Regional Messages on Working with Media

On June 14-15, The US government has sponsored its first regional workshop on LGBTs in Tirana with the participation of NGOs and representatives in the Balkans. Participants have experienced two days of panel discussions, film screenings and media displays.

 

On the second day of the program, under the title “Working with The Media – How Reporting Can Become Advocacy”, LGBT activists have shared their experiences and strategies on how they work with media organs in their local realities.

 

Kristi Pinderi, representative of Pro LGBT, spoke on how media organs in the country try to stimulate clashes on behalf of the LGBT community in Albania. He said “They aim to create conflicts and state a Pride will happen. When we did the first Gay Ride with our bikes, it was not a Pride. When in fact, there has never been a plan for a Pride.” As comments on the Gay Ride, he added “It was pouring rain on that day. We were going to do it even if it was pouring metals from the sky.”

 

On initiating a media organ for the promotion of LGBT rights in Albania, Pinderi stated “I would like to give Kaos GL’s website as an example of the news site we have in mind. We want to generate news on LGBTs the way they do it in Turkey.”

 

Remzi Lani, from Albania Media Institute, expressed his opinons on the silence among the media organs when it comes to human rights: “Maybe there is not only ‘hate speech’, but also ‘hate silence’. They must think “We will not attack them, but we will not protect them either.” For instance, the Roma people also do not get attacked, because they do not exist in Albania!”

 

Lastly Andrea Gilbert, from Athens Pride in Greece, suggested creating a unique language for LGBTs: “We do not use “homosexuality” as it is a medical term, but gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders… Greek language has a lot of gender-based expressions, we insist on gender-neutral language in our slogans and news.”