Building Support and Acceptance for Serbia's LGBT Community

This story is different from others. This story has no pictures of people. People in this story don’t want their pictures taken or their faces seen, which could lead to persecution, rejection,  even physical harm.

In a country that, until recently, fiercely debated whether indicted war criminals should be brought to justice, where rampant nationalism dominates public discourse and where free speech can manifest itself in setting foreign embassies ablaze, some citizens are left marginalized, not a part of any discussion. Members of Serbia’s LGBT community remain looked down upon, persecuted or – in possibly the worst case – simply ignored. Faced with disapproval, rejection and alienation on all levels, from their family members to high-level government officials, they live their lives underground, where a rare LGBT party or an anonymous sex date, found on many internet dating sites, represent real highlights.

However, the situation seems to be changing for the better for the LGBT community in the western Serbian town of Sabac. For the first time, persons of non-heterosexual orientation have a place to gather, talk about issues that affect them and receive education and support in overcoming the stigma they face every day. Local NGO Rainbow, supported by the Active Communities – Grassroots Advocacy Grants Program, funded by ISC and administered by its implementing partner Balkan Community Initiatives Fund, successfully implemented the pilot phase of a project to decrease homophobia in the municipality of Sabac. The project, implemented over a period of six months, engaged 152 LGBT persons in 20 workshops, discussions and counselling sessions. In addition, the organization distributed around 900 leaflets and 500 posters, which educated the LGBT population on a number of issues – from health education to legal remedies to address discrimination and violence, while calling on the wider public to end  stigmatization and discrimination. Rainbow also set up a hot line, staffed by experts who provide medical and psychological support and advice to LGBT people who would otherwise have nobody else to turn to.

In addition to providing a support platform, the project mobilized and united the LGBT community in Sabac, many of whom volunteered time and money to keep the organization and its project alive. Perhaps most importantly, the project empowered LGBT persons in Sabac to face their families, friends and communities with their sexuality and leave the margins of society with a feeling of confidence and belonging.

“I am not alone.”
“I think I feel accepted for the first time.”
“I used to hate myself and the whole world, but I learned so much and can finally relax!”

These quotes are only a few words of hope and excitement from LGBT persons in Sabac. With the continuing efforts of Rainbow, we hope that the Serbian society will finally see the previously-obscured faces of those who are different.