A part of the political elite in and outside the Parliament is inciting homophobia, and an avalanche of negative comments in the public was triggered by the announcement that the star of the celebration marking the 20th anniversary of independence will be a world music star. Riki Martin.
Interlocutors Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) They say it is a dangerous narrative that normalizes hate speech against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
"The frenzy surrounding Ricky Martin's performance is not a discussion about the concert, but a test of social maturity, and part of Montenegro, once again, failed it," he tells CIN-CG. Miloš Knežević, Development Coordinator of the Center for Civic Education (CCE).
He points out that a significant part of the public reaction was not concerned with the artistic quality of the program itself, about which much could be said and criticized, as well as the amount of the entire event that citizens will pay for, but solely with the fact that Ricky Martin is a gay man.
"This once again shows that LGBTIQ+ identity is still treated as a provocation, and not as a private and equal fact of someone's life," says Knežević.
Homophobia is fear, intolerance, prejudice, or discrimination against homosexuals and people who deviate from society's heteronormative expectations, a psychologist tells CIN-CG. Ida Marković:
"It manifests itself not only through open insults and violence, but also through ridicule, political insinuations, media campaigns, the need to publicly 'justify' one's sexual orientation, or through the presentation of LGBT identity as something shameful, compromising, or dangerous."
Of all the musical fame, the most striking to a part of the Montenegrin public was the fact that Martin is a gay icon. There were speculations that the singer was brought in by the LGBT lobby in the government, aphorisms - If they had brought in Božo Vreća, there would have been money left for July 13th, and all in a similar narrative.
Marković states that the case surrounding Ricky Martin's guest appearance clearly shows how deeply prejudices are still present. He recalls that in the late 1990s and early 2000s he was a global sex symbol, the idol of millions of women around the world, including the Balkan region. His popularity was not based only on his music, but also on the image of a desirable, charismatic man who was massively idealized by the audience. That is precisely why his coming out caused additional frustration and aggression among a part of the public because he broke the stereotype that society projected on him, explains Marković.
"The reactions we see today towards his guest appearance are not really reactions to the artist, but reactions to the idea that a homosexual person can be successful, desirable, loved and socially accepted. This makes some people uncomfortable because it questions rigid notions of gender, sexuality and the male role."
When the Prime Minister makes excuses
The revolt spilled over from social media into politics, and the president of United Montenegro Goran Danilović, Commenting on the news that Ricky Martin will sing in Podgorica on May 21st, he stated that the music will be better than the holiday.
"It can also (Miroslav) Lajcak "If they want. It's a shame Epstein won't be able to do it," Danilović said, sending a dangerous message of equating LGBT people with a convicted pedophile. Jeffrey Epstein.
The whole story surrounding the singer has reached the Parliament of Montenegro - the leader of the Democratic People's Party of Montenegro (DNP) Milan Knezevic He wished him a "welcome" with the verses: "From Lovćen the fairy cries, welcome Martin Rich! And bring your husband Max, so that our tax bill will be lower."
Knežević has made a name for himself in the Parliament on issues of sexual orientation, and so the Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, during the prime minister's hour, said:
"That what is is Milos Medenica "He said it for you, he said it for me - I would kill him. I'm telling you right now, I would kill him like a dog. If I didn't kill him, I would kill myself, because I couldn't bear it."
The fugitive Medenica, who allegedly addresses the public every now and then, has published claims that the prime minister and former minister were blackmailed with an explicit video, that cocaine is consumed at the top of the government, and that part of the ruling majority is characterized by a specific sexual orientation.
Knežević followed up on this story, claiming that, in addition to the prime minister, at least five ministers should tremble if their pornographic videos surface.
"If something brings down this government, believe me, it might be some new explicit footage of current and former ministers."
Calls for murder and suicide, cocaine consumption, and blackmailing top officials with recordings were overshadowed by the accusation of sexual orientation, so the Prime Minister found it appropriate to justify himself only for that part of the accusations:
"Someone who is confident in their sexuality, or rather in their sexual orientation, someone who knows they love women, one woman at the moment, multiple women in the past, has no need to prove themselves to anyone."
He also said that he stands for the rights of all citizens, both "those who are 'straight' like me," and those of other orientations.
I am, as I repeat, of 'straight' orientation. Adding that "those who are unsure of their sexual orientation are very often the biggest opponents of LGBT rights."
Knežević responded that the Prime Minister has no need to flaunt his sexual orientation, and that he should take his word for it.
