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For the LGBT and queer population of South Eastern Europe, 2009 has been marked by several violent episodes (including attacks to Pride parades in Slovenia and Serbia and to the Queer Sarajevo festival), without intervention by the local authorities and the national states. On the other hand, supra-national pressure and aspirations to EU integration have led to the discussion and/or approval of progressive laws. Against this backdrop of contrasting trends, LGBT and queer individuals of the Balkans are confronted with the choice between visibility and invisibility, hostile domestic contexts and European hopes, formal progress and all too real fear. This dossier by OBC collects chronicles, interviews, and analyses devoted to this year's developments in the queer world, the relationship with domestic and international institutions, and the role of transnational cooperation