LGBT Outreach In Albania - A Grassroots Grant Project

The Outreach Team! All smiles as we celebrate the conclusion of our project.

LGBT Outreach - A Peace Corps Grant (SPA) Partnership Project

Overall, the grant went well. We worked in partnership with representatives from two NGOs and visited areas outside of Tirana to give high-school students, university students and other community members the opportunity to meet an LGBT person face-to-face and to ask them questions. We also ended up using the SkaNdal documentary as a tool to ease them into the subject matter. This proved highly-effective, and in hindsight, a prudent measure in some more isolated areas. 

Xheni explaining a group activity at our session in port city of Durres.

We successfully reached out to more than 250 individuals across 13 communities outside of Tirana and educated participants on LGBT issues in Albania. We worked with two NGOs to organize each outreach session in partnership with local Peace Corps Volunteers. We also met with potential community leaders during each session to build a more sustainable network of contacts for our NGO partners.

Hanging out after a fun informal discussion. Many girls reported knowing a gay person in their community!

Our initial objective had not changed much from our plan. We had some variation with regards to the level of LGBT awareness among our participants, thus we had to make adjustments to our presentation as went along. Through close collaboration with the Peace Corps volunteers, we were able to appropriately gauge the audience and cater the presentation accordingly. For example, some communities had already been aware of LGBT issues, thus we focused mainly on discussion and critical thinking topics relating to human rights and society. For those groups who were less aware of such issues prior to our visit, we decided to show the documentary and allow the audience space to ask basic questions before we presented. 

A community partner holding up a drawing from an activity - "Draw a Lesbian or Gay Man"

The community feeling was usually very positive. We had some instanced where the participants had stated some concern or reservations about the subject matter. For example, in Saranda, there was one woman who had religious beliefs that did not allow for LGBT acceptance. She stated that she didn’t have any personal feelings about it, but that she couldn’t accept it because of her religion. The presenters responded by thanking her for her honesty, and for her respect by attending the session and for voicing her opinion. Again, we re-iterated that our goal was simply to present the information and allow them to form their opinions themselves. That particular participant ended up spending more time interacting with the speakers after the session and even took a photo, smiling with them afterwards. We have experience this type of understanding several times throughout this project. Even if people had objections to LGBT people, they were still open to learning about this issue, and showed appreciation our outreach efforts. 

The girls from the GLOW National Conference were among the brightest, most considerate we have met in Albania

Through the strengthening of their outreach network, the NGOs increased their capacities. Each engagement was an opportunity for them to meet other Albanian community members and service providers across the country. Through debrief sessions after each engagement, partnering NGOs gained valuable perspective from the input of participants, Peace Corps volunteer liaisons and the local hosting service provider. Peace Corps volunteers provided feedback on outreach methods and presentation material, thus allowing for more successful engagements. Throughout this grant period, PC Volunteers also worked directly with directors of the partnering NGOs to discuss fundraising strategies as well as outreach methods for events and promotion. 

Participants in Lezha re-evaluating stereotypes through a critical thinking exercise

The network built throughout this grant will allow the NGOs to do outreach through such contacts, with less need for Peace Corps volunteer coordination. With these communities now engaged and primed with these initial visits, future engagement will be easier and thus have more chance at being successful. Also, the skills build by members of the NGO (both experiential and technical) will set them up for better outreach moving forward.

A group photo after our session in Elbasan. We had a great discussion going, with some very interesting questions.

Kristi, Xheni and Gene sharing their wisdom and answering questions in the northern town of Kukes

The response was a lot more positive than initially expected. Event participants were a lot more welcoming of the subject matter and a lot more engaging than the NGOs had anticipated. The NGOs were quite impressed by the level of progressive attitudes among their fellow Albanians. There were a couple participants who were not enthusiastic about the topics, but due to our strategy to only engage interested parties, such interactions were not very common at all, and every time one came up, it was discussed and resolved during the sessions. We left every session with a good impression and on good terms with both event organizers and participants. After receiving feedback from one session held in Durres with the GLOW group, we heard that one parent was concerned with the subject matter presented to their daughter and that they disagreed with such education due to their religious beliefs. 

Outreach often means sharing personal experiences. For me that meant 'coming out' to each audience.

