The Triumphant Distribution of the Heteronormative Sensible: The Case of Sexual Minorities in Transitional Macedonia, 1991–2012

Abstract

Until 1996 male homosexuality in Macedonia was classified as a criminal act punishable by imprisonment. The years preceding 1996 are still widely known as the twilight zone for LGBT people in Macedonia since secret dossiers were archived for all public persons assumed to be homosexuals. The years following 1996 and the beginning of the twenty-first century were marked by the first attempts to organize an LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) movement and start a public discussion concerning sexual minorities. In 2004 the first officially declared LGBTQ organization — the Macedonian Association for Free Sexual Orientation (MASSO) — was established and the first gay “coming out” was made on national TV.