Belgrade's Gay Pride will take
place on September 7, culminating a week of events and
initiatives aimed at raising public awareness about the rights
still denied to the LGBTI+ community in Serbia. In announcing
the event, the organizers highlighted that gays and homosexuals
continue to face violence and discrimination in Serbia. Among
the demands made to the authorities are the enactment of laws on
same-sex unions, equal rights and treatment, punitive measures
for hate speech and intolerance against homosexuals, and the
introduction of sexual education courses in schools.
In the days leading up to the Gay Pride, various activities
such as debates, conferences, exhibitions, concerts, film
screenings, and other public events will be organized. While the
early editions of Gay Pride in Belgrade were marked by incidents
and clashes with police caused by homophobic ultranationalist
groups, leading to the ban on the procession for a couple of
years, the event has been held regularly in recent years without
major tensions, albeit with a significant police presence.
In Serbia and the rest of the Balkans, homosexuals still face
significant challenges, often viewed with suspicion and
subjected to strong discrimination by societies that remain
largely conservative, chauvinistic, and patriarchal.
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