The seventh Montenegro pride will be held on the 21st of September in Podgorica, calling for the unification of people in a common struggle for equality, justice and freedom, the representatives of the Organizing Committee said, stating that LGBTIQ people should be recognized and respected.
A representative of the Organizing Committee of Montenegro in 2019, Hana Konatar, at a press conference, said that Montenegro would, in its history, proudly record the seventh Montenegrin pride on Saturday, September 21st.
"I wish to greet you all on behalf of the Organizing Committee, which this year brought together a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, gender variants and people who are traditionally proud, together with our male and female friends, members of our families in the preparations of the 7th Parade of Pride," Konatar said in the PR Center. This year, as she said, more than forty people took an active part in the Organizing Committee.
"We have been preparing a rich program since March, which we will be organized during June, the month of the proud for LGBTIQ people, as well as the eve of the pride itself, during the Week of Pride in September," Konatar said.
A representative of the Organizing Committee of Montenegro in 2019, Nikola Ilic, said that on May 17th, the International Day of Combating Homophobia and Transphobia, "which is" of special importance to us because it is the day we celebrate our struggle against social oppression over LGBTIQ people".
Ilic said that the month of the struggle against homophobia and transphobia was marked by various activities and events, such as the playwrights, art workshops, film evenings, and community empowerment workshops.
These activities will continue until the end of the month, but also during the international month of pride in June, so we invite all those interested to visit, and information on events can be found on the social networks of the organization Queer of Montenegro, NGO’s SPEKTRA and Juventas", said is Ilic. This year, as he adds, the Organizing Committee prepares various events on the eve of the Week of Pride, and, as he adds, a large number of workshops, film projections, performances, exhibitions, social gatherings, and parties are planned.
"We try to make the activities suitable for all, younger and older, for all male and female members of the LGBTIQ community, for their families and friends, for our partners, co-workers and colleagues. This year's news is that we will walk for every town, realizing numerous events outside Podgorica. It is about six cities and we are waiting for the days painted with rainbow colors, and everything will be crowned with the biggest Montenegrin pride so far," Ilic said.
He announced that a big Queer party would be organized in the garden of the Ethno jazz Club Sejdefa tonight at 11 p.m.
A representative of the Organizing Committee of Montenegro pride in 2019, Marija Jovanovic, said that fifty years after the organization of the first pride in the world, in Montenegro will be organized the seventh Montenegro pride. "Like the previous years, this year, we will be able to communicate the universal values that we stand for. Human rights LGBTIQ people must be recognized and respected in a democratic society, as ours aspires to be," Jovanović said.
This year, Pride calls on the unification of people in a common struggle for equality, justice, and freedom as she said.
"We are gathering a community that, alongside all the obstacles it faces, courageously and decisively is holding together in the struggle for equal status in society, for the right to partnership relations, which are not yet recognized by law, the right to free movement, the right to security, happiness," Jovanovic said.
She said that Montenegrin deputies have a task to support the Law on the Life Partnership of the same gender, by which they will, as it seems, show a willingness to fulfill their human and moral obligation to protect the rights of all citizens.
"In this case, they are the basic human rights of LGBTIQ people. It is for all of us to show that support is the family value that lies in the root of our culture and that it must be present in every struggle for social equality," Jovanovic said.
The representative of the Organizing Committee of Montenegro 2019, Marica Vlahovic, 2019, said that despite the slight improvement in the situation compared to previous years, members of the LGBTIQ community are still exposed to discrimination, hate speech and violence.
"We strive to fight against violence, and our efforts in this period are geared towards an adequate prosecution of hate crimes. We are proud of the fact that we have managed to build strong support services, such as providing free legal aid and counseling to people who experienced violence motivated by homophobia and/or transphobia," Vlahovic said.
For the LGBTIQ community at the moment is, as she said, the most important issue is the adoption of the Law on the Life Partnership of the same gender.
"The voting is still pending, and we believe that the representatives of the people in the Montenegrin Parliament will recognize the importance of this law. It covers and regulates the rights and obligations of same-sex partners in terms of material maintenance, joint immunity, inheritance and health care system," Vlahovic said.
The campaign ahead of this year's pride will, among other things, focuses on the united communities and the influence of the Law on the everyday life of all persons who live or want to establish a same-sex community.
"If the law is not adopted at this session of the Assembly, it will seriously jeopardize the democratic values on which our society is founded. In that case, we will show that we do not like it and continue to be stronger and tougher for the respect of our human rights," Vlahovic said.
Text by Vijesti online, on May 17th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
