Besa Luci in conversation with Jelena Čolaković and Valmira Rashiti.

In this episode we talk about the legal recognition of LGBTQ+ rights, with a focus on same-sex unions.

Securing fundamental human rights across the Balkans is an ongoing challenge, and some groups are more discriminated against than others. In terms of the human rights of LGBTQ+ people, governments across the region often dismiss the fact that queer people are deserving of all the rights and respect as any other citizen.

Recent legislative discussions in Kosovo about a new Civil Code demonstrated this tendency. Many Assembly members’ refused to move forward on a set of policies and laws that would improve citizens’ lives simply because they were in opposition to a single article in the Code which would have opened a path to same-sex civil unions in Kosovo.

During the parliamentary discussions, representatives, many of whom were from the progressive left party, demonstrated that they don’t see LGBTQ+ people as full citizens. Homophobic statements in the Assembly echoed out across the country and prompted hate speech on social media, marking a setback for the fight for human rights.

Similar institutionalized homophobia is common in neighboring countries. But in 2020, Montenegro took a first step towards legalizing same-sex civil partnerships, though with a very narrow majority. While this was touted as a historical step by government representatives, the right to adopt or foster children remains inaccessible, meaning that there is still a long path to full equality.

Two guests joined us in this episode to discuss what the progress, or lack thereof, for same-sex unions tells us about LGBTQ+ recognition as well as societies’ understandings of the institution of the family.

Jelena Čolaković is program director of Juventas, a Montenegro-based NGO working in social justice.

Valmira Rashiti is Gender Mainstreaming Officer at Kosovo Women's Network, an NGO supporting, protecting and promoting the rights of women in Kosovo.

This podcast is part of the Human Rightivism project, which is funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina, implemented by the Community Development Fund through its Human Rightivism Program. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Embassy of Sweden in Prishtina.