In the heart of the Balkans, tensions remain between Serbs and Kosovars, 20 years after the end of the war. But a group of individuals seems to ignore the nationalist divides: the LGBT + community.

Last October, he was there. In the middle of the colorful crowd marching on Mother Teresa pedestrian street in the heart of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo. Aleksandar Savić took part in the second Gay Pride organized in this country. In the procession, this young activist was not quite like the others. This Serb had made a special trip from Belgrade to support his Kosovar counterparts. A gesture of solidarity that is far from innocuous in a country where tensions with Serbia remain alive, twenty years after the end of the Kosovo war.

In this small state of the Balkans, Albanians (90% of the population) and Serbs (5% of the population) live side by side without ever really getting mixed up. Few Albanian Kosovars go to Serbia, and vice versa. The latter has still not recognized the independence of its former province, proclaimed in 2008.

In this context, the presence of the Serbian Aleksandar in the parade of Kosovar Gay Pride might seem somewhat incongruous.

Common problems

Yet, no wonder for the LGBT + community of Pristina. For many years, Kosovar activists have ties to their Serbian counterparts. "It all started because we had common problems," says Bler Morina, director of the Center for Equality and Liberty, one of the two LGBT + associations in Kosovo.

It must be said that on both sides of the border, homophobia remains alive. According to a 2015 survey by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), an American think tank, 41% of Kosovars would try to "help their son or daughter find a cure" if they discovered that their child was not heterosexual .the. In Serbia, this percentage rises to 48%. According to the same survey, 23% of Serbian respondents have already been victims of violence because of their sexual orientation, compared with 29% of Kosovars.

"Since the opening of the center in August 2017, there have been more than ten serious incidents. Attacks, violence, broken windows, graffiti "

In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, the center dedicated to Pride Week is regularly the target of attacks. "Since the opening of the center in August 2017, there have been more than ten serious incidents. Attacks, violence, broken windows, graffiti, "says Aleksandar Savić, 26, head of communications for LGBT + Da Se Zna in Belgrade. Misfortunes reminiscent of the recent LEC in Pristina. Activists from the Kosovar association had to move in fourth gear when the owner of the former local expelled them because he had just learned that his tenants were defending LGBT + rights.

Woven links

On both sides of the border, it is agreed that the links between the Kosovar and Serbian gay communities are old, although they are difficult to date because of the high turnover of activists.

In fact, activists meet at regional conferences, exchange advice, support each other on social networks, and move to annual Gay Pride events organized by one and the other. "We work together on several projects," adds Aleksandar. For example, when we took part in the Pristina Gay Pride, we also hosted a workshop to recruit young people to our LGBT associations. " Read more via Komitid