The Struggle of Being Gay in Albania 

I never understood how people get annoyed by things that hold absolutely 0% impact on their lives.

Friendly reminder that LGBT topics always get an inordinate amount of troll comments because it's an easy group to harass. There's an exactly 0% chance all the hate is genuine. So you might not be interacting with a petty child who thinks two dudes together is icky - it might be a petty child who just wants to get a rise out of you and knows you'll take the bait.

That shit is fucking real I am albanian and I don't have any problems with gays

7.00 a muslim saying that if the gays dont feel comfortable they should move elsewhere. But if other european countries say that about the muslim lifestyle the muslims feel discriminated.

Every nation has gays why are Balkan people embarrassed about this lol

i find it interesting that all the albanian lgbt ppl interviewed here spoke fluent english whereas all the homophobes couldn't...

I feel that there are two categories of "homophobes" in the comment section. 1. People that seem to hate homosexuals for cultural and often religious reasons. They often resort to explanations such as "morally wrong", it says so (MAYBE I should add) in the Bible. Whereas more detailed explanations about the actual wrongdoing in being gay is lacking. 2. Trolls. I'm a straight man myself, but I sincerely believe that being gay is not a choice. They are not hurting you, leave them be.

Being in Albania at all is already a struggle.

this is the first time i heard someone say "i am bothered that they ask for equal rights". Wow...

Thank you to all the straight people sticking up for the LGBT community. You guys are awesome and very secure in your skin. The opposite of love is not hate but fear and those who fear us gays are most likely struggling with their own sexuality as most believe. Gay people never had a choice, we are born this way and more importantly it's genetic, so if it's in your family it most likely isn't the first time. One more thing, if being gay is a choice, why would someone chose to live in fear and risk being ridiculed for the rest of their life? I am a lesbian and wouldn't want it any other way!!

Wow, it is interesting to see so much hate in this comment section. What are people afraid of here? Why is everybody angry? If you really don't give a fuck about homosexuality as you claim then this should not anger you at all. Gay people exist, let them be, get over it. No one wants your child to turn gay, but if they do, don't be a monster just love them the same way, you don't have to love what they do in bed, just accept it and move on. Is that really that hard?

Albania has far more serious problems than these types of controversial issues. As an Albanian, I totally respect the right of each person in this world to live their lives as he/she wants without harming the others. Being a gay does not harm anyone.

"according to Freud". No actually, he said specifically that it was not a disease.

Why are there so many homophobes around ? What is the exact problem of being gay ?

The amount of dislikes to this DOCUMENTARY just confirms its conclusions.

My boyfriend's parents are from Albania, but he was born in Greece. He has never mentioned anything about me or our 3 year-old relationship in fear of kicking him out. I'm sorry I'll never meet his parents and I'm sorry he isn't comfortable around them

I hope gay people will fight for their rights and stay strong. As an albanien, i am ashamed to see how much hate they have against these normal people....

We know gay people exist but don't know if god exists, but yet deny gay people rights on the off chance it might offend god

we are all Albanian and we should all except each other as a community it should not matter if your gay or lesbian how cares? we are one people

As an Albanian, I disapprove of gays in my country.

I'm so sorry for all the LGBT albanians. :(

As an Albanian, the answer is simply a lack of education. Albania is by no means an exceptional case in Europe or the world. Once everyone is more educated on matters such as letting people live their lives as they wish without the influence of politics or religion, then societies everywhere will be much healthier.

I love the editing and how they shot this doc. Very immersive experience!!

*opens youtube* RU-vid:struggles of being gay in albania Me: well this is random

being gay doesnt mean you like wearing heels and act like a girl!! seriously...

Good for that cop telling off the doctor, telling him that they are human beings too just like us.

These are the stories that demonstrate what it is like to be from the LGBTQI community and live in a country that thinks shame and honour are more important than the lives of it's citizens. I enjoyed the greek speaking narration too, it was nice to hear Greek and understand what there were saying even though whet they were saying was tragic. I don't know what it is going o take for people to have more empathy and compassion towards others. As a human race we need it. Thank you for the story and those involved in sharing it. Bravo sas!

I legit teared up when the mother was speaking about her son and defending him. :")

Gaylbania? Seriously?

Albanians are very good people..

8:39 Thank me later

murat is so obsessed that in the end we'll probably find out he is gay.

Much encouragement and support for the LGBTI community in Albania. In Spain we have ensured that the vast majority see us as normal people with a lot of struggle and effort. Do not lose heart and gradually love will conquer hate. Many kisses from Spain

Gay or not , they are humans just like we are, who are we to judge someone else's sexuality? Or judge the love that they want to have.

Seeing this really makes me think about how privileged I am to live in such a safe open minded community.

I have a bisexual friend who lives in albania and I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like

wow.. they actually speak better english than the average french

Gay rights are human rights

😭 the world is such a cruel place.

Respect Albanians! 🇬🇷🤝🇦🇱

It’s so sad 😭 you get abandoned by your loving family. This brought tears to my eyes . The lgbt activist mom is amazing incredibly. 🥰🙏

No one becomes gay.... They were born like this. It just shows further as they grow.

I'm an Albanian that lives in America and it saddens me that we as a people have not modernized enough to treat gays as equals. They were born that way, and we should not be treating our fellow countrymen this poorly.

That person at the end explained it well. Years need to pass. Unfortunately, I don't think governments are quite ready to educate people at all levels.

Albania is not strict enough towards gays.

I don’t hate people who are gay I hate the gay concept it’s self

why so many dislikes?

It`s very sad to see that as an Albanian.. I´m glad that I respect all sexual orientations

Being a gay Jamaican who have faced constant homophobic abuse I resonate deeply with this documentary. And that's why Equality is needed across the board.

When you're Albanian and you don't need to read the subtitles 😔

My respect for Albania being homophobic 📈📈📈📈📈📈📈

Oh look, Religion getting in the way of people just wanting to live their own life on their terms. No surprise there then.

This is crazy how they use Islam as an scapegoat for this situation. I come from an Albanian background and I can honesty say that the majority of Albanians aren’t religious at all in fact they many even hate religion. Albania’s love there culture more than anything in this world. They’re filled with extreme pride. This has nothing to do with Islam.

Proud to be ALBANIAN🇦🇱☪️

One minute in and I had to stop watching, this is heartbreaking. Also, what's up with almost half the viewers putting a thumbs down?

On a more serious note, no, according to Freud is not a disease

That politician should be locked up in prison for threatening and spreading hate and violence. This kind of twats are a danger to liberty and human rights.

As an Albanian I feel heart broken on how they treat people.. PS im not gay

I want to clear this up NOT ALL ALBANIANS ARE LIKE THIS

First of all. Albania is not a muslim country, its secular. The Turks brought Islam into the country, today the country knows many religions who by all means live in peace. Communism plays the greater part here. Albania has lived under communism until the 90ies, so people lived under many restrictions, including their sexuality. So it is logical that they have difficulties with same-sex relationships. However, times are changing, more people are travelling abroad and more people are embracing who they are.

Sad story never knew Albania is like this.

Allahu Akbar these people are sad but why they dont try to be straight i think science and religion can help them

I still don't really understand why gays are so hated all over the world... It's a form of love. I really want to to know the reasons gays face all this hate

Religion, I would argue, is the most powerful institution that there is on earth, and the most difficult to break apart.

This is the most toxic and homophobic comment section I think I've ever seen. Leave them be! Why do you care so much? Hate is more often than not a fear of the unknown, you're scared in other words. Who someone loves is none of your business, how someone dresses is none of your business. Did you know that in ancient Greece same-sex marriages were respected and in some cases looked on as masculine and more blessed. Times change, it is natural that some people just can't keep up with everything. Thanks for coming to my mini Ted talk

Im from Serbia and im homphobic too

Love is a terrible thing to hate.

And just when I thought being LGBT in Serbia was terrible enough, there's something worse... I'm so sorry for you guys, I hope you'll pull it through :c

Much respect to these courageous activists. Your actions influence your peers. Someone in the future will enjoy a free life because of your bravery.

Respect to Sigma Albanians for not accepting these things 🗿🗿🗿

As an Albanian, seeing this saddens me. However, I’ve seen incorrect translations throughout this video. A big one is where they’re interviewing Juelia. She doesn’t say that anyone told her “I’ll fuck you.” In reality she says they swear at her and she won’t say what words her dad used. This is a blatant violation of any ethics in regards to this issue.

