• January 2007. – GSA organizes first public debate in Serbia in regards to necessity of Anti-discrimination Law adoption and its significance to LGBT population, with participation of three parliamentary political parties: Democratic Party (DS), G17+ and Civic Alliance of Serbia (CAS, GSS).

 

• June 2007. – GSA, together with Anti-trafficking Centre and Coalition against Discrimination, places an advertisement in daily newspaper Blic on the Pride Day, describing the threat imposed to the member of GSA that police didn’t want to put in procedure. After the ad was published, the police in Belgrade started the procedure to resolve this case.

 

• January 2008. – GSA organizes the action called “Presidential Hotline”, during the time of election campaign for the Serbian President. It consisted of sending a questionnaire to all presidential candidates containing the questions about their views on LGBT rights in Serbia and Anti-discrimination Law adoption. There was a further telephone follow up where GSA volunteers repeatedly called electoral headquarters of candidates asking whether the candidates answered the questionnaire and if they have intention to do so. All of the candidates answered the questionnaire, directly or through the media, except two major candidates, Boris Tadic and Tomislav Nikolic.

 

• March 2008. – GSA, in cooperation with the Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) conducted the first representative survey of public opinion about the level of homophobia in Serbia “Prejudices exposes – homophobia in Serbia 2008”.  This research has mapped an extremely high degree of homophobia in Serbia and became an important tool in devising strategies for the fight to reduce it.

 

• May 2008. – GSA creates a pressure toward the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest and police in Belgrade to make concrete action in increasing security of the LGBT fans from Serbia and abroad. Also, on this occasion, GSA prints and distributes a guide aimed for the foreign fans of ESC with basic information about the status of LGBT population in Serbia.

 

• May 2008. – GSA executes a media campaign to raise awareness of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on 17th May, informing general public about high level of homophobia in Serbian society. Adverts were printed in Serbian daily newspapers Blic, Politika and Dnevnik, and there were also radio jingles on B92 station.

 

• June 2008. – GSA, together with music festival EXIT, organizes a discussion forum and LGBT party during the festival in Novi Sad.

 

• October 2008. – GSA was one of the organizers of the Anti-fascist Rally in Belgrade, as a sign of protest to public assembly of extremist right-wing organizations “Blood and Honor” and “National Formation”.

 

• During 2008 and first half of 2009, GSA is lobbying for organization of the Pride Parade in Belgrade.

 

• January – March 2009. – GSA is having one of the key roles in lobbying for adoption of Anti-discrimination Law, through Coalition against Discrimination (KPD) locally, and through securing international awareness and support.

 

• February 2009. – GSA press conference – presentation of Annual report on LGBT human rights conditions in Serbia for 2008  has banned by the management of Sava Centre (SC). Same day in front of the Sava Centre, due to this ban, GSA held a first peaceful LGBT protest in Serbia, gathering around 100 participants. After the attempts of security to stop distribution of GSA statement to the gathered citizens, participants shortly stopped the film projection of “Milk” during the film festival FEST held at the Sava Centre. GSA gains great media attention and biggest support so far of various domestic and international organizations. Over hundred organizations have joined to overthrow the management of Sava Centre and the Mayor (City of Belgrade has powers over Sava Centre). The Mayor of Belgrade issues a public apology to the LGBT population. A few days later, at the presentation of its Annual Report in Centre for Cultural Decontamination, GSA announces forthcoming Pride Parade and demands from government to ensure that it will happen.

 

• March 2009. – GSA manages to organize the presentation of Annual Report in Kragujevac, aside from Belgrade, Novi Sad and Nis. At the very beginning, a group of young men attacked the Student Centre where the presentation was held. They have demolished the premises and the presentation was cancelled for security reasons. This event also brought strong reactions of domestic and international public, posing the question of safety and security of LGBT persons in Serbia.

 

• September 2009. – GSA, jointly with Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), after the Pride Parade 2009 was not held and violence was escalating over the Belgrade, organized an round table “Response of civil society”. Aside from spokespeople of GSA and YIHR, at the round table also spoke: Borka Pavicevic, Vesna Petrovic, Miljenko Dereta, Vesna Rakic Vodinelic, Biljana Kovacevic Vuco and Belgrade rabbi Isak Asiel. The guests on that event were Minister for Youth and Sport, MPs of Democratic Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Socialist Party of Serbia, representatives from British and US embassies, representatives of Serbian Ministry of Interior and many NGOs.

