One in four Serbs do not want LGBTI+ colleagues

Almost a quarter of Serbs do not want members of the LGBTI+ population as colleagues, while close to one in three does not want to be friends with them, Protection of Equality Commissioner Brankica Janković told EURACTIV, reacting to the recent brutal murder of 18-year-old transgender woman Noa Milivojev.

Janković pointed out that, despite certain developments, members of the LGBTI+ community in Serbia still face violence and non-acceptance.

“According to the last public opinion survey we conducted in 2019, almost a quarter of respondents do not want members of the LGBTI+ population to be their colleagues (22%), a third of them do not want to be friends with them (30%), half do not want members of the LGBTI+ population to be educators of children (45%), while as many as 63% of respondents would have something against them or their children being married to an LGBTI+ person”, says Janković.

She added that responses showed not just demeaning attitudes but hatred towards trans people, hoping that the comments she sees on social media are not the reality.

“It is obvious that society has only partially matured, that patriarchal patterns of upbringing, behaviour, and thinking are still strongly influenced, and that we still have a lot of work to do on the way to a tolerant society in which diversity is understood and then respected,” said Janković.

Noting the murder of the trans woman, she said the killing of women is the most extreme form of gender-based violence with roots in misogyny sexism, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination that women are exposed to.

She also pointed out that LGBTI+ people face misunderstanding and condemnation, especially in smaller communities, even in their own families, and are often victims of physical and psychological violence. In addition, they are deprived of the right to family life, mutual inheritance, and everything a partnership relationship entails.

“There is also the realisation of the right to peaceful assembly and safe movement. That is why they are forced to hide and pretend and not reveal or indicate their identity publicly,” Janković said.

Regarding complaints submitted to the Equality Commissioner, most complaints in the past year related to the actions of public authorities and the field of work and employment.

“During the duration of the Euro Pride event in Belgrade, which was held outside the European Union for the first time last year, numerous events were successfully organised, but the event was overshadowed by protests, a formal ban on gatherings, as well as a public narrative that was full of hostile attitudes and ideas, offensive, disturbing, and humiliating content in the media, which only encouraged discrimination and stigmatisation of members of the LGBTI+ community,” she said.

“The events were the reason for initiating a strategic lawsuit due to a discriminatory statement made in a television appearance, the topic of which was the announced holding of Euro Pride.

A criminal complaint was also filed against two police officers because they allegedly physically and mentally abused a person because of his sexual orientation, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality told EURACTIV.

Janković believes that Serbia has a relatively good legal anti-discrimination framework, but problems remain as the laws are not enforced. In addition, there is a lack of clear processes for trans and intersex people regarding official documents.

That the most important thing is to raise awareness, both about personal rights and about the position of minorities and human rights in general, she added.

“We have conducted countless trainings with employees of the police, labour inspection, courts, and prosecutor’s offices, for media representatives and state officials. However, each institution should be able to recognise homo and transphobia and respond to it adequately,” she said.

“The commissioner gave a recommendation to all city administrations regarding the registration of name and gender changes of transgender persons. However, obstacles are still encountered in practice and in cases of issuing documents and diplomas with a changed name. There is a strong call from the trans community to regulate the relevant issues of trans people with the Gender Identity Act,” she concluded.

(Milena Antonijević | EURACTIV.rs)