Recommendations include continuing such collaborative efforts. Peace Corps volunteers should continue to welcome Aleanca and ProLGBT into their communities. Although the general impression of LGBT issues in Albania is that such awareness and acceptance does not exist, we have seen quite the opposite reaction from the majority of our participants. 

Alba fielding questions from the audience and Gene explaining what it means to be an Ally.

 

Further efforts should be made to work with the NGOs on an organizational capacity basis, supporting their existing efforts, in partnership with host country leadership. The efforts of the government of Albania align well with the goals of the NGOs, thus Peace Corps support of these efforts to move towards EU acceptance should be provided in some form.

Lessons Learned and Promising Practices

Post-session selfie with the fabulous girls from Korce!

We learned that it is better to engage interested groups rather than trying to fit a lot of people into a session. The response is usually better when we have the chance to sit and engage with each person in some way one on one. We also found that it is always a good idea to allow them to ask questions anonymously, as most are too shy to ask it out loud. We did this in several communities and got a better response than asking out to the group as a whole. We of course used the SkaNdal documentary to ease participants into the subject matter. We feel that as the LGBT rights movement progresses, future documentaries should be screened to keep communities informed. 

Smaller groups proved to be among the best engagements we had. This one in Berat was truly special.

Lastly, face to face interaction is everything. We have found that if someone has had a positive interaction with an LGBT person, that this is enough for them to accept LGBT people in their life. Thus we tried our best to be respectful of different and even opposing opinions, leaving each session as ‘friends’ with our audience. The most important thing here was leaving with a good impression.

Larger groups allowed us to reach out to a wider audience. Many thanks to our teacher partners!

Coming Out in Albania

Me being gay in Albania. Pretty wild, right?

My name is Jon. I am a 33 year old American Peace Corps Volunteer living in a small town in eastern Albania. Librazhd is much like any other Albanian town: Chickens everywhere, grandmothers riding donkeys, and a regular call to prayer echoing from the local mosque. This has been my home for the last 17 months, and where I decided to come out as gay.

 

I have been out of the closet from the last 17 years, but Albania is much different from my hometown of San Francisco. So I accepted the fact that joining Peace Corps might mean going back in. However, after I moved to Albania, I found that the LGBT movement here is fast-progressing, and I wanted to do my part to support the brave women and men fighting for this cause. With encouragement from my loving parents, family, friends, and fellow Peace Corps volunteers, I felt ready to take this on.

 

I first considered requesting a move to the capital city of Tirana to do this LGBT work, as it would be safer to do it there. An activist friend suggested that I consider simply being myself in Librazhd. Would it be easy? No, probably not. Could anyone guarantee my safety? Nope. Might this crazy idea actually be worth the risk? You bet!

 

Still, I had worries. Despite making many friends, I felt like they would immediately reject me if they knew that I was gay; I wonder if many people would invest years of their life building friendships that could potentially turn violent.  This fear was also reinforced by people around me and from what I have read. Luckily, support came to me just in time from an unlikely source. 

 

Me and my best friend in Librazhd

The first Albanian in Librazhd I told was my best friend, a straight young man well known in the community. He already knew a lot about me and we had spent a lot of time together, and because I felt that if I were to have a reason to return to Librazhd after my Peace Corps service, I'd have to make at least one true friend here. This meant being my true self. 

 

I sat down with him over lunch and told him my truth. He was very supportive, and in fact had suspicions for some time. His cousin had asked him previously if I was gay, and it made him consider this. He told me:

"It doesn't matter to me. You are my brother. I accept you for the way you are. It makes no difference to me. I love you like family." 

It was hard not to tear up over his unexpected reaction. His sister (who lives in the United States, and who knew about me previously) had hinted that he would be accepting, but I was still worried. In small towns like this, if you decide to reveal a secret, once it is out there is no controlling the spread of gossip and rumor. Still, it was a risk that I wanted to take. I am so very glad that I did. 

 

Since telling my friend, word has been getting out. I thought it a good idea to simply let the gossip spread. I told my friend that if someone asks him about me, he is to tell them the truth. We are a team now. Every day I will come out to at least one new person. By the end of my service, most people here would have heard about the gay American man. 

 

My friends showing their support.

