The 7th Bosnian-Herzegovinian Pride march highlights visibility, rights, and solidarity
The 7th Bosnian-Herzegovinian Pride March took place in Sarajevo under the slogan “Every Colour is the Right One”, gathering hundreds of participants from across Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. The event concluded peacefully and without incidents, once again creating a visible public space for LGBTI+ people and their allies while reaffirming demands for equality, safety, and full human rights.
The Pride March was preceded by a vibrant Pride Week that showcased the diversity and creativity of the LGBTI+ community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The programme included a hardcore punk night, an erotic poetry evening, a community bazaar, a protest poster-making workshop, a screen-printing workshop, a regional panel discussion on solidarity, and a Queer Cinema for Palestine film screening. These events created space for exchange, artistic expression, and collective reflection across different parts of the community.
During the march, participants carried banners with messages such as “Pride Against Corruption”, “Love Does Not Need Permission”, “Force Is Not Strength”, and “Queers for Palestine” highlighting connections between LGBTI+ rights and broader struggles for justice, dignity, and equality.
Organisers emphasised that the Pride March does not demand special rights, but equal rights, visibility, safety, and the ability for LGBTI+ people to live openly and authentically in all areas of public life. They also stressed that seven years after the first Pride March in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there has been no significant institutional progress and none of the five key demands have been fulfilled. These demands include legal recognition of same-sex partnerships, adoption of a law on gender identity, stronger protection from domestic violence, effective recognition and prosecution of hate crimes, and amendments to public assembly legislation in Sarajevo Canton in line with European standards.
Organisers reiterated that these are fundamental human rights, not special legal privileges, and called for urgent legal reforms addressing hate crimes and hate speech, including in online spaces where discrimination and hostility are increasingly present.
The programme following the march included a DJ set, drag performances, vogue artists, drum collectives, and live music by Le Zbor and Marko Bošnjak, reinforcing messages of community, resilience, and regional solidarity.
One of the key speeches delivered during the march rejected social apathy and encouraged active engagement, stating that change is not something that is waited for, but something that is made through visibility, courage, and collective action. Solidarity and mutual support were repeatedly emphasized as essential foundations for social progress, with participants urged to continue standing together in the pursuit of equality and dignity.
The 7th Bosnian-Herzegovinian Pride March once again demonstrated the strength and diversity of the country’s LGBTI+ community. Through a week of cultural and political programme and a peaceful public demonstration, participants sent a clear message that diversity is a value to be respected, human rights are non-negotiable, and the struggle for equality continues.
