Sarajevo Pride: The Impact of Gay Rights Activism on Social Tolerance

• In Event: Pride and Prejudice: Global Perspectives on LGBT+ Visibility and Tolerance

Abstract

How do mass publics react to LGBT rights advocacy efforts, promoting awareness of LGBT people, rights, and respect? We consider the case of advocacy in Bosnia & Herzegovina, a socially conservative context where LGBT people face hostility and politicians that promote homophobia. We propose an innovative study that examines how LGBT rights advocacy—in the form of a pride march—influences attitudes and behavior of ordinary citizens with regard to tolerance for, and awareness of, gay people and pride. We conducted surveys around the first-ever Pride March in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, on September 8, 2019. Panel surveys of Sarajevo asked the same questions to the same set of 250 respondents during the week before and then the week after the Pride. We also conducted the same survey with samples of 1000 respondents from throughout Bosnia in July 2019 and November 2019. Our findings suggest that awareness of Prides increased after the event, but levels of social tolerance regarding gay people remained the same.

Authors

• Phillip M Ayoub, Occidental College

• Douglas Page, Gettysburg College

• Sam Whitt, High Point University