I realised that I was an extraordinary person when I was a child. I thought I was some kind of sicko, that I was one of the kind in the world.

I came out to my close friends. I was scared and ashamed: what if I was not accepted? But I was accepted. I had a friend who guessed about my orientation, invited me to a club, then introduced me to her gay friend. They were very supportive of my self-awareness. I realised that it was normal. Then I got to know people from the LGBT community, both Muslims and Christians, and they supported me in everything, both spiritually and morally.

I was born into a family of religious Muslims and brought up in that tradition. Religion has a stable place in my life. I like the purity of Islam, the principles of "do not cheat", "do not steal".

I also used to think there was no place for me [in the Islamic world – editor’s note]. Now I realise there is a place for people like me, but interpretations of the Koran are different. Family, relatives, neighbours have always said – not referring to me, they are not aware of my identity – that it is a mortal sin, that such people would burn in hell.

I don't attend the mosque. It's not just Islam that is homophobic and transphobic – most of the world's religions are. In this regard, of course, I feel insecure, I am wary, wary of a lot of things. I used to attach a lot of importance to what was said about sinfulness, I used to blame myself for it, I used to ask God for forgiveness, I used to pray. But now I don't. I understand that God made us this way, it is natural, we are God's creatures. The most important thing is not to cheat, to be honest, not to kill, not to hurt other people.

I am an LGBT person, and to me, that means I am a human being like everyone else, I have the right to live, to love, to be on this planet.

I am a Muslim, but I don't think I have to adhere to any laws.

I am a Tajik because I was born on this land. I love my country, my people, my land.

I decided to take part in this project because it is important for me to let people know: everyone is equal. We are all human and we have the right to be: to be happy, to have our place under the sun, to love and to be loved. I would like society to understand: we are here, we are not dangerous, we are not going anywhere. We are human beings too. We have the right to exist, to choose our religion and nothing else matters because it is important to be human. Every truth has a right to be.

I want to say to those who are just discovering themselves, do not be afraid, do not think that this is some kind of retribution for the sins of your parents. I believe God forgives, God is merciful. We have a right to be on this planet. We should be happy, respect each other, support each other.

I understand why it can be hard to accept yourself. When you are told since childhood that it is a sin, that it is a bad thing to do... If you have sex with a man and then blame yourself, remember that God loves us all, forgives us, is merciful to all. If we love a person of our own sex and they reciprocate, should we be unhappy, should we suffer? We should take that joy, that sympathy, that love. This is good. I think it's important to explore, to get to know oneself, one's religion, one's identity.