fantastic" scrawled across her chest, set fire to a Barbie doll tied to a mini crucifix.

"We're protesting because Barbie would not be able to survive with her figure and yet she is an idol for many girls and that's not healthy," said Ms Stevie Meriel Schmiedel, a founding member of the "Pink Stinks" protest group.

Mr Christoph Rahofer, chief executive of Event Marketing Services, which organised the exhibition, said the Dreamhouse Experience was a positive thing. "It's basically about playing, being amazed and discovering — there's lots of hidden things to be found and it's an interactive exhibition."

REUTERS