“You say poushti like it’s a bad thing” …so said one of the many banners at the Gay Cyprus Pride parade in Nicosia. In everyday Greek, “pousti” (or “poushti” when you say it with a Cypriot-Greek accent) means “poof” or “fag”, and is usually used in a derogative way.
For Stefan growing up in a Greek-Cypriot society across London and Cyprus, relatives would use it in a sort of “act like a man” type of way, like “don’t be a pousti!” Let’s just say that Greek society growing up wasn’t the most gay friendly! Fast forward to 2018 and oh my god look how far the country has evolved!
Cyprus now not only has an array of LGBTQ friendly laws in place, it has a gay pride parade taking place every year since 2014, which is supported by the government, with thousands of people. We were proud to attend the 5th Cyprus Pride in Nicosia in June 2018.
LGBTQ rights in Cyprus
Cyprus traditionally has been a very socially conservative society, dominated by the Greek Orthodox Church, which commonly expresses anti-LGBTQ comments. Despite this, Cyprus continues to evolve with its LGBTQ rights.
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys