The Crenare Parade was held in Pristina with the motto “no step back”

The Crenaria parade marked the latest event under the week of Crenaria, which began June 9th.

This year's Crenare Parade in “Square Skenderbeu”, which was held for the ninth time in Kosovo, also attended the mayor of the capital, Progress Rama, as well as several foreign ambassadors to Kosovo, including the British and German.

The Crenaria Week is dedicated to members of the LGBTIQ+ community. During this week, marches and protests are held in many countries, with the requirement for recognition of the legal rights for marriage among members of the same sex.

Blert Morina, executive director of the Centre for Equality and Freedom (CEL), said he would like several successes to be mentioned in this event, such as building a shelter for this community, the possibility of marriage between the same gender, legal recognition of gender identity, offering health treatments for the transgener.

But, he said none of these have been achieved and Kosovo is still not close to accomplishing.

“The shelter has failed because the state has failed to protect its citizens, because marriage among the same gender is still just our right cause, because legally recognised identity is the exception and not the rule, because services for transgenerative persons are peaceful”, Morina said.

Kosovo does not allow same-gender marriage.

The issue was meant to be settled with the Civil Billion, but it has not received the support of MPs from the previous legislature. Meanwhile, the new parliamentary composition, released by the February elections, has not yet been constitutionalised.

The disagreement has to do with the article of this draft code that would enable the drafting of a special law through which the record of “civil co-ordination” would be allowed among the same gender persons.

As with the leaders of religious communities in Kosovo, the Civil Billody was opposed by several deputies from the past legislature who had argued they were against the legislation, as they wanted to protect the family's “values”.

During the official opening of Krenaria Week, incumbent Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said some LGBTIQ+ community members have had bad experiences in Kosovo, as well as in other parts of the world.

“Feelings of shame and self-hatting, rejection by family and discrimination in society are phenomena that all of us who believe strongly in freedom and equality must fight together, vow that we will move forward without any step back”, Kurti said.

He said events like the Crenare Week are important in the struggle for equal freedom and rights, despite orientation or sexual identity.

Kurti said the prime minister's office is preparing a 2025-2027 plan for community rights LGBTIQ+, which, according to him, will be approved this year.

This action plan aims to raise public awareness of the prevention of discrimination, as well as to take concrete action by institutions in the fields of education, health and security, among other things”, he said.

The European Union said Kosovo is making steps in the right direction in terms of defence, inclusion and non-disclosure of the LGBTIQ+ community.

EU Ambassador to Kosovo Aivo Orav cited the fact that the Crenaria Parade has been held annually in Kosovo without any incidents.

Orav also mentioned confirming an indictment for hate crime, kidnapping, physical injury and a threat to the personal privacy of an LGBTI+ community person.

This is an important moment for justice in Kosovo”, he said.