Enver Hoxha where are you? Please come back we need you!

Albania so based that gays made video about us. 🗿🗿🗿

This is should be the last thing to worry about in albania

Oh maaan, go in România to see what’s there🤦🏻‍♀️

What business it is of anyone else whom you want to sleep with probably not getting any themselves

Well vice,you did an absolutely awful job on this topic in Albania. Firstly, how can the reporter define by the words of one person the mentality of everyone else that is Albanian? And also you did a great job(sarcastically talking) on manipulating the words as you wished and misinforming people! I speak Albanian,Greek and English, so you all can understand that i can clearly translate correctly each word that the Albanian part said,the Greek part said and the English subtitles part said,and most of the time as i was watching the subtitles and the Greek reporter talking,they were passing,let's say it,a hateful message towards my country and most of the things didn't even co-relate with the topic about the struggle that gay people go through in Albania!And an information by a passer-by,i advice you to talk to people that are not a part of a national party, that thing is just stupid and a waste of time..in each country that you will go and ask a national party, you will get the same answer or even worst! And again,stop misinforming people into making them believe the worst things for our country! Anyone that's interested in learning more stuff about the culture,traditions and the way of life of an Albanian,can surely send me and have a conversation with me or you can visit well-trusted and verified websites that talk about those stuffs!

Why we get hate? Just cause we don't like the things you like?

One thing I'm confused about is, y'all are mad at another man/woman for dating the same gender? Them being in a relationship does NOT affect you in any way, "the bible says it's wrong" well girl the bible says it's wrong to hate your neighbors but y'all keep being hateful.

All this hate is the reason why some countries purely can't evolve. There's a blatant, corrosive and abrasive way of treating anyone but always getting worse if the other is perceived weak. Countries like these are a disgrace to human dignity and frequently produce the worst beings. There's much to do but it's difficult because even young people are seemingly genetically programmed to hate. I still believe there's hope and it usually starts with shifts in legislation. All my love to the LGBTI Martyrs of Albania, from Portugal ♡♡♡ You are stronger than you think! Keep fighting for LGBT laws and denounce internationally what happens there.

gay people live much better in greece than albania

we're muslim so i'm not surprised 😭

I have friends who worked for the UN In Albania. They say it is a very backward country. Understandable when one thinks it was cut off from the outside world for over 40yrs. The best hope for Albania ist a membership in the EU. That will improve the lives of the Gay community but that is still a number of yrs in the future.

wow im shooked.. iam albanian but that is to much i mean wow in speechless.. i feel with those ppl cuz i know how they are feeling ahh ;// im crying

I don’t support LGBT but also I don’t support violence on gay people.we should all live we respect and understand our differences.

As albanians we should stick together no matter what. Straight or gay. We all have Albanian blood. Stop the hate. Its not cool

This video has made me realize that Albania is not that accepting of the LGBT community as I would have expected,because I’m Greek and most of the greeks aren’t that accepting either And also because Greece is near Albania and we have associations with them.I was hoping that the Albanian members of the LGBT community weren’t struggling more than the Greeks. I hope it gets better from now on,but it will definitely not be soon enough. Stay strong guys,we need to fight for our rights!

As ab albanian, i feel so sorry for the queer people living there. Ive escaped there a couple of weeks ago and i strongly hope that my home state becomes accepting

I loved this. This was really well done and moving too!

I never be a gay

Being an Albanian is a struggle it self

Smh the only person who has sense is the guys mother

Just to say - I know lots of lovely and open minded Albanians. And when I visited, I had a fantastic and open time being myself. Now I hung out with open educated people but thought I'd add.

If Albania wants to join the EU, it better start with ensuring all its people have the right to live how they want without discrimination.

based albania keep it up 💯💯💯

you can tell how much the vice viewership changed in the last few months/years with all the trolls and the Russians that have subscribed because of their documentarys, the amount of homophobes in these comments amaze me.

Im not homophobic but dude if you don't get comfortable in this country any country just go somewhere else that you feel more comfortable just that

Thank you for the interesting video .... pls make another for Bulgaria.

So Vice Greece and Vice Serbia do reportage about Albania?! Hahahahaha

As a gay greek teen, reality is still scary, even though now things are slowly getting better.