 

• October 2009. – GSA and other NGOs announced at the press conference held in Belgrade Media Centre the proposal for adoption of Declaration against Violence, Call For Violence, Hate Crime and Hate Speech (Declaration in Serbian  ) to the National Assembly.

 

• October 2009. – GSA, as a member of Youth Coalition against Violence, organizes a protest “Walk against Violence” gathering around 10.000 participants, in response to violent murder of French citizen Brice Taton and escalated violence surrounding Pride Parade.

 

• November 2009. – GSA hosted Boris Dittrich, Director of LGBT advocacy programme of Human Rights Watch (HRW), during his stay in Belgrade, where he met many government officials and political party representatives and discussed the status of LGBT population in Serbia. After his report about this visit, HRW issues an official letter to the President and Serbian Government, stressing a necessity of active struggle against violence over LGBT persons in Serbia.

 

• March 2010. – GSA organizes a presentation of its Annual report on LGBT human rights status in Serbia for 2009  in Palace of Serbia, that being the first time for LGBT organization to hold its event in the building of Serbian Government. As guest speakers appeared Minister of Human and Minority Rights, representatives of British, US and Dutch embassies, as well as the representative of Civil Right Defenders.

 

• March 2010. – GSA launches a dialogue with parliamentary political parties on subject of decreasing violence and discrimination over LGBT population and possibilities of holding a first successful Pride Parade in Serbia. On separate meetings, GSA met Democratic Party (DS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), G17+, Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), Serbian Radical Party (SRS), Social Democratic Party (SDP), League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV), Social Democratic Union (SDU), Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM), Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS), Serbia Renewal Movement (SPO), and on that occasion majority of political parties for the first time in Serbia took clear and affirmative stand on respecting human rights of LGBT persons. GSA reached a political consensus about condemning violence and discrimination over LGBT population, and in that instance majority of parties have publicly supported Pride Parade.

 

• May 2010. – GSA continues dialogue with state institutions on the same subject, particularly with: Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Youth and Sport, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Labor, Ombudsman, National Assembly’s Board for Defense and Safety. All participating institutions also condemned the violence and discrimination over LGBT persons and supported the Pride Parade. By the end of June, Serbian President Boris Tadic received the delegation of LGBT activists and publicly announced his support for the Pride Parade.

 

• June 2010. – GSA participates on the first Belgrade Civil Society Organizations Fair where GSA activists talk directly with the citizens about violence over LGBT persons and distribute Gay Bashing Map . At the fair, GSA started collecting citizens’ signatures in support to first Pride Parade in Belgrade.

 

• July 2010. – GSA in Belgrade Media Centre presents results of the second research named “Prejudices Exposed – Homophobia in Serbia – 2010”  done in collaboration with CeSID (Centre for Free Elections and Democracy). It is based on public opinion surveys and comparative analysis to the previous research in 2008, also with the views of LGBT population and analysis of potential discrimination at the workplace. GSA and CeSID speakers were joined by the ambassadors of Republic of Germany and The Kingdom of the Netherlands.

 

• October 2010. – GSA is the key organizer of the first successful Pride Parade in Belgrade. Together with Queeria Centre and Group for support of gay men, Pride was organized on 10th October 2010.

 

• March 2011. – GSA Novi Sad Branch organizes international one-week workshop about struggle against discrimination and social exclusion of LGBT persons through music video production called “Sing Equality – Bring Equality”. Supported by European Commission, the workshop attended participants from ten countries: Italy, Hungary, Israel, Turkey, Georgia, Albania, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

 

• May 2011. – GSA organizes presentation of its Annual report on LGBT human rights conditions in Serbia for 2010  on IDAHO Day (International Day against Homophobia) in the City Hall of Belgrade. At the presentation spoke: Dragan Djilas – Mayor of Belgrade; Nenad Djurdjevic – Director of Human and Minority Rights Government Office; Dejan Randjic – President of Workgroup for Belgrade Safety Improvement; Adriano Martins – Deputy Chief of EU Delegation in Serbia; Bill Longhurst – Deputy Head of Mission of the UK Embassy; Sonja Licht – President of Belgrade Fund for Political Exellence; Vladimir Todoric – Director of Centre for New Policy. The Mayor announced support of the city authorities to GSA initiative in creation of LGBT Safe Space – shelters for victims of violence.

