By Lejla Delalić
My entire personality and existence are carefully crafted pieces of every person I’ve met, learned from, watched on TV, followed on the internet, or listened to on the radio.
You know how when you watch a new movie in the cinema, you exit the theater and the personality of the main character is etched in your memory and bone marrow for the next two days or—if the film is really good—for life?
In the same way, every person, feeling, and event that impresses me at a certain moment of our shared journey is etched into my core, and very often these are women on the internet.
The strong and intelligent women with whom I work online have taught me respect, honor, and almost everything I know today in certain aspects of my life. I see them as mothers and aunts. They are my biggest role models in fighting for their and other people’s rights.
Friends are my role models in the love I provide and spread. Because of them, I’ve learned that I should allow others to love me, and that love is not a one-way street, with many improperly parked cars blocking the way.
My queer and bi friends have left our country to find a better life. Now, they are also my online refuge.
The fictional greatest role model in the galaxy, who in my head is bi+, is Princess and General Leia. A badass.
Lejla is a 24-year-old bisexual woman from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is building her career in genetics and biological sciences. She’s ardently fighting for LGBTI+ and women’s rights in her homeland.