Mayor doesn’t “honestly” support parade

The mayor of Belgrade says, "Sexual orientation is a personal thing, and I do not know why anyone would have to come out with it in public, regardless of whether they are homosexual or heterosexual."

Yeah, sexual orientation is indeed a personal thing, but I think the mayor is being disingenuous when he suggests that Straight (i.e. heterosexual) people, including the mayor himself, make any effort to hide their sexuality.

First of all, unless one makes a point to inform people otherwise, the assumption is always made that one is Straight. I'm Gay, but you wouldn't assume that to look at me or talk to me, and I've been asked many times if I have a wife or a girlfriend. It's not that I necessarily find this insulting, but I do not want anyone ASSUMING I am Straight, anymore than a Straight person would want someone ASSUMING that he or she was Gay.

To Straight people (especially those who are married) who claim not to make an issue of their sexual orientation, I have to ask: Have you ever kissed or held hands in public with your significant other? Have you ever put a framed photo of your spouse on your desk at work? In most cases such actions are considered quite innocuous, but when Gay people do this, it's often seen as a militant, subversive act.

This is why some of the mayor comments are just a bit inaccurate.

high marks for Dragan Đilas for being honest.

such public discourse is necessary in each democracy. on this issue, Serbia is not the first country in Europe, but without public discourse it's going to remain the last one. most countries in Europe had started a public discourse on this issue 3 decades ago ... and since then, public opion has changed fundamentally.

Belgrade's major rather should cry for 10.000s of Serbian citizens, which had left their motherland, because their sexual orientation made them potential targets of violence and humiliation in Serbia. The words of Belgrade's major are signalizing them: stay where you are - nothing has changed here ...


as I love Serbia, I remain optimistic, that the society in Serbia is going to follow the same process and reach a similar level in respecting the rights of of homosexual co-citizens within a period, which is needed for a public discourse on this issue.

without discourse, nothing is going to be changed - and therefore such parades are very necessary - and useful for the whole country Serbia.

People who set the homosexual agenda will have to move on and do away with all those parades.

Tolerance means live and let live.
However, it does not mean "liking" or even "approving" no matter how many parades are organised.

People who don't like homosexuality, or approve of it and its politics should continue to say so.

Heterosexuals have human rights too.

Good thing that he deared to say what most of us think about these sexual parades in public.

I am not interested in how the sexuals prefers to satisfye themselves sexually, that is private matters they should keep in privacy in their bedrooms.

Frankly I don't give a damn on what Djilas thinks on this.

If its a personal thing then I'd be happy for him to keep his views to himself.

BTW I'm not sure if I believe his views on this at all. No, I think he is trying to make himself popular (with retrogade forces - look at his view of the Roma for example) independently of the Democratic Party.

If he succeeds even if within DS he is not so popular, he will have support from the right.

Đilas should take a cue from Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov and ban the parades altogether, because they are just going to cause violence and homosexuality should not be promoted, it should be discouraged.

It would be very, very much, much better if Djilas “honestly” does not say a single word, if he does not want to promote the Manifestation planned for his city.

Gay Parade in Belgrade is not organized in order to expose their sexual orientation, but in order to point on the discrimination of the Gay Community in Serbia.

For this sort of Statements City Major, in the number of countries, would be sucked with very short notice.

All of this said, in the signature as heterosexual.

Dear Mr. Djilas it is not about anyone's sexuality: it is about tolerance.
Let gay people be gay and free not because you happen to be one of them but because persecution and hatred they are exposed to must come to an end.
I think this coming parade will be an important test about where do we as people stand as a society.
Let it be the way it is supposed to be, take it easy, go party and have a nice time- pride parties are always fun.

There are many societies in this world that are uncomfortable with the idea with homosexuality.I must admit that at one point in time I was quite uncomfortable with the idea myself. Since then I have found out that some of my close friends were in fact homosexual. And from that point on I realized that their is nothing different about the person; color, sexual orientation, religion, etc should not matter in this day in age.

That being said I am not a huge fan of the gay parades that take place around the world--particularly in Toronto. As much as I am a supporter of such events in order to bring awareness to the general public I believe the way in which it is done is extremely distasteful. I do not believe having men/women walking around with minimal clothing, or having a significant other on a leash that best way to amend the homophobic nature of some societies.

I just hope that the gay community of Serbia realizes how uncomfortable many people in there society are with the idea with homosexuality and that they will not go overboard with their parade.

The parade should help make people comfortable about homosexuality, not give them another reason to support the bizarre fear they harbor.

Homosexuals in Serbia should have more respect for the majority of the citizens (including children) and keep their sexual preferences an issue between them and their partner in their bedroom.

How are gay people discriminated? How can you tell a gay person from a non gay person say in the work place where the topic of sex should not really come up? Most people keep their sexual preferences/fetishes to them selves in public for a good reason...it is nobodies business and no one really cares.

So gays... keep your sexual fetishes away from the streets and our children.

what he didn´t get is that these parades are about celebrating a certain kind of revolution, a liberation of minorities, be it sexual- or any other kind of minority.

you don´t have to love gays, but you have to respect them as human beings.

those remarks about being raised patriarchal are stupid.

I was raised that way too, and I have nothing against homosexuals.

Mr.Djilas, sometimes it´s better to be quiet and prolong the impression of being smart - instead of proving the opposite.

"it is about tolerance. "

Tolerance of what exactly?

To tolerate that the sexuals uses our public places to impose their private intimate matters on everybody? Look, i work with them go by bus togheter and do all kinds of stuff people usually do togheter, we are all humans after all, but i im not interested in their sexuality, why should i? Why are they and their finacial backer so hell bent on turning our daily life into a bizar sexual circus?

Bganon,

I agree with your coments almost completely, except that he is acting outside of the DS. This man is a bigot who acts against minorities and has not even had his hand slapped for it. The media leaves him alone, and his party leaves him alone because as long as he is one of Tadic's he is safe from scrutiny. To illistarte Recently Dragutinović and Jeremic have both felt the rath of Tadic publicly, but neither of them have done anything close to what Diljas retrograde actions and words have been.

To those of you who are not sure why the gays like to go on a parade it is because they want to show you that there are gay people in your community and that they are not much different from the rest of us.

We don't have to condone homosexuality. The Church and the bible are clear on this poit
All we have to do is treat everyone like an equal; with an equal right to be seen and heard. The Church and the Bible are clear on this too- they tell us not to stand in judgment, to love our enemies and to be our brothers keeper.

It is not Serbian, and it is certainly not Orthodox to beat people with sticks because they are voicing their opinions

So Dilas is being honest. I wonder if he is willing to be so honest on all issues, especially the unpopular issues. I guess he thinks that most people would be against the gay parade so he can afford to be "honest".

There is nothing wrong with any parade and this one is no exception. I would have concern with a violent protest organized but not this.

I think everyone should just chill out and let this parade happen. If you don't wish to see it, look the other way or switch to another channel. At the end of the day, who is this harming?
Get concerned about crime and corruption but let the fun stuff happen.

>>Đilas should take a cue from Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov...>>

well that's just the problem -- they're both homophobes, and we watched lgbt activists being beaten in moscow, not 20 years ago but a few months ago. sad, truly sad.

now here is quite another story. our mayor newsom, who is hetero (recently married, they're expecting a child in several months)helped to put same-sex marriage on the map in 2004 by issuing an executive order. it was almost unbelievable, but in fact it was "legal" until struck down. my frnd (lesbian) married her partner, then the marriage was reneged and they actually had their fees returned, if you can imagine! from the govt! purely for legal purposes, of course.

later, again for a brief while, the state legalized same-sex marriage, which was again almost unbelievable, and that lasted a bit longer. then the homophobes (esp the catholic and mormon churches here) helped push an electoral campaign to halt the marriages, and (just) succeeded. but those marriages have remained legal -- no money back. it is all sooo bizarre, not to mention inconsistent.

but anyway it was mayor newsom that really got this moving, here, in the states, and worldwide. at the time he took a lot of sh-t for it, from some major Democrats (like feinstein), who blamed him for bush's victory #2. we thought she was out of line. but bush did use this as part of his cynical "culture war."

anyway, you can be a good and progressive leader, and support human rights and multi-culturalism, or you can be an "honest" demagogue. there's a real choice.

roberto
frisco

On 8 August 2009 21:21, RussiaSerbia wrote:

"(...) ban the parades altogether, because they are just going to cause violence"

Maybe. But who do YOU condemn the most: The people that CAUSE the violence, or the people that DO the violence?

I say, a few summary executions in a public square of the people DOING the violence. and no parade is going to CAUSE any violence in the future.

