Some 200 people attended an LGBT pride parade in Montenegro on September 23 calling for more rights and tougher punishment for violent acts against gay people in the small Balkan nation.
Participants in the fifth annual Podgorica Pride event marched down the streets of the capital, Podgorica, holding banners with slogans such as "Proud my son is gay" and "My daughter is a lesbian."
Police sealed off the area for protection. No incidents were reported during the event, dubbed "With chivalry against violence" in a reference to Montenegro's proclaimed heroic tradition.
An organizer of the event, Danijel Kalezic, says LGBT rights activists want harsher penalties for antigay attacks that he says currently are treated as "ordinary fistfights."
Montenegro, a former Yugoslav republic of 620,000 people and NATO's newest member, needs to improve human rights as it seeks membership in the European Union.
