While this example of good practice is not focused exclusively on the Romani LGBTQ+ community, it is nevertheless very relevant to them and extremely important for their quality of life. It is especially important for young Roma who love social networks, like to make contacts through them, seek all kinds of information, and need to share their joys and sorrows. Unfortunately, for those with a different sexual orientation than the majority, standard social networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are risky. They cannot share their problems because they are afraid of sensitive personal information being misused. Facebook in particular is full of fake accounts and the danger is high. That is why the entire LGBTQ+ community in Slovakia, regardless of skin colour, welcomed the creation of the first social network exclusively for them.

Duhy.sk, as the network is called, was founded in mid-2020 by two young high school students, Marek Mach and Ondřej Vrábel. In doing so, they have finally created a much-needed safe space where everyone can share their otherness with other people, whether in an admitted or anonymous way.

The fact that 1,500 people from the queer minority visited the site in the first 24 hours alone shows how strongly people from the queer minority felt the absence of a similar social media. After 9 months of existence, duhy.sk had 7,500 registered users, around 22,500 comments and hundreds of articles from the world of the queer community...

For Mark and Ondra, despite their young age, rainbows.sk is not their first project. Marek is the founder of the successful Youth Against Fascism initiative, while Ondřej is the author of the educational software Pinf Hry pre deti, which is aimed at children with intellectual disabilities and special educational needs.

Rainbows.sk is not a dating site, but a truly full-fledged moderated social network where you can share your stories, experiences and concerns. As a result, feelings of loneliness are slowly disappearing, as there is the possibility to not only make friends with others in a safe space, but also to seek professional help.

All it takes is the simple creation of your own profile. No one forces you to post your profile photo or name if you don't feel like it. Yet every profile is authenticated, you won't find any fake ones here, as the site administrators use simple and secure identity verification....

To make matters worse, the authors of the project have also created their own magazine at magazin.duhy.sk, where you can find interesting facts, news and information from the world of the LGBTQ+ community. Rainbows.sk is an environment where queer people have the opportunity to get to know those who are in the same situation as themselves. Those who are afraid to publicly share their orientation for fear of discrimination. All of this in maximum anonymity and safety," says Marek Mach.

This is extremely important at a time when all other social media are infiltrated with hatred and prejudice. It is not only queer youth who are subjected to frequent insults, stereotyping and ridicule... Rainbows.sk allows these people to feel free and honest with themselves/me and others without fear of bullying. What more could you ask for...

For more information about the portal, visit dvisit duhy.sk or instagram profile @duhy.sk

To learn more about Mark and Ondřej and their admirable work and other very successful projects they have built, visit their instagram profiles:
@marekmach_
@0ndrejvrabel