GLAS Foundation presents a book collecting the stories of 37 public figures who support the LGBTI rights in Bulgaria

GLAS Foundation presents its first book “People with Voices”, which collects the stories of 37 public figures who openly support the rights of the LGBTI community in Bulgaria. The book is free and can be ordered through the online form at https://glasfoundation.bg/book-order/, and the recipient pays only for the delivery service. In Sofia, the book can also be acquired at the new Rainbow Hub community center at 22A Knyaz Alexander Dondukov Blvd., every weekday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In the book, readers will have the opportunity to read exciting interviews with brave personalities who identify as part of the LGBTI community or allies.

“We want to present those people in our community who in the last two years have contributed to changing the attitudes and overturning the stereotypes. Despite the hard work and the growing acceptance of LGBTI people in Bulgaria, you will still see on the pages of “People with Voices” that there are many gay men who still remain closeted: these are popular actors, musicians, doctors, politicians, scientists . I hope that this edition will inspire some of them to come out of the closet because the change will not happen without their help “, says the founder of the GLAS Foundation and co-author of the book Simeon Vassilev.

The other author of the book – Hristo Serafimov, editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian online magazine for LGBTI culture HUGE.bg, says: “The process of creating “People with Voice” was extremely inspiring for me and my colleagues, but also for the participants themselves. Those people stand strong and are ready to defend their views in the name of equality. I am especially excited about the diversity of identities and professions found in the pages of the book – from movie stars and musicians with international success, through representatives of the cultural queer underground, to young online vloggers creating key content on the Internet. ”

The ‘people with voices’ in the publication are Martina Apostolova, former Irish Ambassador to Bulgaria Michael Forbes, Slav and Huben, Slava Doycheva, Ruth Koleva, Manuela Popova, Kosta Karakashyan, Galya Petkova, Yasen Zgurovski, Mila Robert, Ivo Dimchev, Kaloyan and Boris, Lily and Dari, Ivan Stoyanov, Tanya Ilieva, Voyn de Voyn, Galena, Svetla Baeva, Raya Raeva, Mirjana Tashkova, Alexander Petrov, Anton and Valan, Mihaela Fileva, Katerina Kirova, Ralitsa Stoyanova, Valentin Kostadinov, Elena Birindzhieva and the new generation of drag queens of Bulgaria, including Africa Benediction, Enigma Chadelle, Jennifer Benediction, Katrin Bardak, Malina Yank, Monica Loca, Avra ​​Delano and Venera Angelikova.

In addition to interesting interviews, in the book you will find great portrait photos of the participants, which are made by Veselina Nikolaeva – a photographer with international recognition who received her professional education in the Netherlands and is known for the social focus of her photos. The editor of the edition is Sevda Semer, and the graphic design is by Georgi Yanakiev from Currant.