The number of LGBTQIA+ organizations and non-profit udruga in Croatia has significantly risen through the years. The first one was founded in 1997, but most were founded during the 2000s in Zagreb, Rijeka, and Split.

These LGBTQIA+ organizations provide support to the LGBTQIA+ community and they often work together on various efforts. For those that are looking for support, want to meet others in the community, volunteer, or even donate, here is a list of the most well-known LGBTQIA+ organizations in Croatia, including their history, mission, and contact information.

Jump to an organization:

• Zagreb
  • Zagreb Pride
  • Udruga Domino – Queer Zagreb
  • Iskorak
  • Kontra
  • Trans Aid
  • aSPORT
• Rijeka
  • LORI
• Split
  • Rišpet
  • Queer Sport Split
• Other
  • Dugine obitelji

The facts are these…

Non-Profit LGBTQIA+ Organizations in Croatia

Zagreb (6 organizations)

#1 Zagreb Pride

Foundation Year: 2002

Brief History: Zagreb Pride exists and has been active as an informal group under various LGBTIQ and related organizations since 2002. The organization was officially registered as a non-government organization on September 10, 2008. Zagreb Pride’s main annual event is Zagreb Pride March which occurs every June. [Read: All the pride parades in Croatia including Zagreb Pride March]

Audience: LGBTIQ individuals and community, non-normative families, and society as a whole.

Mission: Zagreb Pride is a queer-feminist and anti-fascist organization which is committed to the achievement of an active society of solidarity and equality free from gender sexual norms and categories, and any other kind of oppression. Zagreb Pride exists for the achievement of social justice and systematic improvement of LGBTIQ rights through advocacy for the public good.

Address: Ulica Andrije Žaje 43a, 10000 Zagreb
E-mail: info@zagreb-pride.net
Phone: +385 (0)1 5806 560

Web Site  |   Facebook  |   Twitter  |   Instagram

#2 Udruga Domino – Queer Zagreb

Foundation Year: 2003

Brief History: Domino is a non-governmental, non-profit organization registered under the name “Domino” because it couldn’t get permission to register under the name “Queer Zagreb”.

Aside from Zagreb Pride, the organization’s main annual event is the Queer Zagreb Festival. It is the biggest queer festival in Southeast Europe with more than 400 performers from all around the globe. The festival usually takes place in May.

Audience: LGBTIQ population, activists, artists, and general public

Mission: Domino’s mission is to question traditional social patterns and to encourage the transformation of oppressive norms in transitional societies through culture, media, public policies, education, and collaboration with local and international organizations.

The vision of Domino is that in the society there is a continuous recognition of norms that disables the freedom of art and, more specifically, queer expression, which in its nature is subversive yet peaceful.

Address: Petrinjska 38, 10000 Zagreb
E-mail: udrugadomino@gmail.com; queerzagreb@gmail.com
Phone: +385 (0)1 3820 019

Web Site  |  Facebook

#3 Iskorak

Foundation Year: 2002

Brief History: Iskorak (Lunge) was founded with the purpose of gathering heterosexual and LGBT persons together to prevent violence against the LGBT community. The organization strives to prove that violence against any minority is equal to violence against society as a whole.

Audience: LGBT persons, heterosexual people

Mission: Iskorak is a civil society organization with the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights with an emphasis on LGBT persons. The organization accomplishes its goals through public, media, cultural, and health programs. They promote civil society’s values such as individual freedom, non-violence, equality, fairness, tolerance, diversity acceptance, humanism, and love.

Address: Petrinjska ulica 27, 10000 Zagreb
Phone: 385 (0)91 244 4666

Web Site  |  Facebook

#4 Kontra

Foundation Year: 1997

Brief History: Lesbian Group Kontra was founded by women active in the first feminist groups in Croatia. Kontra opened the first lesbian SOS and info telephone line and counsel in Croatia. The group often collaborates with their sister organizations Iskorak and Domino. Kontra was also a co-organizer of the first Zagreb Pride and Split Pride.

Audience: Lesbians, bisexual women, feminists

Mission: Lesbian Group Kontra is a non-governmental organization that advocates for the human rights of lesbians and bisexual women. Kontra operates according to feminist and anti-militarist principles and opposes all forms of discrimination.

E-mail: kontra@kontra.hr; pravnitim@kontra.hr
Phone: +385 (0)1 45 733 72; +385 (0)98 238 308

Web Site | Facebook

#5 Trans Aid

Foundation Year: 2012

Brief History: Trans Aid has been promoting the rights of trans, inter, and gender-variant people since 2012. The organization was registered with the goal to strengthen the TIRV community by promoting TIRV topics and community.

Audience: Transgender, intergender, and gender-variant people

Mission: The mission of the non-governmental organization Trans Aid is to promote and protect the human rights of trans*, inter* and gender-variant persons, deconstructing cisnormativity, the gender binary, patriarchy, and heteronormativity, as well as achieving the full equality of persons of all genders, gender identities and/or gender expressions, through empowerment, advocacy, direct work and support, education, sensitization, research, and other activities.

