LGBTIQ activism has been present in BiH for two decades, and, through a long struggle, much has been done to improve the quality of life of LGBTIQ people in BiH. All courses of activist action are important and necessary in order for real change to happen.
LGBTIQ people in BiH still do not enjoy full equality, and everyday life is often flooded with various struggles, fears, restrictions and unfortunately, violence.
Throughout the history of activist struggle, pride marches as protest rallies have shown to be one of the most visible and effective ways to draw attention to problems, discrimination and challenges faced by all identities in the rainbow spectrum of LGBTIQ abbreviations; lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans, intersex and queer persons.
The interest of the society, media, governing structures, our families, neighbors, friends, but also the LGBTIQ community for the pride march is huge. It is a protest that simply cannot be ignored and carries great power in this regard. By slightly provoking the notion of heteronormativity in a society, it opens the door to visibility and sends a clear message of resistance and struggle.
On the occasion of the anniversary of the first-ever Pride March in BiH, on September 8th, 2019, we are organizing an online conversation about what the Pride March has brought to LGBTIQ people, what the significant changes that have occurred in the last three years are, and which challenges we encounter when organizing the Pride. We will also talk about how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the lives of LGBTIQ people and the changes that are visible with its outbreak.
Although we imagined celebrating this anniversary live, recognizing the utmost importance of socializing and opening safe spaces for LGBTIQ people, and due to the deteriorating epidemiological situation, we meet again online in hope that we will meet live together again as soon as possible.
Join us on September 8th (Wednesday) at 7pm via this link, and if you have any questions feel free to post them here no later than Tuesday, September 7th.
We are organizing this discussion with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.