Serbia: For gays, a ghetto morn Europe | The World om PRX

Contents:

• RSIAN JEWISH REGN’S ‘GAY’ FLAG IS KOSHER!
• SERBIA: FOR GAYS, A GHETTO MORN EUROPE
• SERBIA GAY FLAG
• THOANDS MARCH BELGRA AGAST PLANNED GAY PRI PARA
• GAY FLAGGE ALS BEKENNTNIS ZUM SCHWULSE

RSIAN JEWISH REGN’S ‘GAY’ FLAG IS KOSHER!

The Kreml’s self-styled flag experts have clared that the flag of Rsia’s Jewish Autonomo Regn —which bears an unnny remblance to the rabow gay pri symbol — is fact 100% kosher, Buzzfeed World reported.

“Regardg the siary of this flag wh the symbol of the gay movement, we expla that not every rabow image is lked to sexual orientatn, ” Gey Vilbakhov, a Kreml advisor, wrote a letter published by lol webse. “On s flag the gay movement seven strip, not six, ” he poted out.

Rsian Jewish Regn’s ‘Gay’ Flag Is Kosher! BELGRADE, Serbia — Although the Serbian parliament guaranteed the untry’s LGBT cizens protectn 2009 by passg the hard-won Anti-Discrimatn Law, gay Serbs say their day-to-day realy is a nightmarish diversn om that egalarian legislatn.

SERBIA: FOR GAYS, A GHETTO MORN EUROPE

This disnnect between law and practice leav gays and lbians vulnerable to vic verbal and physil attacks the streets, church and hom of their untry and also provis a challenge to the US and EU how bt to apply more aggrsive diplomatic tactics to enforce the prciple that gay rights are human rights. Jt weeks after the Obama admistratn unveiled a groundbreakg new foreign policy directg Amerin agenci workg abroad to step up their efforts to protect LGBT rights, the culture of fear that exists for gay Serbs unrsr both the need for this iative and what some crics feel is s weakns. So Serbian LGBTs say they are not optimistic about the lite procs of diplomacy, and particularly the US State Department's 'posive' approach to enuragg an embrace of gay rights whout any clear nsequence when a untry fails to improve s members of Serbia's gay muny, like a 23-year-old man om Vojvoda who spoke wh GlobalPost, are sperate for man, who asked that we intify him only by his ials, I.

SERBIA GAY FLAG

J., to protect his inty out of fear for his life, has often experienced the btaly of a hyper-macho, homophobic mentaly that LGBT advot say is pervasive Serbia.

Activists say is a fiercely homophobic culture that begs wh the anti-gay teachgs of the Serbian Orthodox Church, further legimized by major polil figur and enforced by a vlent street culture of natnalist thugs and soccer hooligans. Though more than half of Serbians say they oppose vlence agast homosexuals, more than two thirds believe homosexualy is a disease. LGBT Serbians and their alli report that the untry’s society is rabidly tolerant of sexual mori, often equatg gays and lbians wh the habants of the doomed Biblil ci of Sodom and Gomorrah, patg homosexualy as a Wtern import bent on stroyg the Serbian natn and s Christian relign.

THOANDS MARCH BELGRA AGAST PLANNED GAY PRI PARA

Serbian thori ncelled this year’s gay pri march Belgra, schled for October 2, cg ncerns about vlence.

Although the Orthodox Church officially nmns any vlence mted agast gays, also award Interr Mister Ivi Dacic an honorary “Whe Angel” medal five days after he announced the ban on this year’s pri para.

Serbian relig and polil lears regularly support each other’s homophobic statements and actns, fuelg an aggrsive brand relig natnalism a untry still alg wh the bloody legacy of war and genoci — and still lookg for a spegoat. Out on his own, he realized fively that he was gay.

GAY FLAGGE ALS BEKENNTNIS ZUM SCHWULSE

I am gay, I like what I am and I will not have a skeleton the closet.

“In last year's [Gay Straight Alliance] survey, 14 percent of rponnts said that vlence and beatgs are legimate ways to rpond to homosexualy. The Obama admistratn’s LGBT policy, which treats gay rights as human rights matters of US diplomacy and foreign assistance, will be implemented by the US Embassy Belgra the g months, said prs attaché Brian Stimmler. Nevena Petsic, Serbia's first Commissner for Equaly, exprsed a sense of urgency about the state of Serbia’s gay muny, which she said "is exposed to threats, hate speech, discrimatn and vlence almost daily.

”Gay activists nsir the banng of the 2011 pri para yet another signal that enurag lol gangs to attack homosexuals and those they associate wh. Serbian gay anizatns pot the fger at policians and clerics of the Serbian Orthodox Church as the top of the Serbian homophobic Gay and Lbian Info Center (GLIC) blam Mister Dacic along wh Belgra Mayor Dragan Djilas and Jagoda Mayor Dragan Markovic Palma for open animosy toward Serbia’s domtic LGBT ncelg the para rather than protectg , the group believ, Dacic sent a msage that the gay muny uld not tst the police to shield om vlence. It is not first time that thori have nced the battle agast anti-gay vlence.