No one should be allowed to proclaim that LGBTQA+ members do not have the right to nationally and religiously identify themselves if that is important to them. The right to the culture and traditions of this country must not be denied nor is it contradictory to the LGBTQA+ community.

Zorana Milovanović

The atmosphere of tension ahead of European Pride, hosted by the city of Belgrade for the first time, shows our society to be more polarized than ever. The decision that the European Pride will be held in Belgrade was made back in 2019, but back then it didn’t cause nearly as harsh of a reaction from the public, especially the homophobic and homosceptic part, as it did on the eve of the event itself. Why, despite growing affirmations of the LGBTQA+ community in the past few years (albeit slower compared to other, especially Western societies), suddenly such an increase in homophobia and homoskepticism?

The answer could be found in analysing the main actors during this time of renewed global crisis: the ruling political elites, political leaders and political parties, mass media and LGBTQA+ activists and organizations. Anti-lgbtqa+ movements should be highlighted in particular, noting that they are difficult to identify since they     do not exist as authentic anti-lgbtqa+ movements, but draw their popularity from other motives – against globalization, against EU/NATO, pro-Russia, pro-“defense” of Kosovo; their presence in the public eye has been more visible since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. These types of movements, riding the wave of ideological and cultural conflict between Russia and the West, place the LGBTQA+ community, which in their eyes symbolically represents Western political currents, in the epicenter of hostile efforts. They absolutely ignore the concept of human rights or rob it of its civilizational value, reducing members of the LGBTQA+ community to actors working towards the collapse of the Orthodox Church, Serbian national identity, traditions and culture of Serbian society. Additionally, hate speech in combination with fake news and deliberate misinterpretations (eg linking to psychological-social deviations such as pedophilia) are instruments used by these movements in anti-lgbtqa+ propaganda.

The ruling majority since 2012 does not have a defined attitude towards the LGBTQA+ community, and there are even fewer active support measures in the form of policies and laws. Although the three-term prime minister is a publicly declared lesbian who visited Belgrade’s pride parades in previous years, nothing has been done to regulate the rights of LGBTQA+ people. No law on same-sex unions has been adopted, nor did the ruling majority publicly declare its condemnation of homophobia. Neither SNS nor SPS have a policy program for improving minority status, and even less so for the LGBTQA+ community. There are no shining examples in the opposition camp either – no party has an official program, nor any concrete actions when it comes to LGBTQA+ rights. Who, then, is the bastion of defense of human rights and the rights of the LGBTQA+ community on the political scene? No one.

The only thing worse that can happen to a society than an uneducated right is a hypocritical left.

The media fail us too. Both those who are under government control (which is most) and those who are not. The LGBTQA+ community needs a continuity of public presence, objectivity and clarity in communication. They are only talked about in the format of a public discussion, happening in parallel with the popularization of the law on same-sex unions, and the story is usually rendered meaningless by the choice of guests. LGBTQA+ issues as human rights issues give way to sensationalism.

On the other hand, LGBTQA+ activists and organizations fail to act thoughtfully, strategically and effectively, though it is difficult to do so in this system and general atmosphere. They appropriated a wider emancipatory role in society to their own detriment, instead of focusing on strategic action; under the slogan “differences unite” they attempt to dissuade people that religion, national identity and similar individual and collective characteristics should not be divisive. Although accurate and correct, this message currently does not have adequate listeners in Serbia, especially when it is coming from LGBTQA+ advocates.

This is why the LGBTQA+ community should find a way to communicate the nature of the LGBTQA+ identity and the fact that when we talk about their members we are talking about the citizens of Serbia, and there are sexual differences in Serbia just like in any other society. No one should be allowed to proclaim that LGBTQA+ members do not have the right to nationally and religiously identify themselves if that is important to them. The right to the culture and traditions of this country must not be denied nor is it contradictory to the LGBTQA+ community. See you at Europride, 17.09. at 5 p.m. #Loveislove

 

Zorana Milovanović, project manager of the European Movement in Serbia