30.4.07

ZAGREB PRIDE. ENA GAY PRIDE ΜΕ ΑΠΟΨΗ

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History of Zagreb Pride
By Marco Jurcic
Zagreb Pride is the annual gay pride festival of Zagreb, Croatia, which first took place in 2002 and now occurs in June (sathurday closest to June 27) of each year, lasting for a few days. Five Pride events have been organized in Zagreb by 2006. It is organised by Zagreb Pride Committee that is formed in January of the new Pride year. Zagreb Pride Committee is a group of individuals and it is logisticaly supported by various human rights and LGBTIQ groups. The Pride receives funding from the City of Zagreb, as well as a number of other international human rights organisations and embassys. Pride manifestations have high public visibility and are of great importance in Croatia.
First Zagreb Pride
In Croatia, the organization of the first Zagreb Pride event in 2002, Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - "Coming out against prejudice", presented the first major attempt to change the status of sexual and gender minorities. This Pride event marked the beginning of the LGBTIQ movement in Croatia by opening public debates about the visibility of LGBTIQ population. Approximately 300 individuals participated in the 2002 Pride event in Zagreb, including top state officials. During the first Pride March through the city center, numerous by-standers insulted and verbally abused the participants of the march. Tear gas was thrown at the attendees gathered at Zrinjevac Park. After the Pride March, organized groups of Nazi-skinheads beat up about 20 people. 27 people were arrested. No one was ever charged with vandalism, assault or discrimination.
Non-sanctioning of violence after the Gay Pride Zagreb 2002
On Saturday, June 29, 2002, the first Pride parade of sexual and gender minorities was held in Zagreb’s park Zrinjevac. Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 was entitled "Iskorak KONTRA predrasuda" (Coming out against prejudice)
Sometime around 9 AM just before the gathering unknown attackers beat up Mario Kovač, Croatian theatre director, who was supposed to be Pride’s master of ceremonies, at Kvaternik Square and took his cell phone. As the gathering progressed, homophobic opponents to Gay Pride Zagreb rallied at the western side of Zrinjevac Park, yelling "Go to Serbia!", "Kill the Serb!", "Fags to concentration camps!", "Heil Hitler!", "Sieg heil!", "Die!", and "We are Aryan!", and then invoked the name of Franjo Tuđman. Some of them tried to jump over the iron fence put up at Zrinjevac Park, but were prevented from doing so. Throughout the gathering the police used video cameras to record it.
As the gathering was coming to an end, tear gas was thrown at the Pride crowd assembled at Zrinjevac.
Most citizens managed to leave the gathering peacefully, and security and police vehicles took the speakers to safety. However, it was then that the bullies started rounding the city center and attacking participants of the gathering, as well as passers-by. During and after the gathering, some twenty people were attacked and injured. The police brought in 27 disorderly persons (11 as a preventive measure, 10 for disorderly conduct, and 6 in order to establish their identity).
Several skinheads who threatened them and cursed them, which led to another police intervention, met the organizers of the manifestation, who after the gathering attempted to take the props to a van that was waiting for them in Đorđić Street. The organizers left the gathering with the help of the police.
Following the gathering, approximately twenty citizens were beaten up in about ten incidents. Net club Mama was attacked. According to Teodor Celakoski, manager of Mama club, seven skinheads stormed into the club, receiving instructions on where to go via the cell phone. Upon their arrival, they started to harass people, asking them who had gone to the Gay Pride. They randomly chose three people and beat them up. After the gathering, nine attackers attacked the guests of Močvara in Tomić Street. Most commentators agree that had it not been for the police cordon, the gathering would have ended in an explosion of violence.
After the gathering, only 27 people were charged – with a misdemeanor.
The failure to sanction the violence that followed the Gay Pride is the severest form of human rights violations in the Republic of Croatia in 2002, when it comes to sexual and gender minorities.
Second Zagreb Pride
Between 200 and 300 participants of the Zagreb Pride gay parade gathered on Zrinjevac again and proceeded, with ever stronger police protection than the first year.
Yelling "Gay is OK" (that is the most famous Croatian and Serbian Pride slogan, something like "We're here we're queer..." in the US) and "Love is Love" (the name of tv gay rights campagne that has been banned by Croatian Radiotelevision in 2001 also the most significant slogan of Croatian LGBTIQ movement) slogans, the participants in the parade promoted the rights and demanding a "New legislation" that soon after that followed.
