Serbia appoints first openly gay Minister
Image: Ana Brnabic is the first gay person appointed to Serbia's government. Picture: Youtube
THE newly elected Serbian government has nominated its first openly gay minister in a landmark move.
Ana Brnabic will assume the role of Minister of Public Administration, pending National Assembly approval on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic spoke about the appointment with reporters and directly addressed questions of Brnabic’s sexuality.
“Ana Brnabic and I spoke also about that aspect. She is not hiding it, she speaks about it proudly,” he said, according to Serbian broadcaster B94.
The Prime Minister recounted a conversation with Brnabic on the subject.
“She is so nice and charming, and she asked me, she said, ‘if that bothers you – I’m sure everyone will be talking about it now’. I replied, ‘I’m interested in what you can do, and I know how professional and hardworking you are’,” the Prime Minister said.
“If you can tell me something bad about her professional resume, tell me. I’m only interested in what her result will be in the difficult job ahead of her.”
Prime Minister Vucic went on to talk about the credentials that makes Brnabic well suited to the role, mentioning the work she’s done as head of Serbia’s National Alliance for Local Economic Development.
“The woman has exceptional energy and I am very much looking forward to working with her,” he said.
The nation’s LGBT movement has been a troubled one in the past, with a pride event being attacked in 2010 that injured many people. The event was temporarily banned as a result, but has since been reinstated.
