Before we were LGBT adults, we were LGBT children who

" Before we were LGBT adults, we were LGBT children who had no one to protect us. I had to take myself by the shoulder and say, I deserve to feel safe, " said Manuela Popova.

On 17 June, the annual Sofia Pride march will take place with a focus on the rights of LGBTI people and their families. However, the period around the event is marked by tensions, provocations, vandalism of billboards and attacks on the cultural programme. The tensions culminated in the suspension of the screening of the film " Closer ", which won a number of international awards and was part of the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival.

The screening was halted by supporters of the VazrajdaneParty, who described the film as paedophilic and shouted insults in the faces of those wishing to see the film. However, the Pride Film Fest program continues, and the LGBTI community is calling on its friends to support the upcoming march. This year`s Pride, its problems and the challenges facing LGBTI people in Bulgaria were commented on the " Who Speaks " programme on Darik Radio by lawyer Denitsa Lyubenova from the youth organisation " Action " and a rather colourful young family - Manuela Popova and Georgi Georgiev.