Montenegro: Gay pride event urges less violence, more rights

(23 Sep 2017) About 200 people on Saturday gathered at an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) pride event in Montenegro urging more rights and zero tolerance for violence against gay people in the conservative Balkan country. Participants held banners with sayings such as "Proud my son is gay" and "My daughter is lesbian" as they marched through the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica. Police sealed off the area for protection. The country of some 620,000 people is known for its macho culture. Saturday's event was dubbed "With Chivalry Against Violence" in a reference to Montenegro's proclaimed heroic tradition. An organiser of the event, Danijel Kalezic, said LGBT rights activists want stricter punishments for anti-gay attacks he said was currently treated as "ordinary fistfights." Montenegro needs to improve human rights as it seeks membership in the European Union. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...