After the first and second Pride
It was only after the second Pride event in Zagreb that anti-discrimination laws started being adopted within the national legislation (Penal Code, Gender Equality Law, Law of Science and Higher Studies, Media Law, Law of Same-sex Relationships, Labour Code).
Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, since 2003. is forbidden in the Labour Legislation, Gender Equality Law as well as in the Law of Science and Higher Studies.
According to this law it is forbidden to discriminate against homosexuals applying for higher studies at universities. According to the Croatian Penal Code, it is also forbidden to produce, sell, import/export or by Internet propagate homophobic material to the wider public. People who do so can be sentenced up to a year in prison. It is also forbidden to present homosexuals and homosexuality in media in a degrading or discriminatory way.
New legislation now provides gay couples the same legal rights as their unmarried straight counterparts. The law on same-sex civil unions are unregistered cohabitationgrants of same-sex partners. It is a move that has been hailed as the first step to full recognition in the country. The legislation gives same sex partners of at least three years the same rights as unmarried cohabiting opposite sex partners, including the right to legal regulation of property and mutual responsibility for financial support. Also, LGBTIQ persons victims of violence and discrimination started to speak up about their problems, reporting violations of their human rights to the police and LGBTIQ organizations.
Third Zagreb Pride
Again, under strog police protection Pride parade marched through the streets of downtown Zagreb. The parade lasted about half an hour, after which the participants talked against homophobia and intolerance of the Catholic church and other denominations in Croatia. Another special focus was transphobia within gay and lesbian community, as well as in the rest of society. Organizers stood for the right for gay and lesbian marriages and the right to adopt children for partners in such marriages. The establishment of advisory centres was announced, to work on the prevention of AIDS and the participants promoted the use of condoms as the best way of protection.
Fourth Zagreb Pride
The fourth Pride was organized by a femminist group Epikriza, and it promoted Registrated partnership law proposal by two Sabor members, one of Social-democratic party oc Croatia and one liberal independent member.
At the begining of June, most prominent LGBTIQ group Iskorak ("Coming out", also can be translated as "Step forward") announced that it's activists won't organize Pride before the summer break, also stating that Pride march is iritating citizents of Zagreb by blocking the public transport for a few minutes, and that Pride is nowdays useless to the LGBTIQ community in Croatia. However, they gave notice that the concert with "big names" outside of city centre, is more appropriate.
In just a few weeks of preparations and about 1500 US dollars, informal and anonymous feminist group organized a small march in July with about 100 people and without any program. The group got a media support and suggestions of some former Pride organizers that didn't engaged with Iskorak for organizing Pride that was supposed to happen in June. Iskorak since 2003 didn't involve in Pride organizating or Pride supporting.
First Eastern European Pride - fifth pride in Zagreb
Even after 5 years, the Croatian society is not willing to respect civil, human and constitutional rights of the LGBTIQ population as one of the segments of this society, especially regarding the right to freedom of assembly.
First Eastern European Pride, called The Internationale Pride, was assumed to be a promotion of the human right to freedom of assembly in Croatia and other Eastern European states where such rights of the LGBTIQ population are not respected and a support for the very organizing the first Prides in that communities. Out of all ex-Yugoslav states, only Slovenia and Croatia have a tradition of organizing Pride events, whereas the attempt to organize such an event in Belgrade, Serbia in 2001, ended in a bloody showdown between the police and the counter-protesters, with the participants heavily beaten up. This manifestation was held in Zagreb from June 22 - 25 2006, and brought together representatives of those Eastern European and Southeastern European countries where the sociopolitical climate is not ripe for the organization of Prides, or where such a manifestation is expressly forbidden by the authorities. From 13 countries that participated, only Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Latvia have been organizing Prides, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo/a, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia and Lithuania have never had Prides before.
As a result of solidarity and support to Eastern European states and societies, inter-regional Pride events took place from june 22, till july 1, and it was called The Internationale Pride 2006, Zagreb. It was the first Eastern European, and Southeastern European Pride, which was simultaneously Zagreb’s fifth Pride event.
Although this was fifth LGBTIQ Pride in Zagreb, it was the very first one organized jointly with other states and nations, which only ten years ago have been at war with each other. Weak cultural, political and social cooperation exists among these states, with an obvious lack of public encouragement for solidarity, which organizers hoped to initiate through that regional Pride event.
