Boban Stojanović (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

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

Career

Born in the Serbian city of

Zaječar Zaječar ( sr-Cyrl, Зајечар, ; or ) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area had a population of 48,621 inhabitants. Zaječar is widely ...

, Stojanović has campaigned for various social issues over the past twenty years. As a youth, he was involved with organizations countering violence against women. During the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

, 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. In 2017, he signed the

Declaration on the Common Language The Declaration on the Common Language ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku, Декларација о заједничком језику, separator=" / ") was issued in 2017 by a group of intellectuals and NGOs from Bosnia and He ...

of the

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

and

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

. Stojanović was executive director and one of the founders of the

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Pride Parade, which was held for the first time in 2001. He has spoken at various seminars concerning LGBT issues, as well as being a presenter at

Tedx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

Belgrade. Since immigrating to Canada in 2016, he works at Calgary's "Center for Newcomers", helping new arrivals from the LGBT community. In 2017, Stojanović spoke at the ''Prairie and Northwest Territories LGBTQ+ Newcomers Settlement Conference''. That same year, he also participated in the "Coming Out Monologues" performance held in

Bow Valley Bow Valley is a valley along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada. The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations in Canada, First Nations people to make bows; the Blackfoot langu ...

Honours and awards

In 2014, Stojanović had the honour of being an International Grand Marshall at the Montreal Pride Parade. In 2015, he received the "

David Kato David Kato Kisule ( – 26 January 2011) was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement and described as "Uganda's first openly gay man". He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities ...

Vision and Voice Award" for being one of the top five gay activists in the world. He was also nominated twice for the Global Exchange People's Choice Awards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stojanovic, Boban 1978 births Living people People from Zaječar Serbian gay men Canadian gay men Canadian LGBTQ rights activists Canadian people of Serbian descent Serbian emigrants to Canada 21st-century Serbian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Serbian LGBTQ rights activists Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language