by Rex Wockner
A draft anti-discrimination law was withdrawn from active consideration in the Serbian Parliament on March 4 under pressure from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Queeria Web portal reported.
The church objected to two provisions in the legislation that need to be adopted if Serbians are to be allowed visa-free travel to the European Union.
One ensures the free expression and practice of religion or belief. The other bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and affirms the right to express one's sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill has been greenlighted by the government and various ministries, and the Ministry for Human Rights has said it will not allow any changes to the measure.
"The Serbian Orthodox Church is … peeved off about those pesky homosexuals being treated like everybody else," said Queeria Editor in Chief Predrag M. Azdejkovic. "The church thinks that it is above everyone else and that it has the right to set the benchmark for so-called 'morality' (and) limit the rights of human beings who should be equal. What's even more worrying is that the Serbian Parliament bowed down to pressure and actually withdrew the law from procedure."
