When, as a student in a psychology class at the "Slobodan Škerović" High School, she heard her professor say that homosexuality was an illness and that "it was good that there were few such cases in Montenegro," she mariju (name changed to protect identity) also became anxious about school, because it felt different.
"I know that that teacher continued to spread such things later, long after I left high school. It was especially difficult for us, teenagers who didn't have much information, we didn't have sex education at school, nor did we talk about it in biology classes," Marija told the Center for Investigative Reporting of Montenegro (CIN-CG).
And because of this, she believes, LGBTIQ+ students fear judgment and violence, usually do not come out, that is, do not publicly announce their LGBTIQ+ identity, do not trust school institutions, and rarely seek advice and help from teachers, professional services, or peers.
CIN-CG asked the Slobodan Škerović High School about this case. The school said that there were no applications for the work of their former teacher, who is now retired.
"The school's stance on diversity is decisive, empathetic, and tolerant," the educational institution told CIN-CG.
However, experiences like Marija's show that a formal school stance is not always enough if students in the classroom hear messages that stigmatize them, and the system does not have clear mechanisms to recognize, report, and sanction such situations.
"As there is still a great stigma in society and these topics are rarely discussed, young people do not have a safe space to educate themselves about sexuality and gender identity and have to rely mainly on information they find on the internet, which can be harmful and inapplicable to the Montenegrin situation," explains Marija.
Marija's experience is not just a story about one class and one teacher. It is a story about a broader problem in the education system in Montenegro, in which LGBTIQ+ topics are often either addressed through outdated and discriminatory frameworks, or are silenced.
"It is extremely harmful and unacceptable that young people in school, from teachers or textbooks, whom they perceive as sources of knowledge and authority, receive the message that their identities are a 'disease', a 'disorder' or something that needs to be 'treated'," a psychiatrist at the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) specializing in the rights of LGBTIQ+ people tells CIN-CG. Tea Dakić.
Such messages, she points out, are not only wrong, but also unethical, scientifically unfounded, and contrary to modern medicine, human rights, and basic principles of professional responsibility.
"People who are not sufficiently informed about these topics, whether they work in schools or write textbooks, should not judge based on personal views, because their scientifically unfounded opinions are not facts and should not be presented as facts," says Dakić.
She reminds us that the World Health Organization (WHO) clearly emphasizes that sexual orientation and gender diversity are not disorders, but part of human diversity. She also emphasizes that modern medicine does not pathologize LGBTIQ+ identities, but rather protects the mental health, dignity and human rights of every person.
"The education sector should do the same," says Dakić.
According to her, the dissemination of inaccurate, unscientific and unethical messages about LGBTIQ+ people constitutes homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, as well as discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, and can also be considered a form of violence, as it directly violates the dignity, integrity, self-respect, self-confidence and sense of belonging of LGBTIQ+ people.
Young people, Dakić warns, especially those who trust school authorities, may begin to think that "something is wrong" with them, that they should hide, be ashamed of themselves, or try to change something that is an integral part of their identity.
"This is particularly dangerous, because internalizing such attitudes and living in a hostile social environment significantly increases the risk of anxiety, depression, possible attempts to relieve such feelings through alcohol or psychoactive substances, and also increases the risk of self-harm and suicidality," says Dakić.
She emphasizes that sexual orientation and gender identity in themselves are not the cause of these difficulties, but that the damage is caused by a hostile environment, societal homophobia, transphobia, discrimination, stigmatization, violence, and minority stress.
Data from the international organization IGLYO, which monitors the situation of LGBTIQ+ youth and students, shows that Montenegro formally has legal protection for LGBTIQ+ people, but that it is not yet sufficiently visible in school life. Their Inclusive Education Map for 2025, which compares educational policies and practices in European countries, points to this gap between rights that exist on paper and actual support for students in the classroom.
Rights exist on paper, but not in the classroom.
The Constitution of Montenegro prohibits all direct and indirect discrimination, while the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination specifically recognizes discrimination on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation and intersex characteristics. The same law prohibits discrimination in education, including making it difficult to attend classes and participate in school activities. The General Law on Education further stipulates that violence, abuse, insults, sexual abuse and any form of discrimination are not allowed in schools.
The mandatory national curriculum in Montenegro, however, according to the IGLYO Inclusive Education Map, does not contain any references to LGBTIQ+ topics, nor is there comprehensive sex education. Sexual orientation and gender identity are discussed mainly through the elective Healthy Lifestyles course, so access to such information depends on whether the course is taught at all, whether the student chooses it, and whether the teacher decides to actually cover these lessons.
The analysis also states that some teachers avoid or skip this content without consequences, and that in some cases they have openly expressed disagreement with LGBTIQ+ inclusive content in the classroom.
