ESTONIA — Although gender-neutral civil partnership law was passed in Estonia in 2014, the law has still not been properly implemented. With municipal elections happening in just a few weeks, the civil partnership law together with LGBTQ rights have once again become fiercely debated topics in Estonia.
Last week the Legal Affairs Committee of the Estonian parliament decided to send to its first reading a bill which is intended to repeal the Registered Partnership Act. The bill was initiated by the radical right-wing parliamentary group called the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE).
In times when the ruling coalition parties have not made sufficient attempts to properly implement the Registered Partnership Act, a small drinks and beverages company called Punch Drinks has found its own witty way to show their support for the LGBTQ community.
The company has released an organic ice-tea called Tea of Love* the label of which seems to depict two notoriously famous members of the Estonian Parliament – mostly recognized by their radical political statements. The members of the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) seem to be hugging each other whilst dressed as cowboys – a setting which refers to the iconic Hollywood movie “Brokeback Mountain”.
The rainbow colored ice-tea has already found its way to numerous bars and pubs in Estonia. The company’s website features a small manifesto from the company which emphasizes the intolerance of hate and bigotry and praises the idea to choose love instead of hate. It also states that 50% of the profit generated from the sales of this product will be donated to the Estonian LGBT Association.
*The name “Tea of Love” is also a pun. In Estonian tea of love also means “the path of love”
