Martin (he/him) is a queer feminist activist, movement-builder and a writer from Bulgaria with a strong commitment to intersectionality and addressing systemic inequalities. Since he was 14, Martin has worked with diverse youth in the fields of Sexual and Reproductive Health, CSE, HIV, domestic violence prevention, and LGBTIQ issues at local, national and international levels. He is currently a board member of ILGA World, the largest global federation of LGBTI organisations and chair of the first global LGBTI youth steering committee. He advocates for mainstreaming LGBTIQ youth issues and amplifying voices of queer activists on an international level. He is also a member of YoutAct – the European Youth Network for SRHR.
Furthermore, Martin has over 4 years of experience in supporting and developing CSOs governance and infrastructure. He has worked on a project identifying gaps in the sector and co-developed a mapping directory in London. He has also led an LGBTIQ youth support service.
Martin currently supports the set-up of queer grass-roots groups and over 100 LGBTIQ organisations to become more sustainable. He is also working with regional and international youth organisations to develop a global platform for advocacy and collaboration on LGBTIQ youth issues.
Martin was honoured to have the opportunity to be a key speaker on LGBTIQ youth issues at the Nairobi summit on ICPD+25. He highlighted the exclusion of LGBTIQ youth in the last 25 years of the ICPD Programme of Action. As a result of this, he was recently appointed to the UNFPA High-level commission on ICPD follow-up.
Martin strongly believes that now is the time to radically accelerate our efforts to work across movements and sectors to achieve a sustainable and fair world, a world where the rights, bodies, identities and lives of all young people are protected and respected.
