This position of the LGBT community is due to the continuous inaction or superficial work of our political elites, and this issue is important only when there is international pressure to improve human rights.
This year’s Montenegro Pride will be held on Saturday, October 4. On the eve of this event, which is particularly important for the LGBT population, Jovan Joli Ulićević, executive director of the NGO Association Spectra, assesses for M portal that the position of LGBT people in Montenegro is not what it should be, and that the existing limited rights that this population has on paper mean almost nothing in practice. He does not hide his indignation at the fact that Montenegro is only one of the few countries in Europe where forced sterilization of trans persons is still mandatory, stating that the adoption of the Law on Self-Determination, as well as enabling the implementation of the Law on Life Partnership, is of great importance in this regard.
“If we know that Montenegro is only one of the few countries in Europe where the forced sterilization of trans people is still mandatory (illegal), that violence and discrimination are barely prosecuted (give me an example in the last few years when an attacker of LGBTI persons was caught, let alone prosecuted), that, for example, we had a case of brutal violence against a trans man in Kolašin more than five years ago and that the trial lasted all that time, and that the abusers were sentenced to misery after countless complaints. Let me not talk about the economic situation that always affects the most vulnerable and to sum up, the position of LGBT people is zero, as well as the majority of citizens who are not rich or are not politicians (or neither), with the aggravating circumstances of our identities”, Ulićević points out.
According to Ulićević, the continuous inaction or superficial work of our political elites is responsible for this position of the LGBT community. He points out that this issue is only important to them when there is international pressure to improve human rights, and that as things stand now, even that is no longer important.
In the story of LGBT rights, it is particularly bad that the laws related to this community, as Ulićević claims, are a dead letter.
“Legal solutions are such that they are not implemented in practice. That’s all you need to know about them. The inequality of same-sex partners was institutionalized and legitimized precisely by the adoption of that law, which was a compromise, but a weak compromise, because as we can see, we got a dead letter on paper, and no rights. First of all, that law should have included the right for heterosexual partners to enter into a life partnership, because not all of them want marriage, so it was rejected by the government at the time because it would implied the equality of same-sex partners and partners of a different sex,” says the interlocutor of the M portal.
The mentioned law, he claims, cannot be implemented because our elites, although they received a written analysis with specific guidelines on how the law should be amended, in order for people to have the basic rights stemming from this law, did absolutely nothing about it.
“What has been changed are some rights from the domain of social protection, as well as, of course, tax laws. So, as always, queer people have the same obligations as all citizens of Montenegro, but they are far from having the same rights,” assesses Ulićević.
As an unavoidable problem, he cites the humiliating attitude of the state towards trans people who are forced to undergo forced sterilization.
“Additionally, trans people are the only group in Montenegrin society that goes through forced sterilization, the most inhumane practice I know of, which takes away Montenegro’s right to be called a state of the rule of law. I think that in this sense the steps are very concrete – the adoption of the Law on Self-Determination, the amendment of the laws necessary for the Law on Life Partnership to be implemented,” Ulićević is unequivocal.
It also has recommendations on what should be done in order for society to operate on a better basis.
“It is necessary to distribute resources in society, fight the privatization of Montenegro and the creation of elites and snobs, organize progressive education that teaches children, first of all, friendship and to recognize oppression, and to resist it, provide quality health care available to everyone, let a roof over your head stop being a privilege made possible by banks and that’s a secure society. I am not a supporter of measures that only involve the repression of violent social phenomena, without working on the causes of them. No structural changes, there is no equality for anyone, not even LGBTIQ persons”, he is convinced.
When it comes to the cooperation of organizations that deal with issues of the LGBT population, Ulićević says that he is relatively satisfied, because the cooperation in the civil sector is intensive and based on principles and not on identity.
“I don’t think that everyone’s work is of equal quality in that sense, I think that there is work to be done on this issue for the pure maintenance of organizations, but for that I blame our institutions that do not carry out quality monitoring of the work of such organizations, and that allow projects that do not contribute to the quality of life of citizens, but engage in activities that show an absolute lack of information about the needs on the ground, to pass through competitions,” warns our interlocutor.
He also points out that the cooperation of different movements for social justice is very important.
“I think the more important question here is how much cooperation there is between different movements for social justice, because we have long been of the opinion that cooperation should not be based on identity, but based on common principles and goals. In this sense, the civil sector is quite active and it is well known who works well and how cooperation takes place even among dissenters, which I think is the greatest value of the civil sector. It can do better and more solidly, it always can, and that will happen when certain communities and their problems are not seen as something on which a compromise can be made”, believes Ulićević.
Turning to self-disclosure, that is, revealing the sexual orientation of trans people to others or the public, our interlocutor notes that it is a complex issue.
“I think this is not a simple question with a simple answer. Let’s put it this way, today there are many more visible queer and trans people in Montenegro, so it is definitely no longer a situation where we are unknown to Montenegrin society, and I think that many people now know that we are part of society. What I see, and what is most important, is a much greater understanding among our fellow citizens, among different generations and in different environments. Many of us talk to people from different towns and villages in Montenegro, professions, different educational status, classes and so on. what is constant is – that in direct, human contact, people are in most cases quite ready to understand, accept and support us”, explains Ulićević.
On the other hand, as he states, the situation is different on social networks because that contact is depersonalized and dehumanized.
“There is a lot of hatred there, but it should be taken into account that algorithms make it possible, together with the institutions. Direct action, direct conversation, that is the path to solidarity and understanding. Now, whether someone has the conditions to drive a car is not only a matter of the social climate, but also the resources they have, especially in terms of economic independence. If you depend on a family that can be unaccepting and violent, or on a job where you know you will not be accepted, driving a car is definitely more difficult,” Ulićević points out.
He expresses his fear that this condition will significantly worsen due to the trend of increasingly expensive living in Montenegro. He believes that it also affects the social climate, because dissatisfaction easily leads to turning frustration towards those who are perceived as different.
In the end, he points out that the program designed for this year’s Montenegro Pride will be diverse, and that numerous organizations are involved in its implementation, including “Kvir”, “Spektra”, “Juventas”, “ERA”, “Stana”, “Blender”, Center for Women’s Rights, NGO “Prima”, NGO “Master”, Center for Civic Education, Network for Youth Activism, Foundation Volunteers, Trans Network Balkan, etc.
“As far as Pride is concerned, I don’t know if anyone will come from other countries, it really can’t be seen off, because it will be crowded, a lot of people, and there are people who come to support out of solidarity. We should not forget that there are also queer and trans migrants in Montenegro, who also volunteer as part of Pride. As for the officials, I have no comment and I cannot speak on behalf of Pride. Whether they will come or not is a symbolic act, which without concrete measures will improve our of life, doesn’t mean much. I think that the times when the queer community could only be satisfied with such symbolic acts are gone,” Ulićević decided.
The pride program will be diverse, and a good part will take place in open and public spaces with the aim of bringing people together and involving them in the wider community.
“We must begin to understand the entire program as spaces where direct action is discussed and planned, where we have fun, learn, exchange experiences. Activism must not be reduced to panel discussions, conferences and announcements, with all the importance these activities have. There are a lot of discussions, but also the party we organize, vogue classes, drumming workshops for drumming at Pride and many creative activities, the whole program can be found on the pages of Queer Montenegro”, concludes Ulićević
Source: Mportal
