On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, Brankica Janković, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality stressed that each and every form of discrimination, including sexual orientation and gender identity, is prohibited by law and must not be tolerated.

Despite the fact that so far two Pride and one Trans Pride Parades were held without incidents, that topics related to LGBT rights are gaining public presence and that progress has been made in improving the position of this segment of population, the fact also remains that our society still suffers from homophobia and transphobia.

Commissioner Janković used this opportunity to call on all media outlets to report on transgender, transsexual and all other persons of different sexual orientation without resorting to sensationalism and discrimination, to protect their dignity and privacy and to refrain from using degrading qualifications and offensive language. Unfortunately, certain media outlets continue to foster such reporting, hence this is an opportunity to underline the importance of media’s role in shaping views of the general public.