Although LGBT rights are protected by EU laws, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are still prone to discrimination and harassment everywhere in Europe, but especially in some central and southeastern European countries. 'I want to help those who are not part of the LGBT community understand us, I want to give a face to those whom the homophobes hate without even knowing them,' Capudean tells DW.Įach man photographed by Capudean tells a personal story about discrimination for being gay or bisexual. The artist has taken black and white pictures of more than 200 nude gay and bisexual men from different countries around the world and from a wide range of professions: medical doctors, biochemists, shop attendants, lawyers, tailors, students and engineers. His new project 'Naked' is meant to give more visibility to the LGBT community. The Romanian photographer and LGBT activist Tiberiu Capudean believes that hatred and fear are fueled by ignorance. About half of the population of Poland (52 percent), Romania (54 percent), Hungary (44 percent) and more than one-third of Bulgaria (36 percent) would not grant equal rights to LGBT people, according to a 2015 Eurobarometer survey on discrimination in Europe. In some European countries, living openly as a homosexual requires a lot of courage. Holding hands with your partner as gay men in the streets of Warsaw, Budapest or Bucharest is likely to attract at least a few disapproving looks.
