For the first time this year eleven LGBTI, women’s and other human rights organizations from all across Bosnia & Herzegovina have joined forces in organizing LGBTI Equality Month.
Commemorating and celebrating the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) – May 17th – organizations have planned an unprecedented twenty one activities including movie screenings, campaigns, trainings, press conferences, street actions, lectures, workshops and debates by managing to engage proactively state authorities, equality bodies, civil society, academia, media, international community etc.
In a joint statement Sarajevo Open Centre and the other ten organizations, state that Bosnia & Herzegovina has not worked proactively on combating exclusion, violence and discrimination against LGBTI people and has not taken adequate measures to ensure their equal treatment.
Organizers also emphasized that other countries in the region are more advanced in this respect by having already managed to hold Prides, ensure compact legislation, adopt effective strategies and take other effective measures. In this respect, they are demanding all state institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities, cantons, cities and municipalities to intensify their work on LGBTI human rights.
Along with trainings, presentations and movie-screenings this year Bosnia and Herzegovina will experience public campaigning activities with wide outreach and closer contact with the community and general public. Among these, a billboard campaign “Did you know” – which aims to give information on LGBTI people and concepts – will take place in 12 different locations of Tuzla and balloons in rainbow colours will be released in Sarajevo. Several TV shows and appearances will also give information on hate crimes, discrimination and the new legislation adopted in the country.
Initiated by Sarajevo Open Centre, ten more organizations joined the action; Banjalučko udruženje kvir aktivista (BUKA), BH novinari Sarajevo, Centar za mlade Kvart Prijedor, Fondacija Cure Sarajevo, Liberta Mo Mostar, Omladinski pokret Revolt Tuzla, Oštra nula Banja Luka, Tuzlanski otvoreni centar, UNSA Geto Banja Luka and Žene ženama Sarajevo. The organizers have also openly invited other civil society groups to join the initiative in the coming years thus increasing visibility and awareness on the issues, rights and demands of LGBTI people.
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May – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Equality Month in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016