The seventh Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina will take place on June 20 in Sarajevo, with this year’s slogan, “All colors look good on us.”
“Create your own washing line, hang your rainbow laundry, and share a photo with us. Show your support. Let our balconies, windows, and streets reflect what they have always been – places where we live together. Let us unite and show that we do not accept division, exclusion, or dullness in our neighborhood,” organizers said.
Organizers noted that we are living in an increasingly radicalized world, emphasizing divisions where identity is often used as a tool for separation.
“The seventh Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina carries a different, fundamental human message, a message of unity in an atmosphere of individualism and heightened differences. Today, more than ever, we need solidarity, unity, and togetherness, because fascist, militaristic, and occupying movements have long been cornering and oppressing children, women, LGBTIQ+ persons, religious and ethnic minorities, the powerless, and all those fighting for human rights, social, and economic justice. They do all this under the guise of democracy, for capital and personal gain,” they said.
They further emphasized that the only way to resist all of this is through a global solidarity movement that stands against genocide and the global undermining of human rights and the dignity of every person. Creating such a global movement is impossible without solidarity and unity within micro-communities, neighborhoods, and districts, because only together can we build a better society and a world designed for everyone.
“The Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina does not come from outside. It is not an import of foreign or imposed values or ideas, but rather, the Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrates what Bosnia and Herzegovina already is, a place where we all belong, cities and countries where difference is not a threat but a daily reality and a precondition for a better and more beautiful life for all of us.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina has always been a multiethnic, multi-identity, and multicultural country where differences coexist, and are interwoven, visible in everyday life. From different religions sharing the same city space for centuries, to the variety of languages heard in markets, to diverse identities and life stories interweaving in neighborhoods, this country has always proven that difference can be a strength, not a weakness. Unity in diversity is not a modern deception, a political calculation, or a “pro-Western” value imported into our culture. It is our tradition and our pride. The Pride Parade in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not about seeking spectacle or provocation, but about something more important – visibility and security. It is about the presence of all of us in the public space that we share, without fear, without hiding, without needing to be something we are not, and with the possibility to live our identity and authenticity outside four walls – in our neighborhoods, in the market, in public spaces, at work, and in institutions.
The slogan of this year’s Pride Parade is: “All colors look good on us.”
This slogan, which uses simple and familiar language, sends a strong message: all our differences including gender, sexual, ethnic, religious, and others are a natural part of our identity and deserve respect. “Colors” are not just a symbol of the LGBTIQ+ community, but a metaphor for everything that makes us different and also connects us. “All colors look good on us” means we have the right to be who we are – visibly, with dignity, and without fear. This slogan reminds us of what has always been part of our society, and that is unity in diversity. In times of division, this message brings us back to a basic truth that together we can build a more just, open, and safer society for all. This year, the question should not be whether you are joining the parade, but what color you are wearing to show your support. I will see you on June 20, because all colors look good on us, the statement concluded.
