Today it is under the slogan "People are proud". the central and final event of the Pride Week - a walk - was held in Belgradeand there is a concert going on right now.
Colorful flags. music and cheerful atmosphere, were visible and obvious even before the start of the program around the Manjež park, where the gathering is scheduled, everything means the same as in previous years, and the goal is the same: to show that LGBT+ people "suffer from the same problems" as and others, "but with additional challenges caused by homophobia and transphobia."
There were also interesting banners, on one it was written "We are burning, and Ana is combing her hair", and on another "Rio Tinto, dig into your 4 walls".
Security
Even before the start of the Pride Walk, dozens of police officers with equipment to break up demonstrations were stationed near the buildings of the Government and the Assembly of Serbia where the participants of the Pride will move. Before the start, the organizers stated that they had not received any threats.
One of the organizers of the Parade and poet Aleksa Krstic tells the "Vremena" portal that this year's walk is special in that it has a large number of visitors from other countries.
Families also came
"I have no doubt that this Pride, like last year's, will pass with dignity and I am especially glad that we have a lot of visitors from the region and all of Europe".
According to Krstić, it is also a novelty that several families are walking this year, which was a rarity until now.
One of the participants of the Pride Parade, Anja from Russia, tells the portal "Vremena" that she perceives today's walk as a protest, but at the same time as a big celebration.
"I'm here to celebrate love and freedom, which we all have the right to, queer or not. Only then do other reasons and the reality in which we are not accepted come into play," she says.
"I have been coming here since the first Pride. I believe that my generation has already fought to some extent for young people to be able to walk more freely. I like to come to Pride and be bored. Now there are no incidents like in previous years", says our interlocutor, who wished to remain anonymous.
Guests
Luka, who traveled to Pride from Prijedor, claims that he came to Belgrade "to have fun and meet new people", because, as he says, there are not many people around him who accept him.
"I want to prove to my family, friends and neighbors from Prijedor that all this is normal. Although there are people in Belgrade who treat our community with repulsion, it is much better than in my hometown", says Luka.
The organizers say that British Ambassador Edward Ferbusson with his family and members of the embassy, Ministers Jelena Begović and Tanja Miščević are at the Pride.
Minister for Human and Minority Rights Tomislav Žigmanov, Commissioner for Equality Brankica Janković, and representatives of the opposition: Zoran Lutovac, Jelene Jerinić, Stefan Simić.
Requirements
This is the tenth peaceful Pride in Belgrade, and the tenth time that the LGBT+ community reminds of its same seven demands.
As the organizers said, the LGBT community is not looking for marriage, but they remind that Serbia is a signatory to international conventions and that it should harmonize its legislation with European ones.
Their second demand relates to the Law on Gender Identity, which would enable gender-variable, trans, intersex people to be equal before the law as other citizens and to harmonize their personal documents with their sense of gender identity.
Among the demands are that young people receive education about sexual orientation and gender identity, that state authorities react promptly to hate speech, crimes defined by homophobia and transphobia, and that public officials condemn it. They are asking for an apology for all people who were persecuted because of their sexual orientation and gender identity until 1994.
The organizers and the godmother of Pride, the singer Zane, stated at the conference before the start of the walk that they hope that this is the last year where there are requests that have remained unfulfilled.
In today's walk, which started from Manjež Park along Nemanja Street, Knez Miloš Street, Kralja Milan Street, Nikola Pašić Square to the National Assembly, then again along Kneza Miloš Street and Nemanjina Street to Manjež Park, the pride column stayed longer in front of the Government of Serbia, to show on its seven laws.
As they passed through Prince Miloša Street, the bells of the Ascension Church rang. A man stood in the courtyard of the church and incensed the participants of the Pride, who then approached him and took pictures with him.
