LGBT Projects
In Romania, LGBTQ+ people are twice as likely to develop a mental health condition, and 6 times as likely to have a suicide attempt, than heterosexual and cisgender people.
This fact is due to a much higher number of homophobia- and transphobia-related factors negatively impacting mental health, including discrimination in all shapes and forms, rejection from family and friends, bullying and hate crimes. Discrimination is also witnessed at the level of medical and psychological services (primarily because of homophobic and transphobic specialists), meaning that precisely the people who are in highest need do not get the support they need.
Through our projects, we wish (1) to help LGBTQ+ people find a suitable mental health professional, (2) to make available information about mental health and personal stories specifically meant for queer people, and (3) to create a safe space and a community in which queer people can express themselves freely.
Map of Romanian Mental Health Professionals
On our map, where we are centralizing the mental healthcare services in the country, you can use our customized filters to find:
- specialists who identify as LGBTQ+
- LGBTQ+-friendly specialists
- specialists with experience working with non-heterosexual people
- specialists with experience working with trans & non-binary people
Discord server
Our Discord server is a safe space for conversations about mental health. The entire space is LGBTQ+-friendly and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination or hate speech towards any minority group. In addition, we have a special #🌈lgbtq channel dedicated to queer people and to discussions about queer topics.
Queer mental health stories
In collaboration with Asociația Accept, in June 2022 (Pride month) we gathered a series of personal stories about the mental health experiences (both positive and negative) of several queer people in Romania. The stories were audio recorded and contain diverse themes, such as queer love, coming out, bullying and discrimination in schools, homophobia, transphobia, depression, social anxiety and gender dysphoria.
Bucharest Pride workshop
Also in collaboration with Asociația Accept, in June 2022 we organized an in-person workshop as part of Bucharest Pride. The workshop contained both general information about mental health, as well as content specifically meant for the queer community, such as obstacles faced by queer people while maintaining their mental health, gender dysphoria and safe transitioning (as much as is possible in Romania), and choosing a suitable, LGBTQ+-friendly therapist.
Research
Our research team started a literature review focused on identifying the differences between LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+-people in terms of mental health problems, their prevalence, and factors that contribute to their development. The results of this research will be published in 2023.
Best queer submission prize at the MHR Art Contest 2022
Starting with the 2022 edition, as part of our Art Contest we will offer a special prize for the best submission that touches on the topic of queer mental health. The work can be submitted as part of any category – poetry, prose, drawing/collage/illustration or photography.
