The spectacular grounds of Hotel Grad Otočec
more relaxed, much more open.
Because of the media. Because of
the European Union... This has
changed the views and perceptions of
young people.”
As Nina is talking, my thoughts
turn to home. While the UK bears
witness to rising levels of hate crime
against LGBTQI people, protests
against inclusive education and a
new prime minister hell-bent on
exiting Europe next month, deal or no
deal – a move likely to impact LGBTQI
people and communities more than
our hetero cis counterparts – it’s
interesting that Slovenia, a relatively
new member state, is embracing all
that is European. The pace of change
here, particularly on equalities, has
been swift, and that’s in no small part
thanks to its membership of the EU.
But Slovenia isn’t quite a queer
dream. Not yet. Same-sex adoption is
still illegal, following two failed refer-
endums, and while civil partnerships
are available, same-sex marriage isnot. Much like the rest of the world,
there has been a shift to the right
here, too, and Barbara admits that, as
a lesbian business owner, she feels
nervous about the future.
Later, also at Pritliˇcje, I meet
Simone Muršec, president of
Ljubljana’s Pride association
(ljubljanapride.org/en), who tells me
about some of the conversations
happening in the LGBTQI community
here at the moment. “There’s a lot
of dissonance between organisa-
tions and the different sub groups...
It’s no different to anywhere else.
Here, a lot of what’s happening, not
just in Europe, in the US also, gets
imported through social media. We’re
smaller, and it’s less diverse, but
when it comes to politics and issues,
it’s similar.”
Positioning themselves as an
intersectional anti-racist and anti-
fascist organisation, those politics
play heavily into the kind of events
that take place here around Pride:think less confetti cannon and more
cultural and political festival. “We
are not reactive, we are proactive,”
Simone tells me. “We try to build a
political vision of the organisation
that is more challenging. In 2016, we
did a whole festival on anti-racism.
In 2017, on intersex. Trying to put in
the forefront topics, issues and politi-
cal ideas that are not in a vacuum
from current political trends, but
more than just a reaction to a politi-
cal happening.”
Passionate and engaging, I could
spend all day talking to Simone, but
she has a Pride to plan and I have a
date with the nearby Open Kitchen,
a street food market which takes
place every Friday. With a variety of
offerings to rival the best markets in
London, you might struggle deciding
what to have, but you can’t go wrong
with the tacos, served up with a wink
by a super hot queer. Yummo.
When we’re not sipping Club-
Mate in the sun at Pritliˇcje, drinkingCarrie’s
trip
was kindly
provided by Pink
Week. Plan your
own Slovenian
adventure at
visitljubljana.
com/lgbt>>>84 SEPTEMBER 2019