The parliamentary group of Dr. Nestorović is not clear on what basis the use of gender-sensitive language is prescribed for some institutions, so they are suing the Government. Until now, I guess there is no one in Serbia who has not expressed his opinion on this issue, now maybe the court will too
Controversy in the public about gender sensitive language, that is, the use of professional names and titles in the feminine gender, does not abate even after the amendments to the Law on Gender Equality came into force.
Branimir Nestorović's Parliamentary Group "We are the People's Power" went one step further in the controversy, they sued the Government of Serbia as the author and proposer of changes to the law, writes Euronews.
Namely, "psychologist", "pedagogist", "philologist" are terms that must be officially respected as of May 20 of this year. However, they are now leading to the initiation of a court case.
In the statement issued on this occasion by Nestorović's parliamentary group, it is stated that "due to problems arising in the application of the dictionary, grammar and spelling of the Serbian language and 'sensitive language', for which, as they state, there is no dictionary, grammar and spelling" they requested from the Government of Serbia to submit documents and to point out to them the basis on which "unclear and unknown gender terms are introduced under the threat of punishment".
As stated, the Government of Serbia passed a decision rejecting such a request, so the parliamentary group filed a lawsuit against the Government of Serbia and is asking the court to compel the Government to fulfill the demands of the parliamentary group.
Matsura: Who can mind more women's rights
Minister without portfolio Tatjana Macura told Euronews Serbia that she had the opportunity to familiarize herself with the explanation stated in that request.
"There, among other things, some terms are mentioned that have absolutely no foundation." Therefore, terms such as 'genderization' are mentioned, and this law simply does not solve that," she stated.
As he says, he believes that there are much more serious problems and challenges for the Government of Serbia and MPs than this issue.
"Who can be bothered by greater women's human rights, and the second thing is whether this is really the biggest problem in Serbia that we currently have, so now we have to come to a discussion in such a way that we are going to initiate lawsuits against each other?", asks Matsura.
On the other hand, lawyer Milenko Radić, who deals with the lawsuit filed by Nestorović's movement, tells Euronews that they hope that the court proceedings will force the Government to provide explanations when it comes to this law.
"This will resolve the relationship between the Serbian language, a gender-sensitive language, and quickly clarify what the difference is." Serbia accepted under duress or for some other reasons, without thinking about it in depth. If the law on gender-sensitive language is applied, the whole identity of our people will change," believes Radić.
Against the gender-sensitive language of the SPC and Ombudsman
By the way, the controversy surrounding the use of gender-sensitive language has existed since May 2021, when the republican parliament adopted a law, which foresees that after three years have passed since its adoption, more precisely in May of this year, the mandatory application of gender-sensitive language in education, science will begin and means of public information.
Also, on the website of the Coordinating Body for Gender Equality of the Government of Serbia, there is also "Handbook for the Use of Gender-Sensitive Language" and he is suggested to use feminine forms for many occupations.
Citizens' Protector Zoran Pašalić he recently announced that he will initiate the constitutionality assessment procedure provisions of the Law on Gender Equality, which refer to the use of gender-sensitive language.
The "controversial" provisions are those that stipulate that institutions, schools and the media are obliged to use gender-sensitive language in the names of occupations and professions, so that, for example, Ana Brnabić used to be "prime minister" and not "prime minister" and today is "president ", not the "president" of the Assembly.
Previously, it was also advertised Patriarch Porphyry assessing that the Law on Gender Equality is "a violent application of the so-called gender ideology and policy" and that such a practice, with mandatory implementation, does not exist in any European Union state.
Tanja Ignjatović from the Autonomous Women's Center previously told "Vreme" that the role of the Protector of Citizens is to protect the human rights of men and women citizens, and that neither the Law on Gender Equality nor gender-sensitive language should be questioned by that institution, especially regarding that's what the public debate was about.
The question of language
Ignjatović then indicated that it is not right to meet the Church and the conservative SANU experts when it comes to language that is already gender sensitive.
Patriarch Porphyry previously said that the issue of language defines the identity of a people and that any violent and thoughtless change of language can have great consequences when it comes to the self-awareness of the people.
Ignjatović, on the other hand, concluded that the Serbian language already knows the names of occupations in the male and female genders, and that language experts only need to offer correct variants for female professions where this was not common until now.
Why is it important to introduce gender-sensitive language?
On the subject of the law, the patriarch spoke to the group last year Serbian linguists and then it was stated that only one part deals with a linguistic issue, and that the essence is that "the law imposes the process of transformation of the consciousness of the individual and society as a whole, through the medium of language".
On why it is important to introduce gender-sensitive language, Tanja Ignjatović said that language is a symbolic tool, an instrument of thought, the way we mark reality, and it enables women to be seen in professions in which they were not before.
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