How Sarajevo’s upcoming Pride march could turn the tables on ethnonationalism

 | 
07/18/2019

In June, many countries across the Western Balkans celebrated Pride Month with marches or parades — with one notable exception. Bosnia remains the only country in the region where a Pride march has yet to occur. But this unflattering record may not stand for long, with plans now underway for the first Bosnian Pride march on Sept. 8 in Sarajevo. The significance of this event cannot be overstated for a country still wrestling with its past. The last time an overtly pro-LGBT public gathering occurred in Bosnia, at the 2008 Sarajevo Queer Festival, an angry mob attacked those present. A familiar combination of religious extremists and hooligans joined forces, injuring eight. So why is Bosnia an outlier in the region in terms of LGBT exposure and rights? The country, of course, experienced a bloody war in the 1990s, and the postwar has seen it remain mired in chauvinism and corruption. Instead of embracing socially progressive attitudes after the conflict, ethnonationalist politicians have cultivated a heteronormative, rigidly patriarchal, family-centered narrative to keep themselves in power.

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 11/14/2024
11/13/2024
Ugandan activist Clare Byarugaba told a packed audience in New York that she is not giving up the fight against anti-LGBTIQ laws despite constant …
Added on: 11/14/2024
11/12/2024
Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Monday in Georgia’s capital in continuing protests against the ruling party’s declared victory in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election …
Added on: 11/14/2024
11/13/2024
LGBTQIA+ survivors have come together to share their stories in The Loud Way Home, an anthology of experiences of domestic, family, and sexual violence. …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 11/14/2024
Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Monday in Georgia’s capital in continuing protests against the ruling party’s declared victory in the Oct. 26 parliamentary election …
Added on: 11/12/2024
An unnamed 22-year-old woman who owns a gay club that was raided by police in the Siberian city of Chita has been placed under …
Added on: 11/11/2024
A row has broken out over public funding of almost £2 million for LGBT Youth Scotland, a teenage gay and transgender charity. The group’s accounts …