Organizers: Pride Parade was success

Belgrade has shown the way and, even it is difficult for us to admit, Kosova will now be seen as backward unless we can match the efforts of the Serbian LGBT community and organise our own Pride. There is so much bigotry to be overcome: I beg our friends in the West to maintain the same pressure on the authorities in Prishtina that they did on Belgrade. Otherwise I fear this will never happen an Kosova's gay community will continue to live in astate of oppression and fear.

Oh yeah, I'm sure more, not less Gay Serbs will be comfortable being openly Gay - unless this whole Gay thing is a manouver by the pro-US/UK faction of the EU bureaucracy to help keep us out of the EU, in which case yeah it was a success. The Gays are just pawns.

and next year's will be even more successful!

this pride parade was preety poor:
1. it was held in lock-down zone, without a single observer present,
2. nothing was said about gay rights and equality, these people only spoke about discrimination, no marriage, no adoptions, nothing, zero,
3. parade route was shortened and lasted only 15min,
4. we needed more that 5000 policemen protecting it!
that's hardly a PRIDE parade. it's more a cowards parade, and i speak this as a serbian lgbt activist.
only a fool would think it gave any real hope to serbian lgbt community. but surely it gave something to these 'leaders' since they can ask for even more funds now.

Success? That really depends on your point of view. It was a success in the sense that government stood up and recognized a human right and protected it. It was anything but a success when you realize the continuing damage it did around the world to the reputation of Serbia. People looked at the media films and just though "oh my, what a terrible, violent and lawless country". You want to make it more successful, get your people out now around the world and show your support of the Serbian government/police and campaign against the incredibly biased media that reports daily on your beloved country.

"It was anything but a success when you realize the continuing damage it did around the world to the reputation of Serbia."

The (deserved) bad reputation Serbs get from this event, isn't from the LGBT parade, it's about the hooligan problem Serbia has.

Don't like that? Find a way to help fix this problem.

It would be interesting to know how many of the less than 1,000 marchers were actually Serbian LGBT people, rather than ex-pat gays living in Belgrade or international NGOs and activists. None of the Serbian gay people I know took part, some because they were afraid, but most because they believed that the march was an unneccessary provocation that would make life worse, not better for their minority. The terrible international media coverage, and the enormous reputational damage it has done for Serbia was entirely predictable and indeed, inevitable. The real cost - hundreds injured, millions in property damage,God knows what price for the police operation, paid for by hard-pressed Serbian taxpayers, (not the marchers) hardened public opinion against the gay community, and most of all, more ammunition for the on-going and virulent international anti-Serb PR campaign, makes it very hard to see this event as any kind of success for anyone in Serbia - straight, gay, or lesbian. The only people celebrating are the far-right groups, who were given the perfect excuse to wreak havoc on the streets.

I beg our friends in the West to maintain the same pressure on the authorities in Prishtina that they did on Belgrade. Otherwise I fear this will never happen an Kosova's gay community will continue to live in astate of oppression and fear.
(Uranik, 13 October 2010 17:43)

Uranik -- i meant what i said before -- let us know, in specific ways, what we can do.

the thing is, it has to start from local activists, it has to originate w/lgbt citizens in kosova. there are various intl and specifically european organizations that would be happy to get involved if you offer them specific ideas, plans, proposals...

is there some kind of organization already in the works? pls let us know.

thanks, and i do offer my support, at least moral support.

roberto
frisco

Thanks, Roberto. We relly will need all the support we can possibly muster. I have already been threatened and abused over this. How do we make contact? Uranik

# Thanks, Roberto. We relly will need all the support we can possibly muster. I have already been threatened and abused over this. How do we make contact? Uranik
(Uranik, 14 October 2010 13:41)

U can always reach me @ robertoruss@yahoo.com

i'd be pleased to work w/ you and help in any way possible...

roberto
frisco

and next year's will be even more successful!

Oh yeah, I'm sure more, not less Gay Serbs will be comfortable being openly Gay - unless this whole Gay thing is a manouver by the pro-US/UK faction of the EU bureaucracy to help keep us out of the EU, in which case yeah it was a success. The Gays are just pawns.

Belgrade has shown the way and, even it is difficult for us to admit, Kosova will now be seen as backward unless we can match the efforts of the Serbian LGBT community and organise our own Pride. There is so much bigotry to be overcome: I beg our friends in the West to maintain the same pressure on the authorities in Prishtina that they did on Belgrade. Otherwise I fear this will never happen an Kosova's gay community will continue to live in astate of oppression and fear.

Success? That really depends on your point of view. It was a success in the sense that government stood up and recognized a human right and protected it. It was anything but a success when you realize the continuing damage it did around the world to the reputation of Serbia. People looked at the media films and just though "oh my, what a terrible, violent and lawless country". You want to make it more successful, get your people out now around the world and show your support of the Serbian government/police and campaign against the incredibly biased media that reports daily on your beloved country.

this pride parade was preety poor:
1. it was held in lock-down zone, without a single observer present,
2. nothing was said about gay rights and equality, these people only spoke about discrimination, no marriage, no adoptions, nothing, zero,
3. parade route was shortened and lasted only 15min,
4. we needed more that 5000 policemen protecting it!
that's hardly a PRIDE parade. it's more a cowards parade, and i speak this as a serbian lgbt activist.
only a fool would think it gave any real hope to serbian lgbt community. but surely it gave something to these 'leaders' since they can ask for even more funds now.

"It was anything but a success when you realize the continuing damage it did around the world to the reputation of Serbia."

The (deserved) bad reputation Serbs get from this event, isn't from the LGBT parade, it's about the hooligan problem Serbia has.

Don't like that? Find a way to help fix this problem.

I beg our friends in the West to maintain the same pressure on the authorities in Prishtina that they did on Belgrade. Otherwise I fear this will never happen an Kosova's gay community will continue to live in astate of oppression and fear.
(Uranik, 13 October 2010 17:43)

Uranik -- i meant what i said before -- let us know, in specific ways, what we can do.

the thing is, it has to start from local activists, it has to originate w/lgbt citizens in kosova. there are various intl and specifically european organizations that would be happy to get involved if you offer them specific ideas, plans, proposals...

is there some kind of organization already in the works? pls let us know.

thanks, and i do offer my support, at least moral support.

roberto
frisco

It would be interesting to know how many of the less than 1,000 marchers were actually Serbian LGBT people, rather than ex-pat gays living in Belgrade or international NGOs and activists. None of the Serbian gay people I know took part, some because they were afraid, but most because they believed that the march was an unneccessary provocation that would make life worse, not better for their minority. The terrible international media coverage, and the enormous reputational damage it has done for Serbia was entirely predictable and indeed, inevitable. The real cost - hundreds injured, millions in property damage,God knows what price for the police operation, paid for by hard-pressed Serbian taxpayers, (not the marchers) hardened public opinion against the gay community, and most of all, more ammunition for the on-going and virulent international anti-Serb PR campaign, makes it very hard to see this event as any kind of success for anyone in Serbia - straight, gay, or lesbian. The only people celebrating are the far-right groups, who were given the perfect excuse to wreak havoc on the streets.

Thanks, Roberto. We relly will need all the support we can possibly muster. I have already been threatened and abused over this. How do we make contact? Uranik

# Thanks, Roberto. We relly will need all the support we can possibly muster. I have already been threatened and abused over this. How do we make contact? Uranik
(Uranik, 14 October 2010 13:41)

U can always reach me @ robertoruss@yahoo.com

i'd be pleased to work w/ you and help in any way possible...

roberto
frisco