Unfavourable Attitudes on Homosexuality in B&H

17 May 2005

According to the results of the public opinion survey, conducted in April 2004 by Prism Research agency, 82.3% of B&H citizens hold generally negative opinion on homosexuality, regardless of their sex. This is the first poll to test the public opinion on homosexuality and prostitution in the country.

Homosexuality is negatively perceived in Bosnia

The negative attitude of the B&H public on homosexuality is best illustrated by the 75% of the polled who believe, they say, that the acceptance of homosexual persons in the society would reflect negatively on the general well-being of the country.

�I am not surprised that the people hold such negative opinions, for nobody advocates or promotes that type of tolerance. We could say that this is a good indication of the ignorance and lack of tolerance for the other. That tolerance is totally inexistent in our culture�, comments Svetlana Djurkovic from the Queer Association, the only association of the LGBTIQ persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Almost three quarters of the polled said that they would feel mostly uncomfortable in company of homosexuals, and only 8.6& of the polled said that they personally know somebody of alternative sexual orientation.

�The figures demonstrate the level of homophobia in our society. If only 8.6 percent knows somebody that is gay, it means that only that small segment of the population is positive and tolerant enough for a person from the LGBTIQ community to feel free to approach and come out in front of them�, said Djurkovic.

In addition, the Survey polled the positions on prostitution in B&H. Two thirds (65.1 percent) of the polled believe that the women in involved in prostitution do that because of personal choice, while 23.2 percent believe that these women can�t do anything to change the situation.

Regarding the legalization of prostitution, one in five citizens (19.4%) would support an initaitive for legalization, while 72.7% are opposed to such an idea.