The subject Civics, which could be a space for discussion about human rights, diversity, and discrimination, has also been no longer mandatory since 2017, so even here, the treatment of LGBTIQ+ issues largely depends on the will of individual teachers.
IGLYO also warns that schools do not provide special support to LGBTIQ+ students through pedagogues and psychologists who are systematically trained for such cases, nor are there mandatory school guidelines against peer violence that would specifically recognize violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Although there is no formal ban on discussing these topics in schools, in practice LGBTIQ+ information is often not available to students, as it is perceived as “too controversial” for minors.
The Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms (Ombudsman) told CIN-CG that so far they have not received any complaints related to discriminatory or stigmatizing content in curricula, textbooks, or school practices when it comes to LGBTIQ+ topics.
However, the institution warns that, through monitoring the situation and communicating with relevant stakeholders, they have noticed that in certain segments of the education system there is still outdated terminology and content that does not fully reflect modern standards of human rights and inclusion.
"Discrimination in education does not have to manifest itself exclusively through openly hostile or offensive speech. It can also be present through terminology or content that, although not directly inciting hatred, has the effect of marginalizing, stigmatizing or excluding certain groups of students," the Ombudsman's Institution states.
Such patterns, they warn, can affect students' sense of belonging, dignity, and equal participation in the educational process.
The line between outdated terminology and discrimination, according to the Ombudsman Institution, cannot always be drawn precisely, but is assessed through the effect that certain content produces.
"If the terminology or manner of representing a certain group leads to its belittling, stereotyping or exclusion, such content may cross the threshold and be characterized as discriminatory. Therefore, we believe that it would be important for the competent institutions to conduct systematic and continuous revisions of curricula and textbooks, with a special focus on compliance with human rights standards and principles of non-discrimination. Such a process should include experts in the field of education, human rights and relevant social actors," they say.
The Ombudsman's Institution assesses that the education system in Montenegro shows some progress in recognizing the importance of inclusion and protection from discrimination, but that there is still room for improvement, especially in raising the awareness of teaching staff, improving teaching content, and creating a safe and supportive environment for all students, including LGBTIQ+ students.
"The education system in Montenegro is not yet sufficiently sensitive to the specific needs of LGBTIQ+ students. The challenges are numerous: from the lack of specific knowledge of teaching staff to work with this population, to the students' own fear of coming out due to possible condemnation. Continuous education, clear guidelines and institutional support are key to further strengthening the system's sensitivity to the needs of all students," the Ombudsman's Institution states.
Discriminatory school content often does not reach the courts
If a pupil, student or group of young people believe that a certain formulation in a textbook, teaching material or the way a topic is covered in class offends, stigmatizes or puts them in an unequal position, they can, as a start, contact the Ombudsman, who can request explanations from the school, ministry or other competent institutions, provide opinions and recommendations, as well as point out a broader systemic problem.
It is also possible to contact the education inspectorate, especially if the content in question is used in class or if the school refuses to respond to a report from a student or parent.
The Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination also provides for judicial protection through a civil lawsuit, which can be used to request that the court determine that discrimination has occurred, prohibit its repetition, order the elimination of the consequences and award compensation for damages. Persons who believe that they have been discriminated against may also initiate misdemeanor proceedings if the competent authority determines that a legal or responsible person has violated the prohibition of discrimination, including discrimination in education or discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex characteristics.
Initiatives can also be directed towards the Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Materials, the Institute for Education, the National Council for Education and the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, all of which are institutions that can initiate or support changes to curricula, textbooks and manuals.
Although this legal framework exists, practice shows that LGBTIQ+ issues in education are still rarely translated into concrete proceedings before institutions.
An analysis of case law related to the protection of the rights of LGBTIQ+ persons from 2025, prepared by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), shows that Montenegrin courts have not yet received cases directly related to discriminatory LGBTIQ+ content in school curricula, textbooks, or teaching practices.
The cases analyzed by CEDEM, which are available on the official websites of the courts, mainly relate to violence, threats, endangerment of security, insults and hate speech against LGBTIQ+ persons and activists. In the 13 analyzed criminal decisions, made from 2012 to 2025, there were 11 convictions and two acquittals, while in the 16 analyzed misdemeanor cases of the Misdemeanor Court in Podgorica, 15 ended in convictions.
The analysis warns that data on discrimination is not kept precisely enough to clearly track cases based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, data from misdemeanor courts show that sexual orientation often appears as a basis for discrimination: in 2024, misdemeanor courts had 160 cases with elements of discrimination, and in cases processed under the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination, the basis was precisely sexual orientation. In cases under the Law on Public Order and Peace, sexual orientation appeared as a basis in dozens of cases in Podgorica, Budva and Bijelo Polje in the same year.
