Press Releases and Statements

GSA: Questionnaire for candidates in national elections

Posted by GSA March 04, 2014
GSA: Questionnaire for candidates in national elections

Belgrade, 04.03.2014.

As part of its campaign “Your vote, your tomorrow”, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) has sent a set of questions (questionnaires) to the political parties and groups that take part in national elections, on the human rights of LGBT people and what they intend to do to improve the situation of the LGBT community in Serbia if they come to power.

Read More

GSA in campaign “Your vote, your tomorrow”

Posted by GSA February 06, 2014
GSA in campaign "Your vote, your tomorrow"

Belgrade, 5 February 2014

Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) is starting another campaign in this election cycle for the upcoming parliamentary elections – the new campaign is called “Your vote, your tomorrow“.

Read More

GSA at World Forum for Democracy

Posted by GSA December 16, 2013
GSA at World Forum for Democracy

Belgrade, 16.12.2013.

The second World Forum for Democracy took place from 27 to 29 November 2013 in Strasbourg, organized by the Council of Europe with the support of the French government, the Region of Alsace and the City of Strasbourg. Representatives of Serbia, participants of the Annual Seminar of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE), also attended the Forum and among them was also a member of Gay Straight Alliance Vesna Gajišin.

Read More

Nevena Petrušić, Commissioner for Protection of Equality, guest of the GSA at the meeting with GSA members

Posted by GSA December 06, 2013
Nevena Petrušić, Commissioner for Protection of Equality, guest of the GSA at the meeting with GSA members

Belgrade, 6.12.2013.

Marking 10 December – Human Rights Day, at a weekly meeting of members of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) on Wednesday, 4th December 2013, GSA’s guest was Prof. Dr Nevena Petrušić, Commissioner for Protection of Equality. The GSA membership exhibited great interest in this meeting, and in the two-hour interactive discussion we talked about various topics, the responsibilities of the Commissioner, the beginnings of the office, the results through practical examples, future activities, the specific problems of LGBT people and the cooperation of the Commissioner and GSA.

Read More

We are GSA! Miroslav Janković: Differences can only enrich our society

Posted by GSA December 02, 2013
We are GSA! Miroslav Janković: Differences can only enrich our society

Miroslav Janković was born in Belgrade in 1975. He is a member of GSA since 2008 and a member of GSA Governing Board since 2010.
He is employed at OSCE Mission to Serbia (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) since 2007, where he works as a legal advisor to the Media Department. Prior to that he worked in the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, first as a researcher and then as a coordinator of program for protection of human rights.
So far he has published six publications on various topics, from the application of transitional laws to the political violence in Serbia and the status of media rights and freedoms. In March 2007 he became a laureate of the award „10 best young lawyers of Serbia“. Professionally he is oriented towards the field of human rights in both the theoretical and practical contexts. In the past few years he has mostly dealt with media laws with a special focus on the freedom of Internet, selfregulation of offline and online media, as well as documenting and monitoring cases of violations of media rights and freedoms.
Miroslav has been involved in the creation of Annual Reports on the Status of Human Rights of LGBT People in Serbia, which is one of the Alliance’s main activities, right from the start. It is from him that we learned what reports should look like, which standards they need to fulfill in order to be credible, how important it is to document cases of violence and discrimination… He has been with GSA the whole time, unconditionally, in good and bad times and in the times of upheaval. He is certainly one of the people to whom we owe an enormous thanks for everything that the Alliance is today.
Miroslav is straight person, he is married to Ivana and they have a four-month-old son Lav.

Read More

We are GSA! Angelina Žeželj: Bullies feed on fear

Posted by GSA November 18, 2013
We are GSA! Angelina Žeželj: Bullies feed on fear

Angelina Žeželj was born in 1987 in Belgrade. She is a student of the Faculty of Security Studies and Information Technology School. As military police she worked for the Serbian Army from 2011 until recently. She has established the “Rainbow” brand of gay parties and she owns the cafe “MyWay” – a well-known Belgrade hangout for LGBT people and their friends.
She is a member of GSA since 2009. She does not hide the fact that she is a lesbian and she does not accept any kind of ghetto. She believes that tolerance towards LGBT people can be increased only through the cooperation of LGBT and straight people.
In October 2011 with her friends she suffered a brutal attack and attempted murder in the centre of Belgrade because she was wearing a shirt with the symbol of the Pride Parade. Even though she received severe injuries while she was defending herself – she did not falter. She is still a great fighter and full of positive energy. Her bravery and determination are perhaps best described by the words from a written message that Angelina sent to participants of the protest “It’s Enough!“ organized by GSA and Angelina’s friends in front of the Serbian Government a few days after she was attacked. On that occasion she said, among other things: “…people, life is precious! Don’t let anyone trample you, don’t hide within your ‘four walls’ and don’t be afraid of freedom! I wish to live and I wish for my life to continue. I don’t want to go anywhere, this is my city which I love…”

Read More

Reaction regarding the attack in front of club “Mystic”

Posted by GSA November 13, 2013
Reaction regarding the attack in front of club "Mystic"

Belgrade, 13.11.2013.