Problem solved.
--

such public discourse is necessary in each democracy. on this issue, Serbia is not the first country in Europe, but without public discourse it's going to remain the last one. most countries in Europe had started a public discourse on this issue 3 decades ago ... and since then, public opion has changed fundamentally.

Belgrade's major rather should cry for 10.000s of Serbian citizens, which had left their motherland, because their sexual orientation made them potential targets of violence and humiliation in Serbia. The words of Belgrade's major are signalizing them: stay where you are - nothing has changed here ...


as I love Serbia, I remain optimistic, that the society in Serbia is going to follow the same process and reach a similar level in respecting the rights of of homosexual co-citizens within a period, which is needed for a public discourse on this issue.

without discourse, nothing is going to be changed - and therefore such parades are very necessary - and useful for the whole country Serbia.

The mayor of Belgrade says, "Sexual orientation is a personal thing, and I do not know why anyone would have to come out with it in public, regardless of whether they are homosexual or heterosexual."

Yeah, sexual orientation is indeed a personal thing, but I think the mayor is being disingenuous when he suggests that Straight (i.e. heterosexual) people, including the mayor himself, make any effort to hide their sexuality.

First of all, unless one makes a point to inform people otherwise, the assumption is always made that one is Straight. I'm Gay, but you wouldn't assume that to look at me or talk to me, and I've been asked many times if I have a wife or a girlfriend. It's not that I necessarily find this insulting, but I do not want anyone ASSUMING I am Straight, anymore than a Straight person would want someone ASSUMING that he or she was Gay.

To Straight people (especially those who are married) who claim not to make an issue of their sexual orientation, I have to ask: Have you ever kissed or held hands in public with your significant other? Have you ever put a framed photo of your spouse on your desk at work? In most cases such actions are considered quite innocuous, but when Gay people do this, it's often seen as a militant, subversive act.

This is why some of the mayor comments are just a bit inaccurate.

Frankly I don't give a damn on what Djilas thinks on this.

If its a personal thing then I'd be happy for him to keep his views to himself.

BTW I'm not sure if I believe his views on this at all. No, I think he is trying to make himself popular (with retrogade forces - look at his view of the Roma for example) independently of the Democratic Party.

If he succeeds even if within DS he is not so popular, he will have support from the right.

Đilas should take a cue from Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov and ban the parades altogether, because they are just going to cause violence and homosexuality should not be promoted, it should be discouraged.

It would be very, very much, much better if Djilas “honestly” does not say a single word, if he does not want to promote the Manifestation planned for his city.

Gay Parade in Belgrade is not organized in order to expose their sexual orientation, but in order to point on the discrimination of the Gay Community in Serbia.

For this sort of Statements City Major, in the number of countries, would be sucked with very short notice.

All of this said, in the signature as heterosexual.

Good thing that he deared to say what most of us think about these sexual parades in public.

I am not interested in how the sexuals prefers to satisfye themselves sexually, that is private matters they should keep in privacy in their bedrooms.

high marks for Dragan Đilas for being honest.

People who set the homosexual agenda will have to move on and do away with all those parades.

Tolerance means live and let live.
However, it does not mean "liking" or even "approving" no matter how many parades are organised.

People who don't like homosexuality, or approve of it and its politics should continue to say so.

Heterosexuals have human rights too.

Dear Mr. Djilas it is not about anyone's sexuality: it is about tolerance.
Let gay people be gay and free not because you happen to be one of them but because persecution and hatred they are exposed to must come to an end.
I think this coming parade will be an important test about where do we as people stand as a society.
Let it be the way it is supposed to be, take it easy, go party and have a nice time- pride parties are always fun.

>>Đilas should take a cue from Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov...>>

well that's just the problem -- they're both homophobes, and we watched lgbt activists being beaten in moscow, not 20 years ago but a few months ago. sad, truly sad.

now here is quite another story. our mayor newsom, who is hetero (recently married, they're expecting a child in several months)helped to put same-sex marriage on the map in 2004 by issuing an executive order. it was almost unbelievable, but in fact it was "legal" until struck down. my frnd (lesbian) married her partner, then the marriage was reneged and they actually had their fees returned, if you can imagine! from the govt! purely for legal purposes, of course.

