WE ARE NOT A PRODUCT OF THE WEST, WE LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY, says activist and organizer of "Lesbian spring", the first lesbian-walk held in the Balkans!
- By walking down the streets of Belgrade, we show that we are not a product of the West, we exist in this country, we are citizens of this society and we are building this society actively, trying to get it accustomed to the changes. The changes are there when people realize how much of political oppression is related to women, not to mention lesbians, says Ana Pandej, activist and one of the organizers of Lesbian spring
In the event of Lesbian spring manifestation, in Belgrade gathered women LGBT activists from around the world and the event ended with a celebrity walk.
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The four-day event titled Lesbian spring in Belgrade was completed on Sunday and it brought together more than 100 women from Serbia, the region and the world. The crown of this event was a lesbian march, the first in the Balkans.
On the last day of the event there was the first lesbian march in the region organized, which began in Pioneer Park and ended at the Center for Cultural Decontamination. The march was organized exclusively for women and brought together about 100 women, including Gypsy women from Niš and Novi Bečej, activists from French lesbian network that were walking united along the streets of Belgrade for the first time, exclusively marching for Lesbian Rights and the visibility of lesbians in society.
- Lesbian march represents the culmination of Lesbian spring program that we organized. We believe that lesbians are generally invisible in our society. We are on protests, but it's like we don't exist. On the workers' protests, the women's protests, on Pride...
There are no lesbians in first rows and it always seams like there is something else more important than us. It is extremely important that women in general, especially lesbians, and then all the friends who are heterosexual, bisexual, queer, occupy public space itself - says Ana Pandej, activist and one of the organizers of Lesbian spring
- By walking down the streets of Belgrade, we show that we are not a product of the West, we exist in this country, we are citizens of this society and we are building this society actively, trying to get it accustomed to the changes. The changes are there when people realize how much of political oppression is related to women, not to mention lesbians.
Today we broke the mold and said we don't want to be in the system that oppresses us, and therefore, we are aware we become a threat. This whole program today helps us show our strength and the fact that we are fully able and willing to change social conditions. This, of course, is not easy, but time will show - said Zoe Gudović, activist and one of the organizers of lesbian spring.
The event Lesbian spring opened on 16 April and lasted for four days. The first three days of the program which took place at the premises Magacin were filled with a variety of content with lesbian and feminist themes: exhibition of photographs, film screenings, discussions, workshops and parties.
Lesbian spring is organized within the World March of Women movement, which these days was visiting Belgrade within the feminist caravan.
Lesbian spring is organized by a group of independent activists supported by the Reconstruction Women's Fund, in collaboration with V(j)eštice, BeFem, Labris, Autonomous Women's Center, Skuvarice, photo studio New dirižabl, Sound ethnography, People's Hostel.