My name is Marko Stefanović (46). I completed my education in my hometown of Niš, where I graduated from the History Department at the Faculty of Philosophy. My activist journey began early with local non-governmental organizations, and in 2001, I founded the first LGBTIQ+ organization in central Serbia, Lambda. The organization focused on advocating for rights and supporting young people during the coming out process. Lambda soon collaborated with organizations like the Center for Civil Resource Development and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, organizing joint actions and implementing projects in human rights, including minority, ethnic, and religious rights. This collaboration lasted for over five years. Simultaneously, I conducted training at the Center for Nonviolent Action in Belgrade and Sarajevo, focusing on post-conflict societies in the former Yugoslavia. For nearly a decade, I worked in Belgrade at the Regional Center for Minorities, focusing on the position of Roma in Serbia. I am currently a member of the Green-Left Front and the founder of the subcommittee for marginalized groups, where I contributed by developing a local program to address the issues faced by these groups. I decided to engage in more direct political struggle, believing it to be a more effective means of advocating for the rights of vulnerable groups than working solely within the civic sector. Through Heartefact’s project I plan to create spaces that establish connections with various marginalized groups such as the Roma and LGBTIQ+ communities, women, and socially disadvantaged populations, empowering them to engage in politics to fight for their rights and sensitizing the majority population about the importance of equality and non-discrimination.
