LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey
In the middle of July, a group of hundred members of LGBTI+ community and activists from LGBTI+ organizations signed an open letter to the Prime Minister of Republic of Serbia. The letter, initiated by organization “Da se Zna!”, emphasizes the expectations of LGBTI+ community from the appointment of the lesbian on the highest political position in one country and what she could have done but was reluctant to do as the Prime Minister and publicly open lesbian.
We wanted to know what happened in last couple of weeks and was there any answer on the open letter?
Unfortunately, the letter has received no feedback from the PM, nor any competent authority. However, we are pleased that we had a great reaction and mobilization from the side of the community.
The action did not focus so much on the expected impact, but arose as a result of a smoldering dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister’s behavior in respect to the LGBT community, which resulted in her last appearances before the international public.
Ana Brnabić has been pushing our problems under the rug for years, portraying them as second-class and saying that she has done a lot for the community. In her claims, she never had an interlocutor who would refute her statements. That is why we decided to alert the community and gather as many people as we can in order to state in one document that she simply is spreading untruths.
The letter was welcomed by a number of individuals from the international community and activists from other LGBT organizations in the region and Europe. The letter was signed by 730 members of the LGBT community in Serbia.
We did not receive a response from the Prime Minister, nor from any competent institution, nor an invitation to a meeting, nor an attempt to refute the content of the given letter.
What will happen next, what is the follow up to this action?
Further follow-up depends on many factors – first of all, whether Ana Brnabić will remain in the post of Prime Minister, and how the situation regarding the COVID-19 virus epidemic will furtherly develop, because there is a risk that our organization and the LGBT community will be attacked by pro-government tabloids.
The action did not focus so much on the expected impact, but arose as a result of a smoldering dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister’s behavior in respect to the LGBT community, which resulted in her last appearances before the international public.
Ana Brnabić has been pushing our problems under the rug for years, portraying them as second-class and saying that she has done a lot for the community. In her claims, she never had an interlocutor who would refute her statements. That is why we decided to alert the community and gather as many people as we can in order to state in one document that she simply is spreading untruths.