Kosovo, Europe

In the 20th century it was part of the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro and their successor state, Yugoslavia. After Kosovo War and 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia the territory came under the interim administration of the United Nations (UNMIK). In February 2008, the Assembly of Kosovo declared Kosovo's independence as the Republic of Kosovo. As of 5 December 2008, its independence is recognised by 53 UN member states and the Republic of China (Taiwan), though not by others. Due to the political instability from the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, the status of LGBT rights in Kosovo is presently unclear. Article 24 of the Constitution of Kosovo bans discrimination on a number of grounds, including sexual orientation. Kosovo is thus one of the few states in Europe with a constitutional ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Since March 2006, Kosovo abolished homosexuality as a mental disorder. Although Kosovo has among Europe's broadest anti-discrimination laws, public attitudes remain deeply homophobic and it is unclear the extent to which the law is applied. In 2007, a gay man from Kosovo was granted political asylum in the United States after being repeatedly beaten and harassed. He was allegedly also harassed by hospital staff and police, to which he reported the crimes. There are a few LGBT rights organisations in Kosovo, with the most prominent being the Center for Social Emancipation.