Serbia’s Gay Premier Says Unity Key After Orthodox Bishop Curse

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is openly gay and has a child with her partner, hit back after an attack by a high-ranking Orthodox cleric against her and the LGBTQ+ community and made a plea for national unity.

Nikanor, bishop of Banat, in northern Serbia, last week publicly excoriated Brnabic along with the organizers of EuroPride, an international LGBTQ+ event slated for September in the capital Belgrade. He called on his followers to actively oppose the event and said he would resort to arms if needed, to fight “those who have committed sacrilege against everything we hold dear in our country.” Orthodox clerics are usually identified by a single name.