Between Tolerance and Hate: LGBT+ Persons in Serbia

The subject of the chapter is the growth of homophobia in Serbia and analysis of its causes and ways of overcoming such hatred. After several years of tolerance and reduction of social distance documented by the findings of research conducted by Geten in 2021, in September 2022, the streets of Belgrade became a scene of violence and denial of basic human rights to LGBTI+ people, including even the basic right to exist. Public discourse was dominated by strong opposition to the city’s hosting of EuroPride. Actors speaking out against the festival came from a wide range of professional backgrounds – from artists and athletes to academics and politicians – with many going beyond challenging EuroPride as an event to challenging the human rights of LGBTI+ people and other people. This was preceded by anti-LGBTI+ mobilizations, for example, against passing laws on same-sex unions, and the so-called permanent anti-gender campaign against the existence of the “sex and gender” dichotomy. As a result, Serbia has “progressed in its regression,” with a strengthening of the voices of those who oppose not only the rights of LGBTI+ persons but also a pro-European and civic orientation of society. While pride parades essentially have the role of promoting the human rights of LGBTI+ people, the opposite happened in Serbia, with EuroPride essentially becoming the moment when the dominant public discourse regarding the rights of LGBTI+ people was pushed back several years, thus becoming a defeat for many. Human rights do not always develop on a linear path of improvement, because a potential for obstacles and setbacks always exists, and it does not take much for voices of homophobia and transphobia to (re)gain their strength. Methodologically, this text relies on a desk analysis of the publicly expressed views of conflicting parties, previous research findings, international documents (especially those of the Council of Europe), thematic reports on the state of human rights in Serbia created by domestic and international actors, scientific papers, and media reports. The conclusion contains a summary of proposals for overcoming hatred toward LGBTI+ persons put forward by independent institutions and civil society organizations.