Belgrade, 12.11.2013.
Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) welcomes the appointment of Boris Milićević as Adviser of the Minister in-charge of European integration of the Government of Serbia. Milićević will perform his advisory position in the field of human rights with special attention to LGBT rights.
As organization which is committed to strengthening the social and political participation of the Serbian citizens, GSA believes it is very important that outed LGBT persons should participate, and not just observe, in the important socio-political processes, particularly those related to improving their position. This is why we are pleased that people like Boris Milićević, with his knowledge and experience who can undoubtedly contribute to the process of improving the human rights of LGBT community and all other citizens, are recognized by the authorities and engaged in the work of state institutions.
Also, the decision to open advisory position in the field of human rights with special attention to LGBT rights which Milićević will perform, indicates the importance of this area in the process of European integration of Serbia and, hopefully, the authorities’ willingness to be dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights of all citizens, including LGBT persons, at its full capacity.
Alliance is also pleased with the fact that Boris Milićević most of his previous human rights activism exercised in this organization, which he founded and was its first president.
We believe that Milićević will perform his further work on new position responsible and with commitment, in what he will have support of the Gay Straight Alliance and, we believe, most other LGBT organizations. Also, GSA wants to believe that the engagement and appointments of openly LGBT persons in various state institutions, in accordance with the needed criteria, will become a much more common practice in the future than has been the case so far.
Boris Milićević was born in 1974 in Cajnice in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the 90′s, he was one of the founders of the Student Union of the Faculty of Economics, the Editor in Chief of the magazine “Monopolist” and member of the first Student Parliament. He was Deputy Editor in Chief of the Internet magazine “Free Serbia”. He works as manager of Bawabaty web/wap portal.
He was dealing with LGBT activism since 2002, when he was active in Gayrilla, then in Belgrade Pride 2003-2004. In response to the previous practice of the police to make a lists of LGBT persons in Serbia, in 2005 he organized an action, in which over 600 people, as support to the LGBT population, sent their personal information to the President, Prime minister, Minister of interior and other government institutions. After that, with a group of friends, he founded the Gay Straight Alliance where he was the first President until April 2010, when he resigned and leaved activism. In December 2010 he becomes a member of the Main Board of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) and continues his involvement as the first openly gay politician in Serbia. He is also president of SPS Council for human rights.
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