"Just don't let a recording pop up and then say it's AI, when in fact it's OJ, OJ, or UH, UH."
Opasan signal
Miloš Knežević warns that "when the prime minister feels the need to clarify his sexual orientation from the parliamentary rostrum (and while he was a minister, he had no problem with it, and even the smallest problem for him was participating in Montenegro Pride), and the leader of a parliamentary party announces a murder in response to a similar insinuation - then it is no longer a question of individual excesses, but of the fact that homophobia in Montenegro is still socially profitable, politically, media-wise and populist."
Ida Marković states that "what is happening in the political space is particularly worrying - situations in which politicians feel the need to publicly justify that they are not gay, as well as the use of sexual orientation, with threats of compromising footage, as a means of political reckoning."
"The very fact that the accusation that someone is homosexual can be presented as a political threat shows that homosexuality in society is not yet treated as an equal and normal human fact, but as a stigma," warns Marković.
She points out that such messages to the public send a very dangerous signal - that sexual orientation is something that can cause a person to lose their reputation, power, or social status:
"LGBT people are being sent an even harsher message that they are not safe, that their sexual identity can be misused against them, and that who they are will often be more important than their knowledge, work, professional qualities, or humanity."
Miloš Knežević states that hate speech is very dangerous:
"It normalizes dehumanization, brings together like-minded people, encourages bullies, and creates a climate in which physical assault becomes a logical continuation of what has been read in the comments for weeks. This is not an abstract fear. The already documented attacks in Podgorica, from January this year, in which LGBTIQ+ people were pelted with stones, bottles, and metal bars along with homophobic insults, show exactly this line of transition from digital hatred to physical threat."
Complaint and criminal charges
And the fact that controversies in the highest legislative chamber do have an impact was demonstrated by the statement of the secretary of the Special Caucus of MPs in the Parliament, Marica Bulatović, a member of United Montenegro. On May 5, during working hours, using her Facebook profile, she called the Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity Based on Self-Determination “freaky, perverted and insane”, with additional messages presenting trans identities as a threat to society, children and “sexual and mental dignity”.
The Spektra Association filed a complaint with the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms and a criminal report with the State Prosecutor's Office against Secretary Bulatović for hate speech against the trans community.
The Higher State Prosecutor's Office (VDT) in Podgorica has filed a case against her for the criminal offense of racial and other discrimination.
Jovan Joli Ulicevic, executive director of the Spektra Association, reflecting on the latest wave of homophobia, tells CIN-CG:
"In addition to showing deep-rooted homophobia, this treatment of sexual orientation also shows a fundamental lack of respect, as well as a great deal of shame and embarrassment that is being exploited. I think it definitely sends a message of disrespect to queer and trans people, at a time when our rights are not only ignored but systemically blocked."
The Parliament has not adopted the Law on Legal Recognition of Gender Identity Based on Self-Determination for years, thus pandering to conservative parties and some religious communities, even though this law is considered a key step towards protecting the basic human rights of transgender people.
Sexual orientation as a political weapon
Psychologist Ida Marković says that in societies with pronounced patriarchal patterns, homophobia is often associated with toxic masculinity, a model of manhood that implies dominance, emotional closure, and constant proving of "true masculinity."
"In such a framework, any deviation from the traditional image of a man is perceived as a threat. That is why sexual orientation becomes a means of political reckoning, discrediting or ridicule, instead of a private and human category that should not be the subject of public lynching."
He points out that in a healthy society, someone's sexual orientation should neither be a political weapon nor a topic of moral panic.
"However, the heated reactions we are seeing show that in Montenegro, identity still often comes before everything else, before professional integrity, talent, function or contribution to society."
Intimacy as currency in political war
Miloš Knežević states that using sexual orientation and threats with recordings as weapons of political confrontation opens up another, separate layer of problems.
“This is no longer just about homophobia, but also about a culture of blackmail, voyeurism and humiliation. Intimacy is being turned into the currency of political warfare, and the message is being sent that the opponent is not defeated by argument, but by the threat of being shamed, outed or sexually discredited. For the LGBTIQ+ community, the message is terrifying: be invisible, because visibility can become a weapon against you.”
He warns that when we see sexual orientation used as a subject of inappropriate jokes, blackmail or threats in the Parliament, the media and commentaries, "we do not get the message that we are equal citizens, but that we are potential subjects of public humiliation."
"This directly affects mental health, self-confidence, sense of safety and willingness to report violence."
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
