May 2008 Profile:
Octav Popescu

                                          photo courtesy of ACCEPT-Romania

Name: Octav Popescu   [ok.tav  po'pes.ku]

Age: 28

Location: Bucharest, Romania

Areas of Activism: LGBT, HIV, People with Disabilities, Ethnic Minorities, and Discrimination

Became a Soulbird on: April 5, 2008

SB: How did you get started with activism? What drives you?

OP: I think my first experience with activism dates as far back as 1996, when I became a scout—maybe even earlier, at the school paper in the 5th grade. I think I always had a very critical spirit, but in the mean time, I also felt prone to taking the side of the smaller guy—guess it’s something in my nature.

SB: Has any progress been made in the human rights and social justice situation in Romania, as a result of the work by activists such as yourself? What kind of the challenges have you encountered in your activist work in Romania? What do you think are the future directions of human rights and social justice activism in Romania?

OP: In my view, all the progress made in Romania is the result of activists. The people that fought for repealing article 200, for promoting better legislation, for empowering discriminated groups, and for fighting in courts of law against discrimination in all shapes and sizes, they are the ones that promoted and inspired change and progress. Romania is now a modern European country, and activists are a lot safer then before. But there were times when promoting LGBT rights, HIV+ rights, or Roma rights would not only make you subject to public contempt and mockery, but could also put your physical integrity in jeopardy. Some say this can still happen. I hope they are wrong. The debate around human rights in Romania is mostly centered on Roma issues, but with the empowerment of women and with the return of the Romanian immigrants, I hope we will see a new interest for the discussions about tolerance, acceptance and human rights.

SB: Soulbird is collaborating with you and ACCEPT-Romania to present the 5th edition of the INKLUSIV Film Festival in Bucharest. Can you tell us more about the history of your involvement with ACCEPT-Romania and with the film festival?

OP: In 2004 I was in a committee for organizing an NGO diversity festival called "DiversFest". That is when I met Florin Buhuceanu, the President of ACCEPT in that period. Because of some weird political decisions, ACCEPT was excluded from the organizing committee and that is when they organized a separate event – the first LGBT film festival. Next year I helped with the promotion of GayFest and took part in some activities. In 2006 Florin Buhuceanu, now Executive Director of ACCEPT, asked me if I would take on the task of organizing GayFest. I said yes and regretted it thoroughly after. In 2007 I tried to avoid this responsibility but there was nobody else, so I did it again. Though it is fun to organize art exhibitions, debates, round tables, parties, street events, the diversity march and the film festival with a minuscule budget and very few volunteers, it is also quite stressful. Also it should be noted that without the generous support of people like Paul Lee, there would not have been a film festival in 2006, 2007 or 2008.

SB: What do you and ACCEPT-Romania wish to achieve, through the presentation of the film festival?

OP: My personal priority in organizing the INKLUSIV Film Festival is to educate the Romanian public and to also create a space for cultural dialog and expression for the LGBT community in Romania. The titles selected for the festival are representative of the LGBT community and accessible to all members of the community. ACCEPT Association supports my vision.

SB: Are you working on any other projects now? What are some of your plans after this year’s film festival is finished?

OP: I am always working on many fronts. I am involved in an educational project taking place in high-schools: a project that uses movies and Karl Popper-style debate and animations for promoting tolerance among students. I am also working in the HIV field on campaigns for improving the image of people living with HIV. Oh, did I mention I am a political adviser?

SB: Has your activism work in Romania brought you in contact with a larger network of fellow activists from around the world? How has your activist work been influenced by such contacts?

OP: First and foremost, my work gave me a chance to travel a lot. I met many activists from all across Europe and I was dissatisfied by the lack of networking between people working on similar fields. I learned a lot from the people I met. Many times they had the solutions for problems we faced here. Sometimes we had similar ideas and experiences with problems they faced. I think networking is vital for success. I initiated some Yahoo groups and activist networks that helped some projects become reality.

SB: And finally, how can the Soulbird network help you to advance your human rights and social justice activist work in Romania?

OP: A network is a network is a network. The power of the network is in the speed and strength of its connections. The Soulbird network can be very useful in finding the ideas and resources necessary for tackling our problems, and in turn, our experience and resources can be useful for others.