In BiH, every third LGBT person suffers some kind of discrimination, and it goes unreported in 93.8% of cases. 94.6% of LGBT people have been the victims of physical or verbal violence, while physical violence affects each third LGBT person in BiH. Every fifth LGBT person in BiH has suffered sexual violence.

Unfortunately, media reporting on the problems of one of the most vulnerable groups in BiH society either does not exist or is loaded with prejudices and stereotypes that only additionally victimize the LGBT community.

Why is it this way? Is it possible to avoid the already established schemes of the media presentation of some of the most pressing questions that are connection with the LGBT community in BiH? How, and in what way, can the media truly communicate the problems that the LGBT community faces in the public sphere and relevant institutions?

We will discuss these questions at a panel discussion organized by Sarajevo Open Centre and Mediacentar Sarajevo on Wednesday, 14.5 at 10.30 AM.

Peter Sorensen, the Head of the EU Delegation/Office of the EU Special Representative to BiH, and David Barth, the director of the USAID mission to BiH, will open the discussion. The moderator is Aleksandar Trifunović, the editor of the web magazine ​www.6yka.com, and the discussants are Belma Žiga, a psychologist in the association Wings of Hope BiH, Valentina Pelizzer, an activist in the organization One World SEE, Duška Jurišić, a journalist and editor on Federal Television, and Vesna Andree Zaimović, ​editor of the portals www.radiosarajevo.ba i www.manjine.ba.

​The discussion is organized for the occasion of May 17th, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. ​

You can see a detailed programme here.

​We ask you to reserve a spot by Monday 12.5 at the latest​ by emailing [email protected]

The event is a part of the USAID project “Strengthening Independent Media,” implemented by Internews BiH and organized with the support of the Open Society Fund BiH. ​