Kristi Pinderi
Kristi Pinderi Testimony
As I take a look back and compare today's reality with the reality of even five to six years ago, I can't help but notice there are some marked achievements the LGBTI movement has reached.
"I want to make a contribution here in Albania, so that real changes for the protection of homosexuals come about, not just legal ones. We deserve our place in society."
Kristi is the director of Pro-LGBT, one of the two main LGBT groups in Albania. He is very visible in media and as a result he is on the receiving end of threats, hostility and smear. Jointly with Aleanca LGBT (previous Platform attendee), he opened the first ever shelter for LGBT people at risk. The organisation has just finished a successful project to raise awareness of and sensitivity towards the LGBT+ community and their issues among the Albanian Police. Albania has a record of rampant homophobia and a severe lack of legal protections for LGBT+ people.
LGBTI rights defenders - as well as the wider LGBTI community - in Albania face discrimination and harassment. The Trans community, in particular, faces persistent violence, which often goes unpunished and without investigation.
