Arber Kodra’s early ventures into lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) activism stirred an untapped energy within him, but he might not have taken it this far if it weren’t for his mother. He remembers his terror coming out to her: a sickening fear that he would lose the person most important to him. But she surprised him with her loving acceptance and affirmation, and then becoming the first Albanian parent to publicly discuss the experience of having an LGBTI child.
Arber’s first taste of activism had come a few years before. Being one of the first LGBTI group of activists in Albania for the past 10 years to openly showcase his commitment to human rights and LGBTI rights. Volunteering and working for several organizations like Albania Human Rights Group, Aleanca LGBTI, PINK EMBASSY etc. Founder and the Executive Director of the organization Open Mind Spectrum Albania (OMSA) in 2013, to address the human rights of LGBTI people broadly, and working to promote the visibility, empowerment, acceptance and self-acceptance of LGBTQ people. OMSA works with two very important and challenging issues: 1. Education of LGBTI Families, on educating parents how to accept their children; and 2. Political Participation of LGBTI People prior and after the elections of 2017. Also Co-creators and co-organizers of the first TIRANA GAY PRIDE 2014, and the second in 2015. As OMSA’s executive director, Mr. Kodra also served as the first Albanian steering board member of the new organization called ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for Western Balkans and Turkey. Mr. Kodra served as the Keynote speaker at the 1st US Government Sponsored Regional LGBTI workshop: stop the violence, LGBTI rights are human rights! – 2012. – for the first time with his mother, making history in family education. Mr. Kodra was born and raised in Tirana. He received a Master of Arts Degree in “Intercultural Communication and Tourism”, a bachelor degree in Faculty of Foreign Languages; graduated in speciality ’’German – English’’, in language and communication. He speaks fluently English, German and Italian, also a little Spanish. In 2017, he attended two very important professional Academies and at the end of 2017 he received two professional diplomas in Academy of Political Studies, the Council of Europe School of Political Studies, and the professional Academy of non-governmental organizations. He fluently speaks English, Italian, German and little Spanish.