Elections and Sexual Minorities� Rights

B92

17 January 2007

Awaiting the Parliamentary Elections, scheduled to take place on January 21, the Gay-Straight Alliance and the Anti-Trafficking Centre organized a debate on the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination and regulations on status of sexual minorities. Only the representatives of the Democratic Party, the LDP-GSS-SDU-LSV Coalition and G17 Plus answered the invitation and appeared at the event.

Snezana Stojanovic-Plavsic from G17 Plus said that her party was prepared to support registration of same-sex unions. The LDP-led coalition and the Democratic Party emphasized the need for a Law on Prohibition of Discrimination that would include instruments for protection of human rights of homosexual population.

Quoting several cases of discrimination of homosexual persons in Serbia, including the cases of a student expelled from school after coming out with his homosexuality and a lesbian woman who wasn�t allowed to donate blood in Novi Sad, Jelena Djordjevic from the Anti-Trafficking Centre said that, in her view, it was of utmost importance to create safe and secure space where such persons could speak freely about discrimination and violence they face.

Boris Milicevic, the President of the Gay-Straight Alliance, said that the organizations of sexual minorities in Serbia list the very same reasons in their efforts to promote adoption of a general anti-discrimination legislation that would protect all citizens regardless of whether they were discriminated because of their sexual preferences, racial or religious background.

�However, without proper institutions to implement such a law, without educated people that could recognize its importance, the law in itself can�t do much�, said Milicevic, emphasizing the proper implementation of the Law as probably more important than just having such a law in place.

"For instance, the judge will have to recognize a discrimination case. Also, we will have to encourage the victims having in mind that it is difficult in a society as Serbia is today, to seek protection for one�s rights, whether it is a gay person or a laid off worker�, adds Milicevic.

According to Jelena Djordjevic, it is important to create an atmosphere in which all persons that were subjected to discrimination or violence could speak publicly and freely about it.

"Violence against sexual minorities should be unacceptable, just as violence against women, children and men is. If we do discuss the rights, let�s discuss rights for all. If we talk about prevention of violence, we should work to prevent violence against all groups that are subjected to violence in this society�, she said.