later, again for a brief while, the state legalized same-sex marriage, which was again almost unbelievable, and that lasted a bit longer. then the homophobes (esp the catholic and mormon churches here) helped push an electoral campaign to halt the marriages, and (just) succeeded. but those marriages have remained legal -- no money back. it is all sooo bizarre, not to mention inconsistent.

but anyway it was mayor newsom that really got this moving, here, in the states, and worldwide. at the time he took a lot of sh-t for it, from some major Democrats (like feinstein), who blamed him for bush's victory #2. we thought she was out of line. but bush did use this as part of his cynical "culture war."

anyway, you can be a good and progressive leader, and support human rights and multi-culturalism, or you can be an "honest" demagogue. there's a real choice.

roberto
frisco

Bganon,

I agree with your coments almost completely, except that he is acting outside of the DS. This man is a bigot who acts against minorities and has not even had his hand slapped for it. The media leaves him alone, and his party leaves him alone because as long as he is one of Tadic's he is safe from scrutiny. To illistarte Recently Dragutinović and Jeremic have both felt the rath of Tadic publicly, but neither of them have done anything close to what Diljas retrograde actions and words have been.

To those of you who are not sure why the gays like to go on a parade it is because they want to show you that there are gay people in your community and that they are not much different from the rest of us.

We don't have to condone homosexuality. The Church and the bible are clear on this poit
All we have to do is treat everyone like an equal; with an equal right to be seen and heard. The Church and the Bible are clear on this too- they tell us not to stand in judgment, to love our enemies and to be our brothers keeper.

It is not Serbian, and it is certainly not Orthodox to beat people with sticks because they are voicing their opinions

There are many societies in this world that are uncomfortable with the idea with homosexuality.I must admit that at one point in time I was quite uncomfortable with the idea myself. Since then I have found out that some of my close friends were in fact homosexual. And from that point on I realized that their is nothing different about the person; color, sexual orientation, religion, etc should not matter in this day in age.

That being said I am not a huge fan of the gay parades that take place around the world--particularly in Toronto. As much as I am a supporter of such events in order to bring awareness to the general public I believe the way in which it is done is extremely distasteful. I do not believe having men/women walking around with minimal clothing, or having a significant other on a leash that best way to amend the homophobic nature of some societies.

I just hope that the gay community of Serbia realizes how uncomfortable many people in there society are with the idea with homosexuality and that they will not go overboard with their parade.

The parade should help make people comfortable about homosexuality, not give them another reason to support the bizarre fear they harbor.

On 8 August 2009 21:21, RussiaSerbia wrote:

"(...) ban the parades altogether, because they are just going to cause violence"

Maybe. But who do YOU condemn the most: The people that CAUSE the violence, or the people that DO the violence?

I say, a few summary executions in a public square of the people DOING the violence. and no parade is going to CAUSE any violence in the future.

Problem solved.
--

Homosexuals in Serbia should have more respect for the majority of the citizens (including children) and keep their sexual preferences an issue between them and their partner in their bedroom.

How are gay people discriminated? How can you tell a gay person from a non gay person say in the work place where the topic of sex should not really come up? Most people keep their sexual preferences/fetishes to them selves in public for a good reason...it is nobodies business and no one really cares.

So gays... keep your sexual fetishes away from the streets and our children.

"it is about tolerance. "

Tolerance of what exactly?

To tolerate that the sexuals uses our public places to impose their private intimate matters on everybody? Look, i work with them go by bus togheter and do all kinds of stuff people usually do togheter, we are all humans after all, but i im not interested in their sexuality, why should i? Why are they and their finacial backer so hell bent on turning our daily life into a bizar sexual circus?

what he didn´t get is that these parades are about celebrating a certain kind of revolution, a liberation of minorities, be it sexual- or any other kind of minority.

you don´t have to love gays, but you have to respect them as human beings.

those remarks about being raised patriarchal are stupid.

I was raised that way too, and I have nothing against homosexuals.

Mr.Djilas, sometimes it´s better to be quiet and prolong the impression of being smart - instead of proving the opposite.

So Dilas is being honest. I wonder if he is willing to be so honest on all issues, especially the unpopular issues. I guess he thinks that most people would be against the gay parade so he can afford to be "honest".

There is nothing wrong with any parade and this one is no exception. I would have concern with a violent protest organized but not this.

I think everyone should just chill out and let this parade happen. If you don't wish to see it, look the other way or switch to another channel. At the end of the day, who is this harming?
Get concerned about crime and corruption but let the fun stuff happen.