However, almost all of these misdemeanor cases were committed via Facebook, with insults, threats, and calls for violence.
Most space in elective subject
"Textbooks are 'dark' because they don't mention sexual identities at all, while in some outdated medical textbooks in our country, homosexuality is still treated as a 'mental illness' that can be treated," the development coordinator at the Center for Civic Education (CCE) and long-time human rights activist told CIN-CG. Miloš Knežević, who himself experienced violence during his education as an LGBTIQ+ person.
Knežević also wrote about this in an author's column, which was written in response to negative comments and public attacks on the recently published CCE's "Guide to LGBTIQ+ Topics for Primary and Secondary School Teachers", linking resistance to such a manual with his own experience growing up in a school that at the time did not know, or did not want, to protect LGBTIQ+ students.
He described the school as a space where violence was not only in insults, threats and physical attacks, but also in the silence of adults who had to react.
"I left school with a lack of self-confidence, and I suppressed my sexual identity for a long time, convincing myself that it was a phase that would go away," he says.
That is precisely why, Knežević points out to CIN-CG, guides and clear guidelines for teachers are not an "imposition" of any ideology, but a way for schools to stop shifting the burden onto children who suffer violence and to send the message to young people much earlier that the problem is not them, but homophobia and a system that does not protect them.
According to him, LGBTIQ+ topics are not systematically addressed in Montenegrin education.
A 2021 CCE study showed that LGBTIQ+ topics are generally poorly represented in secondary school curricula and textbooks. 18 subjects and 24 textbooks were analyzed.
The most content about LGBTIQ+ people and their rights in this analysis was found in the subject Healthy Lifestyles. CCE also pointed out that the subject Individual in a Group, which is a supplement to the graduation standard for psychology in the third and fourth grades, does not directly mention LGBTIQ+ people, although it does provide for the treatment of prejudices, stereotypes and their negative impact.
In the Montenegrin-Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian language and literature subjects, LGBTIQ+ topics are not included in the school curriculum, and are barely mentioned in textbooks for grammar schools and secondary vocational schools. These curricula cover writers and artists, such as Byron, The Victim's Turn, Thomas Mann, Artura Remboa, Federico García Lorca, Franz Kafka, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde i Shakespeare, who were either openly or supposedly homosexual or queer people and whose biographies could open up space for a conversation about identity, prejudice and social acceptance, but this information is generally not mentioned in textbooks.
The same research recommended that, where there is space for it, LGBTIQ+ aspects be mentioned in the treatment of literary works or biographies of authors, as well as that textbooks include works that treat or mention LGBTIQ+ people as protagonists or other characters.
Knežević points out that resistance to LGBTIQ+ topics in education is not limited to the content of textbooks, but also to the atmosphere in schools.
"I know that in one school, students wanted to conduct a survey on the perception of LGBTIQ+ people among their peers as part of an elective course. However, the school administration explicitly forbade them from doing so, citing the fact that parents might object," says Knežević.
Such explanations, Knežević believes, often conceal the unwillingness of schools themselves to open a conversation about sexual orientation, gender identity, and the violence that young people in the community suffer.
Similar problems are pointed out in the Ombudsman's report for 2025.
"Current curricula, by keeping LGBTIQ+ topics on the margins, or interpreting them through the prism of outdated social norms, not only ignore modern medical and sociological knowledge, but also actively contribute to creating an environment in which stigma and discrimination are institutionally supported," the report states.
Knežević points out that children generally don't have a problem with diversity, "until adults make it so."
"The experience from the workshops we have organized in schools over the years has shown me that a conversation, a film, or a personal story can change even the most rigid attitudes," he says.
However, he warns that homophobic violence in schools is still often treated as “ordinary” peer violence, which loses sight of the motive behind the violence. That is why, explains Knežević, guides for teachers are important as a practical tool, not only because of the terminology, but also because of clear steps for schools to recognize, record and stop violence against LGBTIQ+ students.
"I remember a workshop at the Police Academy, which was particularly demanding, because some cadets expressed views that homosexuality is a 'disease' or a 'punishment from God'. The biggest problem is not just the existence of such beliefs, but that it is very difficult to clearly separate personal views from the professional obligation to protect every person equally. It is not enough for someone to say that they will act according to the law, if the victim feels that they are not believed or judged at the first step," Knežević points out.
The Police Academy told CIN-CG that the topics of human rights of LGBTIQ+ people are covered in regular classes, specifically through the course Human Rights and Ethics, within the teaching unit Rights of Sensitive Groups. They added that these topics are also covered in other teaching units, such as hate crimes, the prohibition of torture and other inhuman and degrading treatment, human rights in reconnaissance and investigation, the protection of human rights during deprivation of liberty and detention, professional ethics, awareness of diversity, and police service in a multiethnic society.