 

• June 2011. – GSA participates in 2nd Belgrade Civil Society Organizations Fair where GSA members distributed to the citizens promotional material with arguments explaining most common prejudices against LGBT population. Within the fair, GSA organized a discussion forum with following subject: “Education System Role in Minority Groups Inclusion”.

 

• June 2011. – Belgrade High Court brings a first verdict in Serbia for hate speech against LGBT population against daily newspaper Press, prosecuted in 2009 by GSA Litigation Service. Court of Appeal in Belgrade confirmed the verdict by issuing a second instance verdict in the mid-February of 2012.

 

• June 2011. – GSA Governing Board decides to form GSA Advisory Board whose members are prominent figures from the NGO sector, politicians and MPs of almost all pro-European political parties in Serbia, as well as prominent figures of international and regional organizations.

 

• September 2011. – Representatives of GSA participate as a panelist at the conference “Toward Europe, Toward Equality” on the invitation of the Government of Montenegro. This is the first conference dedicated to LGBT Rights, organized by some of the governments in the region.

 

• October 2011. – In reaction to the inadequate response of the competent authorities on attempted murder of lesbian A.Ž. in the Belgrade city center, GSA within three days organizing a protest “IT’S ENOUGH!” on 19th October 2011, which brought together over 200 people. This is the first protest which was organized by any LGBT organization in front of the Serbian Government. The basic requirements of protest were tightening penalties for violence against LGBT people and the introduction of hate crime in Criminal Code, production and implementation of a National strategy to reduce violence and discrimination against LGBT people. A few days after the protest, GSA’s representatives were received on a meeting with State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and the Director of Directorate for Human and Minority Rights in Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government, where GSA presents his demands. Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Public Administration and Local Self-Government starts production of a Strategy to reduce violence and discrimination in March 2012.

 

• November 2011. – Litigation Service of GSA receives the first instance verdict for severe form of discrimination of LGBT population against Dragan Markovic Palma, president of political party United Serbia (JS) and the Mayor of Jagodina. This is the first time in Serbia that some politician is convicted of hate speech and discrimination against LGBT population.

 

• February 2012. – GSA and Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights send to the relevant authorities and parliamentary political parties Initiative for supplementing the Bill on Amendments and Addendums of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia  with concrete proposals to amendment and addendum this law . Lobbying for this initiative is in progress.

 

• March 2012. – GSA launches campaign “It Matters!” in order to invite LGBT people, their parents, relatives, friends, and other citizens to vote in elections and to vote for the politics that plead for improving the status of LGBT population, equality and respect for human and minority rights. The campaign will lasted until the end of second round of presidential elections.

 

GSA have launched, since the track record in beginning of 2008, over 100 public announcements and press releases, as well as participated in over 29 joint statements.

GSA also participated in several humanitarian activities. Through organizing charitable parties, funds were collected for Homeless Belgrade Children Drop-in Centre, as well as for the mobile digital mammography unit. The name of Gay Straight Alliance is placed among many other donators on the bus carrying a mobile mammography unit.

GSA representatives participated in work groups formed by government institutions such as a Workgroup for Freedom of Assembly Improvement, formed by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and a Work group for Inclusive Education Improvement, formed by the office of Serbian Commissioner for Equality.

GSA representatives participated in many seminars, training courses, conferences, discussion forums and presentations in the Serbia and abroad, on many of them as guest speakers and lecturers.

GSA collaborates with a large number of domestic and international organisations. It participated in formal and informal networks and coalitions within the NGO sector, such as Coalition against Discrimination, Youth Coalition against Violence, Belgrade Safety Week etc. GSA is a member of network of ILGA Europe, which is the umbrella organization of European LGBT associations and consultative body of European Commission.

(Belgrade, April 2012)