WORLD> Europe
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WORLD> Europe
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Was Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider gay?
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-25 11:26 Petzner chose his words carefully, and what he really meant remains open to interpretation. He called Haider his "Lebensmensch", a term in German that could suggest an intimate relationship, but also could be used to describe an icon or a mentor.
In recent days, several Austrian newspapers and the respected news weekly Profil have published grainy photos they say show Haider in the Stadtkraemer, a gay bar in Klagenfurt, the provincial capital of Carinthia. Haider's widow, Claudia, and two married daughters have refused to comment, and his party insists his relationship with Petzner was purely platonic. Petzner was passed over this week as the Alliance's floor leader in parliament, but he remains the bloc's boss. Party officials said Friday the controversy was not a factor in the decision to snub him as floor leader, noting that Haider also didn't serve in that capacity. For decades, rumors had swirled that Haider might be gay. Some had even taken to calling his political bloc the "Boys' Party" because Haider's entourage often included a bevy of tanned young men. Austrians, however, are fiercely protective of what they call the "sphere of privacy", a no-go zone that many feel applies as much to public figures as to ordinary citizens. Others, like businessman Thomas Neuhold, contend a politician's sexual orientation is irrelevant. "I believe it's been well-known for a long time that Joerg Haider was gay, and to be honest, I'm completely OK with that. We're living in 2008," he said. "If more homosexual politicians would out themselves, it would be a great thing for Austria." |
