Cartographies of fear and freedom: Lesbian activists in the first Belgrade and Zagreb pride parades

Abstract

This chapter analyses two turning points for the post-Yugoslav LGBT activism, the Belgrade Pride 2001 and Zagreb Pride 2002, with a focus on the participants’ experiences of confronting hate violence. It is based on the analysis of twelve interviews with women from Belgrade and Zagreb who participated in those Prides. The coping strategies of Prides’ participants testify to the profound influence of such manifestations on participants’ identities and the creative potential of lesbian and feminist organising in the region.