Boban Stojanović (activist)

Boban Stojanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Бобан Стојановић; born 1978) is a Serbian activist. He has participated in events and actions promoting the rights of the LGBT community.

Boban Stojanović
Born	1978 Zaječar, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	LGBT activist

Career

Born in the Serbian city of Zaječar, Stojanović has campaigned for various social issues over the past twenty years.^[1] As a youth, he was involved with organizations countering violence against women.^[2] During the Yugoslav Wars, he refused to serve in the military and instead volunteered at various refugee centers. In 2005, he founded an organization promoting LGBT rights called the Queeria Centre. He was also involved in advancing the Serbian Anti-Discrimination Law, which was passed in 2009.^[3] In 2017, he signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.^[4]

Stojanović was executive director and one of the founders of the Belgrade Pride Parade,^[5] which was held for the first time in 2001. He has spoken at various seminars concerning LGBT issues,^[6] as well as being a presenter at Tedx Belgrade.^[7] Since immigrating to Canada in 2016, he works at Calgary's "Center for Newcomers", helping new arrivals from the LGBT community.^[8][9] In 2017, Stojanović spoke at the Prairie and Northwest Territories LGBTQ+ Newcomers Settlement Conference.^[10] That same year, he also participated in the "Coming Out Monologues" performance held in Bow Valley.^[11]

Honours and awards

In 2014, Stojanović had the honour of being an International Grand Marshall at the Montreal Pride Parade.^[12][13] In 2015, he received the "David Kato Vision and Voice Award" for being one of the top five gay activists in the world.^[14][15] He was also nominated twice for the Global Exchange People's Choice Awards.

References

1. "Calgary-based activist says LGBT refugees struggle to heal, prove persecution | CBC News".
2. "Boban Stojanović: Working at the Margins". 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
3. "Boban Stojanović: Working at the Margins". 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
4. "Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku". Jezici i nacionalizmi. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
5. "Serbian LGBTQ leader finds sanctuary in Calgary | CBC News".
6. https://www.civilrightsdefenders.org/events-events/pride-seminar-are-recent-improvements-to-lgbt-rights-in-the-western-balkans-a-smokescreen-or-a-reality/ ^{[permanent dead link]}
7. "Boban Stojanović | TEDxBelgrade". Archived from the original on 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
8. "'The Library Gave Me Hope': Boban Stojanovic's Story | Calgary Public Library". Archived from the original on 2018-06-24. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
9. "Calgary's Centre for Newcomers discusses LGBTQ issues to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia".
10. "Calgary-based activist says LGBT refugees struggle to heal, prove persecution | CBC News".
11. "Monologues give voice to LGBTQ community | the Crag and Canyon". Archived from the original on 2018-05-23. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-01-23. Retrieved 2018-03-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Boban Stojanovic on gay pride in Serbia. YouTube.
14. "Boban Stojanović | TEDxBelgrade". Archived from the original on 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2018-03-06.
15. "Boban Stojanović: Working at the Margins". 10 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.