Six years ago, the Queer Beograd collective organised the first Queer Beograd Festival. Its story is a good chance to talk about LGBT and queer movements in Serbia – their goals, their fortune, and their imaginary.

In 1994, male homosexuality was decriminalised in Serbia (female homosexuality was not deemed worth mentioning in the laws). In 2001, the first Pride parade in Belgrade – now remembered as the “massacre parade” – was violently attacked by right-wing and religious extremists while police stayed indifferent. Since then, we have regular reports about Pride parades (or attempts) in Serbia and the troubles that follow. However, what do LGBT and queer groups in Belgrade do, when they are not being beaten up? This article reports on the Queer Beograd (QB) collective, the festivals they organised, and the words they used to explain what they want to change.