The photo project Albania+ is focusing on portraying individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community with a mixture of photos an dinterviews. People from the LGBT community are more likely to suffer from mental health issues like depression. Moreover, attempted suicides and suicidality rates are higher among queer adolescents living in homophobic countries. For me as a psychologist, it is important to deliver the message that we cannot choose our sexuality, and that gender is much more than the dichotomies we are traditionally used to. ­Therefore, there is a need to stop discrimination, violence, create safe societies and spaces for people to just be openly the way they are, without fear of judgment.

The project starts initially in the streets of Tirana, and moves into other cities in Albania, where you commonly hear things like “we do not have gays here”. Further, I continue with queer Albanians that moved to Germany for a life without discrimination. All the participants in the project reveal the courage it takes to be authentic in a society that is evolving but still struggling with the acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. These people to whom I am extremely thankful for being so brave to be in front of my camera, become ambassadors of resilience, they break barriers and challenge preconceived notions about what it means to be a part of the LGBT community in Albania.

…ongoing…