Regarding some media stories about the brutal attack on two young gay men in front of Belgrade club “Mystic“ which supposedly happened between Sunday and Monday, as well as certain information which was incorrectly reported, Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) would like to inform the public about some of the details of this homophobic attack.

Read More

Boris Milićević appointed as Adviser to the Minister in-charge of European integration

Posted by GSA November 12, 2013
Boris Milićević appointed as Adviser to the Minister in-charge of European integration

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.

Read More

Verdict against Dragan Marković Palma is overturned

Posted by GSA November 08, 2013
Verdict against Dragan Marković Palma is overturned

Belgrade, 08.11.2013.

Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) informs the public that the First Basic Court in Belgrade in retrial against Dragan Marković Palma, member of the Serbian Parliament and president of the political party United Serbia (JS), after GSA’s lawsuit for the discrimination of LGBT population, brought a new first-instance verdict which rejected GSA’s lawsuit as groundless. GSA Litigation service will appeal this first-instance decision to the Court of Appeal in Belgrade in statutory deadline.

Read More

We are GSA! Milan Pantelić: I don’t make compromises when it comes to being open about my sexual orientation

Posted by GSA November 01, 2013
We are GSA! Milan Pantelić: I don’t make compromises when it comes to being open about my sexual orientation

Milan Pantelić was born in 1983 in Belgrade. He graduated from law school and gained a master’s degree in democracy and human rights within European integrations. He was one of the first people in Serbia to deal with the status of LGBT people in the legal system through his master’s thesis “Sexual minorities in the process of European integrations – legal perspective“. In his thesis he used GSA reports, which is how we met him. Afterwards he became a member and an activist in the Alliance, and has recently been made a member of the Council for Gender Equality of the Serbian Government, representing our organisation. He belongs to the new generation of GSA leaders, and with his engagement and with the extensive knowledge he possesses in this area, he wishes to contribute to the improvement of human rights of LGBT people and all other Serbian citizens. Even though he feels that the state of human rights has improved in the last decade, he believes there is still a lot of work ahead for everyone. He is a big advocate for the implementation of the United Nations’ (UN) concept of social development based on human rights, whose primary goals – economic growth and development of the individual, can be accomplished only in the process which is participatory, inclusive and free from discrimination.
Although he is employed and currently busy preparing for his bar exam, he does not neglect his engagement in GSA, where he is known as hard-working, persistent and honest. He is also honest about his sexual orientation, he is gay and feels that it is important to say that and that it is only a part of his identity. He is also the first out-LGBT person in Serbia who has entered the so-called state structures, through the Council for Gender Equality.

Read More

Human rights of the LGBT population in the European Commission progress report

Posted by GSA October 17, 2013
Human rights of the LGBT population in the European Commission progress report

Belgrade, 17.10.2013.

European Commission (EC) published yesterday progress reports about the process of European integrations for South-East Europe and Turkey. Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) welcomes the fact that in the Serbia Progress Report, in the conclusion section and political criteria, as well as within chapter 19 (social policy and employment) and chapter 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights), a significant space is given to human rights of the LGBT persons in Serbia, measures undertaken by the state for the improvement of their position and lacks that were identified and that need to be addressed in the coming period.

Read More

Kidnapping because of the sexual orientation

Posted by GSA October 08, 2013
Kidnapping because of the sexual orientation

Belgrade, 08.10.2013.

On October 2, 2013, Gay straight alliance (GSA; Alliance) was reported a case that, regardless its extensive experience when it comes to violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, GSA came across for the first time.

Read More

GSA open letter to Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić

Posted by GSA September 26, 2013
GSA open letter to Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić

26.09.2013.

Below you can read the integral version of the letter that Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) sent today to the Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić regarding his statement about homosexuality.

Read More

A trial for the case of GSA press conference ban at the Sava Center began after more than four and a half years

Posted by GSA September 20, 2013
A trial for the case of GSA press conference ban at the Sava Center began after more than four and a half years

A trial for the case of GSA press conference ban at the Sava Center began after more than four and a half years; The judge postponed the main hearing

Belgrade, 20.09.2013.

Gay straight alliance (GSA; Alliance) informs the public that today a trial began in the First Basic Court in Belgrade, for the indemnity of damage because of the ban of GSA’s press conference by the management of the Belgrade’s Congressional Center “Sava” (Sava Center; SC), that was suppose to take place in one of the conference rooms of the SC on February 26, 2009.

Read More

Press release from NGOs regarding the attack in Novi Sad

Posted by GSA September 10, 2013
Press release from NGOs regarding the attack in Novi Sad

Belgrade, 10.09.2013.

Gay Straight Alliance (GSA; Alliance) and the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) strongly condemn the attack that took place last weekend in Novi Sad.

Read More

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube