BELGRADE -- Thousands of LGBT supporters turned out on September 7 for a Pride march in Belgrade, where organizers said their demands that the government pass laws to recognize same-sex unions and gender identity remain their top priorities.
Marchers waved rainbow flags as they walked along a route secured by a heavy police presence behind a colorful banner with the phrase "Pride Means People" in Serbian. Several beat drums, while others held posters with phrases such as, “No one is free until everyone is free,” and, “Love wins.”
One poster called for people in Serbia’s LGBT community to have the same rights as Ana Brnabic, the former prime minister and current parliament speaker, who is openly lesbian.
Filip Vulovic, one of the organizers of the march, said participants wanted it to be “equal and loud."
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Thousands Urge More LGBT Rights In Serbia At Annual Pride Parade
The march ended without any incidents after passing by the Serbian parliament building and the building that houses the presidency, pointing out the discrimination and violence faced by LGBT people.
Four government ministers, including Tanja Miscevic, who is in charge of Serbia's EU integration, took part. In a statement, Miscevic said the government is discussing the Law On Same-Sex Unions in the context of the experiences of other countries that have introduced similar laws.
"It is a matter of protection of a part of citizens who must be equal in law with other citizens," she said.
A small group of opponents of the Pride march gathered in the center of Belgrade, carrying church symbols, Serbian flags, and a banner that read: "Parade Humiliation." A police cordon prevented them from getting close to the march.
Goran Miletic, a spokesman for the organizers of the march, said the LGBT community has eight demands this year, but the most important is the adoption of the Law On Same-Sex Unions and the Law On Gender Identity.
Among the other demands are an improvement in health care for transgender people and public condemnation of government representatives for spreading hate speech.
SEE ALSO: Serbia's Conservatives Seek Textbook Ban Over 'LGBT Ideology'“I want to live freely and authentically," said Ana Jovanovic, a member of the organizing committee, saying that as a trans woman in Serbia she faces obstacles that make her life difficult.
"My path was not easy, but I am here to raise my voice on behalf of those who cannot be heard,” she said.
Police began deploying for this year’s Belgrade Pride march, which was held under the slogan "Pride Is People," on September 6, blocking traffic on the streets in the capital that were on the march route.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Serbia in 1994, but LGBT people say they still experience repression and violence.
There were 85 incidents last year in Serbia that were motivated by hatred toward LGBT people, according to data compiled by the Da Se Zna (Let It Be Known) group, which documents violence and discrimination motivated by homophobia and transphobia. The NGO said most incidents are not reported to authorities due to distrust in institutions.
Human Rights Watch warned in a report in early 2024 that LGBT people in Serbia face intolerance, threats, and violence, and the ombudsman of Serbia highlighted on the eve of the Pride march the need for stronger institutional support for LGBT people to prevent violence and other forms of discriminatory behavior to which they are still exposed.
A proposed law that would enable LGBT people to register as partners is pending. The Green-Left Front sent the proposal to the Serbian parliament last year, but the government has not brought it up for debate.
The law would allow same-sex couples some of the basic rights heterosexual couples have with regard to property, inheritance, and decision-making in case of illness. Right-wing parties and organizations and the Serbian Orthodox Church oppose the proposed law.
President Aleksandar Vucic said in August 2023 that he would not sign it, saying it would create "some third gender where you're not a man or a woman."