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Řeknu.to
I'm a man.
I'm Romani.
That settles it. I'm gonna have a wife, a family, kids, go to football with my brothers on the weekend and have a few beers. My dad and mom will be proud of the man I've grown into.
But what if I don't want to? What if this life is my punishment? I've got all kinds of things on my mind, but it's not girls... Lubos from work is hot... What? I said it out loud! What's wrong with that? Nothing. I know that. You know that. I guess. But my family? My friends? Am I still gonna be "our Andrew" to them, or am I gonna be the guy who's "broken" and needs fixing? Best case scenario! Or my family gets rid of me... You haven't met the right girl yet!
That's what you get for being fashionable these days! Boys are more sophisticated than girls! And they're always talking about their feelings, crying! They never cried for us guys! What kind of Roma is he? They were never gay between Roma men and Roma women! Get him out of my house!
We all know similar and even worse lines. But what about Roma persons? The website www.araart.cz mentions roughly that in traditional Roma society sexual orientation is a big taboo. Queer people are subjected to pressure and can often be excluded from the community. Roma gays or Roma lesbians are judged negatively not only on the basis of their ethnicity but also on the basis of their sexual orientation.
And so they become a minority within a minority... Isn't that too much for one person?
Yes, it is, and that is why the counselling centre I WILL SAY IT was created, where not only Roma gays and Roma lesbians turn, but also their parents, other relatives or friends who do not know what to do.
If you are looking for help, this counselling centre is the ideal solution for you. Just visit the website of the organization Ara Art, click on Counselling online, and there you will already know all the ways you can confide and find a counsellor(s). Of course, you can also find the counselling centre on Facebook. You can go for a coffee, meet in the park, or just chat. It's all up to the possibilities and by appointment with counsellor(s) who have similar experiences, are also Roma and also queer.
"I am a consultant for the Ústí nad Labem region. Mostly I am contacted by teenagers from 16 years old. Mostly I have been contacted by girls who were going through coming-out. They dealt a lot with the reactions of their parents and close surroundings. I remember that I was even contacted by a woman from England who had a husband and children and knew that she was not heterosexual and wanted to tell her husband about her orientation. Perhaps the most dramatic was when we were contacted by a boy who wanted to commit suicide. In the end, no major intervention was necessary. The boy had already been contacted by a worker in his neighbourhood," shares counsellor Denisa. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, you never have to be on your own for anything... And certainly not for this.
I'm Romani.
That settles it. I'm gonna have a wife, a family, kids, go to football with my brothers on the weekend and have a few beers. My dad and mom will be proud of the man I've grown into.
But what if I don't want to? What if this life is my punishment? I've got all kinds of things on my mind, but it's not girls... Lubos from work is hot... What? I said it out loud! What's wrong with that? Nothing. I know that. You know that. I guess. But my family? My friends? Am I still gonna be "our Andrew" to them, or am I gonna be the guy who's "broken" and needs fixing? Best case scenario! Or my family gets rid of me... You haven't met the right girl yet!
That's what you get for being fashionable these days! Boys are more sophisticated than girls! And they're always talking about their feelings, crying! They never cried for us guys! What kind of Roma is he? They were never gay between Roma men and Roma women! Get him out of my house!
We all know similar and even worse lines. But what about Roma persons? The website www.araart.cz mentions roughly that in traditional Roma society sexual orientation is a big taboo. Queer people are subjected to pressure and can often be excluded from the community. Roma gays or Roma lesbians are judged negatively not only on the basis of their ethnicity but also on the basis of their sexual orientation.
And so they become a minority within a minority... Isn't that too much for one person?
Yes, it is, and that is why the counselling centre I WILL SAY IT was created, where not only Roma gays and Roma lesbians turn, but also their parents, other relatives or friends who do not know what to do.
If you are looking for help, this counselling centre is the ideal solution for you. Just visit the website of the organization Ara Art, click on Counselling online, and there you will already know all the ways you can confide and find a counsellor(s). Of course, you can also find the counselling centre on Facebook. You can go for a coffee, meet in the park, or just chat. It's all up to the possibilities and by appointment with counsellor(s) who have similar experiences, are also Roma and also queer.
"I am a consultant for the Ústí nad Labem region. Mostly I am contacted by teenagers from 16 years old. Mostly I have been contacted by girls who were going through coming-out. They dealt a lot with the reactions of their parents and close surroundings. I remember that I was even contacted by a woman from England who had a husband and children and knew that she was not heterosexual and wanted to tell her husband about her orientation. Perhaps the most dramatic was when we were contacted by a boy who wanted to commit suicide. In the end, no major intervention was necessary. The boy had already been contacted by a worker in his neighbourhood," shares counsellor Denisa. As hard as it is to believe sometimes, you never have to be on your own for anything... And certainly not for this.