Böll·Europe Podcast #4 | Europride in Belgrade and LGBTIQ+ rights in the Western Balkans

Europride is “the” pan-European international event dedicated to LGBTQI+ pride and since 1992, the event has been hosted by a different European city every year. Serbian capital Belgrade is home to the 2022 edition of Europride, although the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić announced that the event would be postponed or cancelled. We look at the situation of LGBTQI+ rights in the Western Balkans, and what the cancellation of Europride in Belgrade means for civil society organisations fighting for LGBTQI+ rights in the region.

To discuss these relevant and timely topics, Gail Rego interviews experts who really feel the pulse of the situation. And who can be considered on-the ground activists. Ana Petrović is a Serbian LGBTQI+ activist, producer, advocate and queer woman working at Da se zna!. Da se zna! is an association of citizens founded in 2016, with the main focus on mapping and documenting the illegal treatment of LGBTQI+ people in the country. Liridon Veliu is a LGBTQI+ activist from Kosovo working as a Programme manager for the Center for Social Group Development- or CSGD. Likewise, the CSGD aims at supporting, protecting and advocating for the rights of LGBTQI+ community in the country.

With or without difficulties, according to the organisers, the LGTBQI+ community is going to walk on September 17. Everybody is welcome to join this historic occasion in the Western Balkans and in Europe. If you want to know more about Europride you can visit Europride2022.com.

Also, related to this topic, you can read the e-paper “The state of content moderation for the LGBTQI+ community and the role of the EU Digital Services Act”, and all our content on LGBTIQ+ rights.