EUROPRIDE AND PREJUDICE

As Belgrade prepares to host EuroPride in September, Martijn Tulp explores its fundamental role in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights in Serbia

- Martijn Tulp

This September, EuroPride will take place in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, marking the first time the event will be held in the Balkan region. When I look up the UK government's travel advice for the south-east European country, it says: "The level of public prejudice against homosexuality and the LGBT population is still relatively high and public displays of affection may attract negative attention."

To further illustrate levels of homophobia in Serbia, a survey in 2015-16 found that 83 per cent oppose gay marriage and 75 per cent feel that society should not accept homosexuality, according to Pew Research Centre data published on Equaldex.

It's clear that this year's EuroPride will have a different feel from previous events in host cities such as Vienna, Madrid and Amsterdam. Over the past 21 years, the Serbian capital has hosted nine Pride events, the first and second of which resulted in riots. Despite this, the country's LGBTQ+ community has not given up on its right to protest for better treatment: this year's EuroPride will be a culmination of this endeavour.

Pride in Belgrade

After the political reforms in 2000, when Serbia became a democracy, there was hope that life for the country's LGBTQ+ community would improve. In the wake of the millennium, local activists who had spoken out about human rights in the 80s felt that the time was finally right to organise the Balkan region's very first Pride parade. On that day in June 2001, less than 100 LGBTQ+ activists took part in the Belgrade event, but both the marchers and the police were completely unprepared when they were attacked by hundreds of right-wing extremists and hooligans. The shocking images of violence shown on the news became engraved in the collective memory.

Three years passed before another Pride parade was planned, but as the government could not guarantee safety, the 2004 Pride was cancelled.