“I love the social margin; this is where the strongest desire to live dwells.”
During the nineties, as war in what was formerly Yugoslavia raged on, Boban refused to join the army as a form of resistance to the ruling regime. Boban was one of the most prominent activists to refuse serving in the army, and one of the loudest voices asking for termination of mandatory army service.
Boban’s home was attacked and vandalized twice, both in 2013 and 2014. In 2013 his home was set on fire and swastikas were spray painted on the walls. In 2014 unknown assailants broke the apartment windows by throwing stones. Boban and his partner are now forced to live in secret at an undisclosed location. He has filed several hundred criminal charges because of these threats, but only a handful of them have been processed so far, yet the harassment has only intensified.
In 2005, Boban founded the Queeria Centre. Beyond focusing on LGBT rights in Serbia, the Queeria Center engages and increases awareness among Serbia’s youth; promoting public education about LGBT issues. Through creative campaigns to advocate LGBT rights, the Queeria Center works toward a more tolerant Serbian society.
Boban was also very involved in promoting the Serbian Anti-Discrimination Law. After intense debate and fierce opposition, Serbian Parliament passed the Anti-Discrimination Law in 2009. Boban’s advocacy played an important role in the process.
For almost two decades of activism, Boban has supported every vulnerable population in Serbia: National and religious minorities, women, children, persons living with disabilities, and refugees. He especially focuses on helping those who are doubly discriminated, individuals who are the most marginalized and especially vulnerable: People living with HIV, sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), and other queer populations.
In an interview Boban gave in 2013 he explained why he supports those who are the most ignored and overlooked in society by saying, “I love the social margin, this is where the strongest desire to live dwells,” A powerful testament to the strength and character of those marginalized in Serbian society.