EuroPride 2022 Organizer: Law on Same-Sex Unions Can Realistically Be Expected in Early 2023

Goran Miletic (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Goran Miletic, one of the organizers of this year’s EuroPride and the director of the Civil Rights Defenders, said on Sept. 21 that the parliamentary discussion of the proposed law on same-sex unions can realistically be expected to happen in early 2023. However, Miletic added that this was contingent upon the political will of President Aleksandar Vucic.

In an interview for BETA, Miletic maintained that Vucic “did say that [same-sex unions] should be regulated legally” but it remains to be seen whether Vucic “will stand by his promise.” Regardless, getting same-sex union legislation in place is, in Miletic’s opinion, a next step for the LGBT community in Serbia.

Miletic expressed his belief that the recent “xenophobic and anti-LGBT campaign” will not be repeated next year because only a Pride Parade is planned for 2023. “I hope something like this won’t happen again because it shows other countries how deeply xenophobic and homophobic [Serbia’s] society really is. Foreigners don’t understand how all of this was possible – in terms of how the authorities reacted – they find that aspect shocking: the silence and pandering to the conservative part of society – so I hope that won’t happen again in the future, or at least not to such an extent,” he said.

Miletic underlined that the Sept. 17 parade in Belgrade took place thanks to the tenacity of the LGBT community and the event’s organizers and not due to diplomats or the international community interceding. “The deciding factor was, therefore, that we did not stop talking and taking meetings. The diplomats, the international community, provide good support but that isn’t what sways things,” he explained.

Miletic agreed with Prime Minister Ana Brnabic’s statement that EuroPride and its parade should not have made front pages when Serbia is currently facing much more serious issues. “[EuroPride] was supposed to be an event touched upon by the politics and entertainment sections. I was both surprised and deeply saddened that it got so much coverage. I can’t believe we’re back to 2009, that the same global conspiracy theories are circulating yet again. Many untruths have been said and this was aided by the authorities, who didn’t say what they should have at the very start: explain what the event was about and that they were proud of it,” Miletic said.

In his opinion, the country’s leadership as a whole attempted to distance themselves from the EuroPride event. “From Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic to the state authorities, no one said that [the event] would be awesome for Serbia. All along the issue has been discussed in a backward manner, and the damage was done the first time banning the event was mentioned as an option,” Miletic maintained.

Miletic concluded that the authorities have no reason to be content with EuroPride 2022 because the event proved that respect for human rights and the freedom of assembly in Serbia are both lacking. “[We, the LGBT] community didn’t get what we expected. We initially had a different route registered [with the authorities], a different location for concerts. The plan was to make this a large European event that would look like Eurovision to those citizens who don’t understand the LGBT community, while at the same time representing so much more to us: both a concert and a protest,” Miletic stated.