The Pride march in the Serbian capital this weekend went off without incident, with the LGBT community taking the opportunity to call for civil unions for same-sex couples.
The photos paint a picture of a Pride like any other: rainbow flags, placards and banners, electronic music and a drag queen float to lead the way. For a city like Belgrade, this is already a small victory. The Pride march that took place in the Serbian capital this weekend brought together more participants than ever before, and it went off without a hitch. “Pride is not just a celebration, it is a demonstration that was launched in response to police brutality and has always been a protest against the violence, discrimination, harassment that threatens members of the LGBTI+ community.”recalled the organizers a few days before the march, which brought together several thousand people.
In Serbia, the LGBTQIA+ community has long fought to exist. The first Belgrade Pride, organized in 2001, was attacked by far-right activists. The second edition did not take place until 2010 and there again, violent clashes took place between hooligans and the police officers protecting the procession, leaving more than 150 injured. The following two years, the authorities banned the march, claiming that it would be impossible to protect its participants. It was not until 2014 that a first procession took place, without being the object of organized violence. More recently, the Serbian government banned the holding of Europride in Belgrade in 2022. Thousands of people marched despite everything, defying arrests.
Drag queen scene in Kosovo
This year, members of the government and opposition joined the march, a notable development in a country where homophobic rhetoric is still rife. But while the situation has improved, Serbia still lags behind on LGBTI rights. Those marching Saturday called for civil unions for same-sex couples, a new gender identity law, and public condemnation of hate crimes against them. According to the activist group Da Se Zna! (“Let’s Spread the Word!”), there have been 85 cases of violence or discrimination in Serbia in 2023, including the assault of a queer couple by police officers during a search of their apartment.
Tanja Miscevic, the Minister for European Integration, who was present at the march, said that a civil union for people of the same sex was “discussed” by the government. Serbian authorities had already promised a law to this effect several years ago, but President Aleksandar Vucic announced in 2021 that he would not sign it, considering it unconstitutional.
Overall, the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people is gradually improving in the Balkans. This weekend, the second Kosovo queer festival was held in Pristina, between concerts, conferences and flea markets. The small capital is beginning to see the emergence of a drag queen scene animated by the competition between two local figures, Adelina Rose and Diva Drag, who opened a makeup salon in Pristina. June also saw the fifth edition of Sarajevo Pride in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While the very first one, in 2019, attracted a slew of homophobic comments from politicians, this year’s march took place without incident and with a reduced police presence.
