Pride Parade to be held on October 2

Belgrade gay Pride Parade will be held on Sunday, October 2, organizers have announced. “The exact time and route will be subsequently announced due to security reasons,” said Organizing Committee member Jovanka Todoric. Pride Parade to be held on October 2 “I believe that police can secure the gathering so everything would go well. The state has showed that it can protect all the citizens, which is visible in matches. The parade is not a threat to security, a bigger threat is when you live with (RSD) 20,000 a month,” Organizing Committee member Goran Miletic pointed out. He pointed out that the organizers were satisfied with politicians and institutions’ verbal support, but that they expected them to show their support with actions. “We will also invite a group of LGBT mothers from Croatia to convey their experience, exhibitions and book promotions will be held and we will invite LGBT persons through social networks to convey the experiences they have in families and relationships with their parents. The parade itself will consist of three parts – a welcoming speech, a walk and a concert,” Organizing Committee Member Bojan Stojanovic pointed out. He said that October 2 would show an every day life of a gay person in Serbia, adding that the day would represent society’s response and an indicator of tolerance in Serbia. Miletic said that the organizers had a great cooperation with the city authorities and refused to comment on Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas’s negative statements about the Pride Parade. He added that the Democratic Party (DS), the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) and other parties had supported the parade. Pride Parade organizers at a press conference (Beta) “True patriots support Pride Parade” The Gay Lesbian Info Center (GLIC) has reminded the Srpski Sabor Dveri movement and the public that LGBT persons were a part of the Serbian people and that true patriots supported the parade. The GLIC added that it was unfair to belittle and insult a part of the Serbian people. Statements of Srpski Sabor Dveri movement’s representatives contribute to LGBT persons’ wish to leave Serbia and look for personal happiness in the countries of the developed West, which is directly contrary to Srpski Sabor Dveri movement’s goals to increase the population and fight against low birth rate, it is said in the statement. LGBT persons have families, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers and an attack on LGBT persons represents an attack on their families, which is directly contrary to family values promoted by the movement, the GLIC pointed out. The GLIC agrees with Srpski Sabor Dveri Board of Directors’ member Vladan Glisic’s statement that the authorities need the gay parade in order to divert citizens’ attention from real problems. However, the organization said that “similar to the authorities, Srpski Sabor Dveri is using the gay parade to draw attention to themselves and it is using homophobia in the society to create its political profile and achieve its political goals easier and it should be condemned.” “True patriots support the gay parade because they support all members of the Serbian society in their attempt to improve quality of their lives and support building a society of happy individuals,” the GLIC stated in the release. Srpski Sabor Dveri instead supports “harassment and violence and it is a real insolence that they are considered true patriots” because “they are false patriots and political profiteers”. The Srpski Sabor Dveri movement has warned that holding of the Pride Parade in Belgrade could set off a bomb of social discontent and called on Serbian President Boris Tadic to call off the preparations for the parade.

Pride Parade to be held on October 2

“I believe that police can secure the gathering so everything would go well. The state has showed that it can protect all the citizens, which is visible in matches. The parade is not a threat to security, a bigger threat is when you live with (RSD) 20,000 a month,” Organizing Committee member Goran Miletić pointed out.

He pointed out that the organizers were satisfied with politicians and institutions’ verbal support, but that they expected them to show their support with actions.

“We will also invite a group of LGBT mothers from Croatia to convey their experience, exhibitions and book promotions will be held and we will invite LGBT persons through social networks to convey the experiences they have in families and relationships with their parents. The parade itself will consist of three parts – a welcoming speech, a walk and a concert,” Organizing Committee Member Bojan Stojanović pointed out.

He said that October 2 would show an every day life of a gay person in Serbia, adding that the day would represent society’s response and an indicator of tolerance in Serbia.

Miletić said that the organizers had a great cooperation with the city authorities and refused to comment on Belgrade Mayor Dragan Đilas’s negative statements about the Pride Parade. He added that the Democratic Party (DS), the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) and other parties had supported the parade.

“True patriots support Pride Parade”

The Gay Lesbian Info Center (GLIC) has reminded the Srpski Sabor Dveri movement and the public that LGBT persons were a part of the Serbian people and that true patriots supported the parade. The GLIC added that it was unfair to belittle and insult a part of the Serbian people.

Statements of Srpski Sabor Dveri movement’s representatives contribute to LGBT persons’ wish to leave Serbia and look for personal happiness in the countries of the developed West, which is directly contrary to Srpski Sabor Dveri movement’s goals to increase the population and fight against low birth rate, it is said in the statement.

LGBT persons have families, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers and an attack on LGBT persons represents an attack on their families, which is directly contrary to family values promoted by the movement, the GLIC pointed out.

The GLIC agrees with Srpski Sabor Dveri Board of Directors’ member Vladan Glišić’s statement that the authorities need the gay parade in order to divert citizens’ attention from real problems.

However, the organization said that “similar to the authorities, Srpski Sabor Dveri is using the gay parade to draw attention to themselves and it is using homophobia in the society to create its political profile and achieve its political goals easier and it should be condemned.”

“True patriots support the gay parade because they support all members of the Serbian society in their attempt to improve quality of their lives and support building a society of happy individuals,” the GLIC stated in the release.

Srpski Sabor Dveri instead supports “harassment and violence and it is a real insolence that they are considered true patriots” because “they are false patriots and political profiteers”.

The Srpski Sabor Dveri movement has warned that holding of the Pride Parade in Belgrade could set off a bomb of social discontent and called on Serbian President Boris Tadić to call off the preparations for the parade.