This Pride event is not only based on regional solidarity but is also jointly organized on the principles of non-violence and human rights standards.
Details about Zagreb Pride
Zagreb Prides consist from public assembly, usually at Zrinjevac Park, pride march and pride program. Sometimes some other pre-programs are held few days before the pride march.
The theme of the central event is different one every year. Zagreb Pride theme has always a slogan of the entire event. During the Pride March, participants yell out slogans and bear banners containing messages of importance to the LGBTIQ community, demanding fundamental human rights for the LGBTIQ population. After the 40-minute long Pride March, participants gather at Zrinjevac Park where speeches are being delivered by prominent LGBTIQ activists. These speeches address the importance of Pride Marches and express Pride theme.
Zagreb Pride every year cherishes its political principles and values that organizers accept in a form of a Pride platform just before the first organizing meeting. These principles and values are actively used and implemented throughout whole organization of the Pride, public relations, and public and political activism before and during the Pride events. Program of the Pride doesn't not include performances and speeches which violate platform or promote hate specifically based on ethnic/race origin, or any other kind.
Operational platform of the Pride is queer-feminist and it stems from: peace and antiviolence movement, feminist movements, environmental movement, union rights movement, human rights movement, LGBTIQ movements. Pride principles imply public activism which openly works on diminishing of: homo/bi/trans–phobia, sexism, violence against animals, violence against nature and environment, nationalism, racism, inequality and discrimination of any kind.
Some slogans and banners that are the most significant for Zagreb Pride
• Love is love - the most significant slogan of Croatian LGBTIQ movement
• Gay is okay - the most famous Croatian and Serbian Pride slogan
• Jesus loves me - jelled on third Zagreb Pride
Banners:
• Come out of the silence
• Let's be brave
• Thanks to the goddess' that I'm a lesbian
• I'm a proud fag
• I'm sick of explaining
• Transgender is pretty
• Even heteros are peple
• No sex before registration
• Homophobia is illness
• Sex education is schools!
• Fags and dykes against pedophilia
• I love who I want
• Long live perversity
• No to NATO
• Nothing is goint to spoil this day for me
• I love Carla del Ponte (two way interpretation - identification with the "anti-icon" of far right wing population; or autor's lust of Carla's gender transgressive looks)
List of Zagreb Prides
Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - "Coming out Against Prejudice"
Time: June 29 2002
Theme: Steping out against prejudice and homophobia.
Zagreb Pride 2003 - "Proud Again"
Time: June 28 2003
Theme: Demanding for the New legislation
Zagreb Pride 2004 - "Vive la difference!"
Time: June 16 2004
Theme: Transphobia; homphobia and intolerance of the Catholic church
Zagreb Pride 2005 - "Surely Pride!"
Time: July 10 2005
Theme: Registrated partnership law
The Internationale Pride 2006, Zagreb - "To Live Freely"
Time: June 22 - 25 2006.
Theme: Importance of Pride Marches, freedom of public assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, right to participation, right to information, and right to culture.
Groups that have been involved in supporting or organizing Pride, or Pride programs
• Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - Iskorak (Group for the rights of sexual and gender minorities) and Lesbian group Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2003 - Iskorak and Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2004 - Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2005 - Epikriza, Kontra and Center for Peace Studies
• The Internacionale Pride 2006, Zagreb - Kontra (Croatia), Queer Zagreb (Croatia), Miks (Croatia), Cultural Street Gay Action - kugA (Croatia), Center for Peace Studies (Croatia), Women’s Room (Croatia), Inqueerzicija (Croatia), DIH (Slovenia), Organization Q (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Queer Belgrade (Serbia), Labris (Serbia), Spy (Serbia), Duga (Serbia), Gaj straight alliance (Serbia), Gayten LGBT (Serbia), NLO (Serbia), Lambda (Serbia), ACT women (Serbia), Masso (Macedonia), QESh (Kosovo/a), GISh (Albania), Campaign Against Homophobia (Poland), Altera (Slovakia), ACCEPT (Romania), Queer Bulgaria (Bulgaria), Lithuanian Gay League (Lithuania), Mozaīka (Latvia), Southeastern European Queer Network (SEEQ)

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