They also state that these topics are covered through subjects including tactical communications, criminal law, police law, police work, powers and duties, constitutional law, criminalistics and criminology.
"Aware of the fact that there are strong prejudices against LGBTIQ+ people in our society, the Police Academy fosters cooperation with non-governmental organizations," the institution states.
When asked how they react if students express views during classes or workshops that homosexuality is a "disease", "punishment from God" or other stigmatizing claims, the Police Academy states that such statements are treated as misconceptions and stereotypes that require educational intervention.
"The goal is not only to inform the participants, but also to influence, through discussion, a change in attitudes and the development of professional behavior that includes respect for diversity," the Police Academy states.
There is no specific check for discriminatory language.
Knežević notes that school cannot replace the family, but that it can be the first place where a young person can hear that "there is nothing wrong with them."
"In traditional society, the process of coming out often takes years and depends on how willing the family is to accept what society still stigmatizes. When you have support at home, it is much easier to endure insults and violence from outside. But if you don't have it at home, at school, or in institutions, then the young person is left completely alone," he explains.
This is precisely what the new “Guide to LGBTIQ+ Topics for Primary and Secondary School Teachers”, recently published by CCE, points out. It states that the task of education is to offer students understanding instead of fear and acceptance instead of humiliation, and that creating a safe environment can be one of the key steps in preventing and mitigating the effects of violence against LGBTIQ+ youth.
The Guide specifically emphasizes that the job of parents, caregivers, and teachers is not to “fix” or “correct” children and young people, but to support them in accepting themselves. In the section intended for teachers to talk to parents, it is also stated that homosexuality and transgenderism are not illnesses, which is confirmed by the WHO and other relevant professional organizations.
However, resistance to the Guide was quickly visible in the public, and it is particularly problematic that one of those who most loudly opposed it was an educator. Recently, a retired university professor and poet appeared on the TV Prva show "Jutro" Dragan Koprivica and MP from New Serbian Democracy Mitar Susic presented the Guide as an attempt to impose LGBTIQ+ topics on children, called it "anticulture", claimed that the system "turns children into ideologically, morally and culturally crippled people", and that it was a "destructive approach" that leads to "general chaos".
The Institute for Textbooks and Teaching Aids (ZUNS) explained to CIN-CG that textbooks, workbooks, and manuals are reviewed by teams of experts. The review committees, they state, must include a psychologist and an educator. They draw attention to discriminatory or offensive content if it has not been previously noticed.
However, when asked by CIN-CG whether there is a special check for language that may be stigmatizing for LGBTIQ+ students in the process of creating or reviewing teaching content, ZUNS responded that such a special check does not exist.
"Authors and reviewers are guided by the guidelines from the methodological framework 'The Path to a Good Textbook', according to which the content of the textbook should be aligned with modern scientific knowledge, verified facts, and democratic and civic values," they state.
ZUNS also claims that so far they have not had any reactions from teachers, professional associates or schools that certain formulations in teaching content cause discomfort, ridicule or additional stigma among students.
"We would support a systematic review of existing textbooks and programs from the perspective of discriminatory or outdated terminology, but such an initiative must be contained in the curricula, according to which textbooks are developed, and which are approved by the National Education Council, at the proposal of the Institute for Education," say the ZUNS.
In 2025, the Government of Montenegro adopted the Education Reform Strategy for the period from 2025 to 2035, which covers all levels of education, from early and preschool to secondary education and teacher education.
Although this document contains goals that directly address the issues of a safe school environment, prevention of discrimination and violence, strengthening teacher competencies, and gender-sensitive education, it does not explicitly mention LGBTIQ+ topics anywhere.
The strategy envisages improving guidelines for dealing with cases of violence, so that schools are free from physical, verbal, social, emotional and sexual violence, as well as creating an inclusive environment in which discrimination and hate speech are prevented, and human and civic values, empathy and mutual respect are promoted. The document also envisages training for teachers, the development of manuals and the adaptation of methodologies for the development of curricula and textbooks to a gender-sensitive approach.
However, the lack of a clear designation of LGBTIQ+ students shows that the new education reform risks leaving these topics in a general formulation of inclusion, instead of recognizing them as a specific issue of safety, knowledge, and support in schools.
Young people need to know that they are not sick, that they are not alone, and that school should not be a place where they will be further afraid of themselves and others, CIN-CG's interlocutors say. In the Montenegrin education system, however, such a message is not yet the rule, but depends on the sensitivity and awareness of individuals.
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