Media Reporting on Pride Parades in Croatia

Povijest seksualnih manjina prožeta je diskriminacijama, manipulacija, ugnjetavanjima i kaznenim progonima. Sve do kraja 1970-ih godina u Jugoslaviji se homoseksualnost i istospolna veza smatrala kaznenim djelom. U 80-im godinama 20. stoljeća mediji počinju pisati o tematici homoseksualnosti i LGBT zajednici. Devedesetih godina u Hrvatskoj dolazi do snažnog jačanja nacionalizma, repatrijarhalizacije i rekatolizacije društva. U to doba nastaju prve inicijative i aktivističke udruge koje se bore za prava i zaštitu LGBT osoba, a njihove aktivnosti dolaze do većeg izražaja 2000-ih godina. Promjenom političke vlasti hrvatsko društvo okreće se zapadnim, demokratskim načelima, a 2002. u Zagrebu se održala prva hrvatska povorka ponosa. Svake godine od tad, u lipnju ili srpnju, LGBT zajednica održava miran prosvjed u središtu Zagreba kako bi ukazala na probleme s kojima se susreće. Cilj ovog istraživačkog rada bio je utvrditi na koji način su hrvatski mediji izvještavali o povorkama ponosa i jesu li doprinijeli izgradnji vizibiliteta LGBT zajednice u Hrvatskoj. Postavljena su ova glavna istraživačka pitanja: kako su vodeći hrvatski mediji izvještavali o povorkama ponosa u Zagrebu 2002, 2007., 2012., 2017., i 2022. te u Splitu 2011. godine? te postoje li razlike u izvještavanju s obzirom na vrijeme? Za potrebu provedbe istraživanja korištena je metoda kritičke analize diskursa te je proveden jedan polustrukturirani intervju. Tako je kroz analizu medijskih tekstova utvrđeno kako su hrvatski mediji kroz izvještavanja o povorkama ponosa i isticanje problema s kojima se susreće LGBT zajednica, pomogli u izgradnji njihovog vizibiliteta u društvu.The history of sexual minorities is permeated with discrimination, manipulation, oppression, and criminal prosecutions. Until the end of the 1970s, homosexuality and same-sex relationships were considered a criminal offense in Yugoslavia. In the 80s of the 20th centuries, the media began to write about homosexuality and the LGBT community. In the 1990s, there was a strong strengthening of nationalism, re-patriarchization and re-Catholicization of society in Croatia. At that time, the first initiatives and activist associations were created that fight for the rights and protection of LGBT people, and their activities came to greater prominence in the 2000s. With the change of political power, Croatian society turned to Western, democratic principles, and in 2002, the first Croatian pride parade was held in Zagreb. The first pride parade in another Croatian city was held in Split in 2011. Every year in June or July, the LGBT community holds a peaceful protest in the centre of Zagreb and Split to highlight the problems they face. The aim of this research work was to determine how Croatian media reported on pride parades and whether they contributed to building the visibility of the LGBT community in Croatia. The main research questions were asked: how did the leading Croatian media report on the pride parades in Zagreb in 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022 and in Split in 2011? and are there differences in reporting with respect to time? For the purpose of conducting the research, the method of critical discourse analysis was used, and a semi-structured interview was conducted. Thus, through the analysis of media texts, it was determined that the Croatian media, through reporting on pride parades and highlighting the problems faced by the LGBT community, helped build their visibility in society