I recall one day coming out to two guys. They asked how I liked the girls here (guys often refer to a beautiful girl as a "peach", a vulgar term for a vagina) and my friend interjected and said "He's not interested in them. My friend Xhon here likes the banana, not the peach. Okay?" They simply said "Oh, okay." Bam, That's how it happened! Ever since that moment they have been very accepting and supportive. As least 30 people here now know about me being gay, and I have not been driven out of town with pitchforks yet. 

 

Albanians seem to value the opinions of Americans. I want to use that influence to help further rights for my LGBT brothers and sisters in Albania. My hope is that people will now have at least one person that they know of who is gay (and hopefully their impression of me is a positive one). I feel that simply to know and accept one gay person is enough to open their hearts to all. Maybe one day it will make it easier for a parent or family member to accept their gay child, brother, sister, or cousin.

"I care for what's in your mind, not about your sexual preference. To me, it's okay, and I care for you. You are my friend. That is what matters." – Librazhd resident, early 20s.

Me being me in Albania. :-)

Laughing Djinns and Itchy Palms - Albanian Superstitions Revealed!

Winnie protecting a rural Albanian Home

Long gone are the days of superstitions, right? Maybe not. They are certainly alive and well in Albania. Curious about their prevalence in my local community I did a few interviews with people in different areas of Albania, asking them about the superstitions they have come across. Although most were new to me, I did hear a few familiar ones! It is interesting to hear about these. The Albanian language (Shqip) may be so very different from American English, yet superstitions seem to have a significant overlap. What does this mean? Maybe it means that we read our children the same bedtime stories or sing the same lullabies. Quite possibly we share more in common than we realize. In any case, here they are. The superstitions that exist here in my community in Albania. 

Please add your own to the comments section!

I am interested to hear perspectives from across the globe to see what common folklore may exist.

You can find dolls like this across Albania, meant to protect from thieves and the evil eye.

Good Luck

• In order to protect the home, one must hang a dordolec (scarecrow), kukull (doll/stuffed animal) upon the exterior.
• To protect against bad luck, one must hang horns, garlic, or a horseshoe.
• An itchy beard will bring joy or good news!
• It is good luck if an egg drops on the ground.

Bad Luck

• If you encounter a black cat, step back three times, and throw a coin.
• A broken mirror means 7 years of bad luck. (even in Albania!)
• Bad luck to clip your nails at nighttime.
• Don’t stay near a mirror at night.

Dreams

• A dream about a tooth falling out means that someone has died.
• If you are naked in a dream, you will get sick.
• If you dream of fish, you will come into money.

Horns of good luck outside the gym

Obscure

• Those who drink water together will finish their meal or drinks together (at the same time).
• If a kid is playing with your broom, you will have guests/visitors.
• If a spoon falls, you will have a visitor. Upwards means female. Downwards means male.
• If you clip your nails, you must touch them to water (flush them in the toilet). If you do not, your family will be compelled to start a fight.
• If you pour water outside at night, a passing djinn will be angered, and will attack you, harm you, make you sick, or kill you.
• Don’t whistle in the night. If you do so, a djinn will appear. It will dance around, harassing and making fun of you.
• If you get the hiccups often, someone you love is talking about you constantly.
• If right ear is red, good words are being spoken about you. Conversely, a red left ear means bad words.
• If your cigarette burns on one side, you will have a journey.
• Cutting your fingernails and your toenails at the same time, means that you will encounter both good and back luck during the same day.

Love & Money

• If there is a break in the clouds while it is raining, it is said that a Roma couple is getting married.
• If your cigarette goes out for no reason, your partner is cheating on you.
• If you find your shoes to be untied, your partner is cheating on you.
• If your left hand itches, you will get money. If your right hand itches, you will lose money.
• If your left hand itches, you will give something away. If your right hand itches, you will soon get something.
• An unattractive pregnant woman is said to bear a girl. An attractive woman is said to bear a boy.

Death

• The first Monarch Butterfly seen after someone dies is their soul coming to say ‘hello.’
• After visiting a deceased relative’s home, you must first return to your own home before visiting any other place. If you do so, you will bring death upon their door.
• If someone dies on a Monday, another will die soon afterwards, unless a sacrifice is made!
• If you pass a graveyard, you must bite your finger and step on it three times.
• It is bad luck to go to a cemetery at night.