Gay Pride in Belgrade….or Not.

On our 8th day in Belgrade, while we were completely wrapped up in trying to find a place to live, an email came through from the US Embassy warning us to stay away from the Gay Parade scheduled for Sunday, 20 September. With a passing thought towards, “what, there’s Pride in Belgrade?!” this was only important information to us because 20 September was the day we were planning to move into our new apartment, and this warning would affect when we could meet our new landlord (she wanted to stay away from downtown during the parade), and when our new friends could drive our suitcases from our old apartment to our new one (heavy police presence and crowds would make traffic terrible).  This just goes to show how completely involved in our own small world we were at the time. Since then, I have learned more about significance this event held for  Serbia, and even more importantly, what the parade’s ultimate cancellation has meant to the country.

In a nutshell, the Serbian government pledged to protect the participants of the Pride celebration despite threats by ultra nationalist right-wing groups, and condemnation by the Serbian Orthodox Church. A day before the event, threats had become very serious, homophobic graffiti decorated the city, and the lgbt organizers were asked to move their celebration to an alternate location because there were concerns about whether the police could offer adequate protection at Studentski Trg. When the organizers refused to change venues, the celebration was cancelled.

Apparently, the government had originally pledged to protect the participants so that the celebration would serve as a symbol of Serbia’s movement towards a tolerant, progressive democracy. This would have made a good mark on the record, as Serbia attempts to join the EU. The celebration’s cancellation, ironically, has fueled both nationalist and anti-Serbian groups. The right-wing nationalist groups (I have heard so far of 1389 and Obraz) “won” this fight – with only threats, they were able to break up the entire celebration. Anti-Serbian groups, on the other hand, use this event as evidence of Serbia’s intolerance and incompatability with, for example, the EU. Worryingly, the fallout from all of this has resulted in the beating of four foreigners over the past week, with one dying today as a result of his injuries.

On the other hand, were it not for internet information sources and the Embassy warning of last week, I would be blissfully ignorant of all of this. I have felt absolutely no threat as a foreigner walking around Belgrade. In fact, strangers in playgrounds and on the street seem not to hesitate to talk to our little family, even when they (quickly) realize that we are “strancima” (foreigners). While I have seen the graffiti (didn’t know what it said), I have not seen bands of “hooligans” roaming the city looking for foreigners. So, although as a foreigner I am a possible target for the “hooligans,” I don’t feel personally affected. Since I have no direct experience of the issue (no-one around me is even talking about it, either on the playground or among our new circles of “embassy people”), I am posting links to better coverage of Belgrade Pride than I can give.

• Time’s take on the Pride Parade, the only American coverage I found: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1925715,00.html
• Pride parade cancelled: http://www.belgraded.com/blog/society/belgrade-gay-pride-parade-not-yet
• Pride parade cancelled, foreigners targeted: http://www.belgradefvc.com/dire-week-for-belgrades-reputation
• Stop Violence vigil announced: http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=09&dd=29&nav_id=62043
• Gov’t pledges to protect participants: http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=19&nav_id=61252