I grew up in a Roma Muslim community in a small village in north-eastern Bulgaria where my grandfather was the imam and had an important social position. I am the only son in a family of six children. Until I turned 34, I never talked about my sexuality with anyone from my community or family. Then I decided to unload the burden and share it with my parents. Being a Roma rights activist and gay at the same time was not easy. I was fighting for equality for Roma and at the same time I knew it would harm me if other activists knew I was gay. I now live in Brussels. Together with a few friends, we have established a small NGO to provide support to Queer people who move here from Balkan countries. We also initiated the ‘Balkan evenings’ in the Rainbow House in Brussels. Today Brussels is my home where I can be Roma, Muslim and gay.