Chemsex is defined as “the use of specific drugs (“Chems”) in modern, smartphone-age sexual contexts by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and trans persons”. Problematic ChemSex – not drug use and sex per see - are associated with various harms such as a rise in HIV, hepatitis and STI transmissions as well as addictive practices, depression, psychosis, criminal activity and death from overdose or suicide, particularly when involving the use of crystal meth and the injecting of substances. 

East meets West is alive and kicking and we are back with a 2018 program. We will continue to support the 2nd LGBTI Business Center at the Vienna Pride Village, which promises to be bigger, more professional and with more businesses than last year. But our main focus will be on our 4th International East meets West Conference with a surprising, innovating and inspiring theme: "Faces of Modern Diversity“.

ERA’s Annual General Assembly is the biggest LGBTI event organized in the region since 2015. The conference is a lobby, advocacy, capacity building and visibility event which brings together more than 160 participants from across the region, Europe and beyond. LGBTI activists, state officials (governments, Parliaments, equality bodies etc.), donors, researchers, journalists, diplomatic community, representatives of international organizations and members of the local community attend the event.  

This report has been developed as part of the project “Being LGBTI in Eastern Europe: Reducing In­equalities & Exclusion, and Combating Homophobia & Transphobia Experienced by LGBTI people in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia” (BLEE). The project considered LGBTI issues in each of the countries from a human rights and development perspective, contextualizing these against the backdrop of civil society capacity development, com­munity mobilization and government competence.