Address: Krapinska 27, 10000 Zagreb
E-mail: info@transaid.hr
Phone: +385 (0)1 5514 207

Web Site  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

#6 qSPORT

Foundation Year: 2003

Brief History: qSPORT was founded to articulate queer perspectives and promote the contemporary field of gay and lesbian sport. The organization’s purpose is to promote the LGBTQ community in other sports, cultural, and social contexts as well.

Audience: Gay and lesbian athletes and those interested in sports

Mission: qSPORT is set up to give impetus to local LGBTQ initiatives, groups, and individuals who want to meet for sports and recreational activities, be it local sports practice or to take part in international LGBT sports events and institutional networks. Besides that, qSPORT (re)presents unique perspectives of developing countries within different international LGBTQ and sports institutions/organizations.

Address: Ulica Zvonimira Rogoza 7, 10000 Zagreb
E-mail: info@qsport.info

Web Site  |  Facebook

Rijeka (1 organization)

#1 LORI

Foundation Year: 2000

Brief History: Lesbian Organization Rijeka – LORI was founded because the institutional support for the LGBTIQ population in Croatia wasn’t sufficient enough. Since the LGBTIQ community is often discriminated against, hated, and offended, LORI was founded to fight for the right of these individuals to create and shape their identities.

For the last three years, the organization’s most famous project has been the Smoqua Festival. Smoqua is a festival of Queer and Feminist Culture that takes place in Rijeka and celebrates communion, solidarity, activism, and arts.

Smoqua Festival is a combination of art and activism which serves as a networking platform for art/activist projects and for creating and strengthening collaboration among diverse audiences.

Smoqua’s visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history and significance of queer and feminism and to question social, gender, and other norms and notions of normality and normativity through different workshops, panel discussions, performances, exhibitions, and sharing experiences. The first Smoqua festival was held in October 2017, the second one in May 2018, and the last one in May 2019.

Audience: LGBTIQ population and community

Mission: The aim of the organization is to promote and protect the human rights, identity, and culture of the LGBTIQ population, to inform and sensitize the public to accept the LGBTIQ community, to eradicate prejudice and homo/bi/transphobia in society, to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and empower and ensure support for LGBTIQ persons.

Address: Janeza Trdine 7/IV, 51000 Rijeka
E-mail: loricure@yahoo.com
Phone: +385 (0)51 212 186; +385 (0)91 493 4133

Web Site  |  Facebook

Split (2 organizations)

#1 Rišpet

Foundation Year: 2013

Brief History: Rišpet is an NGO founded by Split Pride volunteers. Since the very beginning, Rišpet has been the main organizer of Split Pride. They also founded the LGBT Center Split and have organized many formal and informal activities for Split’s LGBT community.

Audience: LGBQ population

Mission: Rišpet is a non-governmental organization that fights for the elimination of discrimination and violence based on gender and sexual orientation. They stand for improving LGBT persons’ rights, healthcare, social services, and quality of life. Rišpet stimulates social changes through education, activism, promoting human and citizen rights and freedom, and volunteering.

Address: Ulica kralja Tomislava 8/1, 21000 Split
E-mail: rispet.split@gmail.com
Phone: +385 (0)91 620 8990

Facebook

#2 Queer Sport Split

Foundation year: 2011

Brief History: Queer Sport Split was founded to promote the queer culture through sport and recreation. It is the first organization of that kind founded in Split and the region.

Audience: Gay and lesbian sports athletes and those interested in sports

Mission: The aim of the QSS is to develop recreational and sports activities and to popularize sports in the LGBT community as well as society in general. Furthermore, QSS wants to encourage the integration of LGBT individuals into the sport, affirm the LGBT community through sporting and cultural-social activities, and inform both LGBT populations and the overall population of the LGBT Society’s activities on sporting and cultural-social issues.

E-mail: qss@qsport.info

Web Site  |  Facebook  |  Instagram

Other LGBTQIA+ non-profit organizations in Croatia

#1 Dugine obitelji

Foundation year: 2011

Brief History: Dugine obitelji (Rainbow Families) started as a psychosocial support group under Zagreb Pride’s activities. After only two cycles of support, attendants continued to meet and hang out as an informal civil initiative. They launched a forum and a website with the purpose of communicating online.

Rainbow Families was officially registered as an udruga in 2017. In 2018, they launched a picture book titled “My Rainbow Family” for pre-schooled children. The book depicts same-sex couple families and is the first Croatian picture book of that kind. If you wish to purchase the book, contact the organization directly.

Audience: Parents, individuals, and families which have children

Mission: Rainbow Families Croatia is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to fight for the family and parent rights of LGBTIQ persons. The NGO supports and helps LGBTIQ parents, their children, and LGBTIQ persons’ parents through information, education, and active participation in the transformation process of society.

E-mail: info@dugineobitelji.com; info.dugineobitelji@gmail.com

Web Site  |  Facebook

View our other LGBTQIA+ articles

• All the pride parades in Croatia
• How to obtain a life partnership for same-sex couples in Croatia
• LGBTQIA+ web sites & Facebook communities
• Non-Profit LGBTQIA+ organizations in Croatia
• Rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in Croatia