Earlier this month Subversive Front hosted the first national conference on political participation and inclusion of LGBTI people in Macedonia. The event, which was organized a few days prior to the general elections, welcomed representatives of six Macedonian political parties as well as representatives of international community, state institutions and civil society organizations.
The conference served for the organization to present its analysis of the Macedonian Law for Protection from Discrimination in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) as well as to present proposals for amendments to the country’s Criminal Code and Anti-Discrimination Act which regulate hate crime and hate speech on discrimination on the basis of SOGI and sex characteristics.
Alongside this conference Subversive Front is conducting the “Vote for Equality” Campaign which aims to inform and educate voters on the agendas of political parties and to take into account inclusion of LGBTI rights. The campaign has reached thousands of Macedonians prior to the 11 December general elections. Prior to the campaign the organization conducted also an analysis of the programs of political parties by initially distributing a questionnaire on the topic to 31 of them. Only 5 parties responded to the questionnaire.
The analysis and responses to the questionnaire show that LGBTI issues are included to a very small extent in the political agenda and so far only in those of leftist ones. The parties where these issues are included to the highest degree, have a minor political power and influence. This is a reflection of the dominant homophobic and transphobic attitudes and norms that prevent the political parties not to show an open and vocal public support of the problems this community has. In addition, the problems and the needs of the trans* and intersex people are nowhere included in the political agenda of the political parties, whereas only the Liberal party responded positively to the question if there is an openly LGBTI person at their list of candidates for the upcoming elections.
This is the second public LGBTI-related event where political participation of LGBTI in Macedonia was in the spotlight of the public discussion. The first one – a civil society forum on the political participation of LGBTI in Macedonia also organized by Subversive Front, was held in April this year.