Growing up in Turkey, Kadir* hid his identity as a gay man to his conservative family and most friends in his circle. He even dated girls publicly to hide his sexuality – he says, “I never came out to my family or other friends because of fear that they would reject me, or that it could become public knowledge [...]
Sometimes, the most heartbreaking journeys can still end in new hope. Elisa’s* story is a testament to that. Growing up in Mexico, Elisa endured abuse from all angles just because she was different. She says, “From a very young age, I did not conform to or identify with the [male] gender assigned to me at birth.” Whenever she expressed her [...]
Hashem* was born in the 70’s in Iran to an extremely conservative Muslim family. Although it was all he knew growing up, there were many aspects of his family’s religious practices and beliefs that made Hashem uncomfortable. Some of the rituals included self-harm, polygamy, and public executions by stoning. As an Islamic state, Iran’s citizens live under this Islamic law, [...]
Emmanuel* never expected to have to flee his home country of Cameroon to save his and his family’s lives. He grew up in an Anglophone (English-speaking) region with his mother and sisters. His father died when Emmanuel was very young, so he eventually had to drop out of school to support his family. “I engaged in agricultural work with my [...]
As the third of four siblings growing up in Cuba, Leonardo* had a hard time gaining the support and education he needed. His family struggled financially and he eventually had to drop out of school at age 14. He says he did it, “In order to help my parents and siblings because we did not have enough money to eat.” [...]
Marcel* was born directly into the conflict between the English and French-Speaking regions of Cameroon. With an absent father, Marcel grew up with title of his mother’s Anglophone culture - he attended school in English and adopted Christian practices. But disputes with his father’s family over his up-bringing resulted in Marcel moving to a Francophone region with his uncle to [...]
In a small town somewhere in Cuba, a young girl named Adriana* had a dream of becoming a doctor. After persevering, she graduated from medical school and began working at a clinic. One day while working, she was approached by Communist Party members pressuring her to join their party or attend political meetings. Adriana continuously refused, not bothering to hide [...]
Growing up in Brazil, Paulo* was taught conservative Christian values by his family. From a young age, they instilled in him that being gay was wrong. But despite these beliefs, he could not deny his feelings towards boys throughout childhood. This conflict within was very difficult for Paulo’s mental and emotional health. The trauma was increased when, at a very [...]
