In Ivory coast, I belonged to an LGBTQIA+ association; I was not an active member, but I supported them. In Abidjan, I was great; I felt very good in my country; I didn't see myself coming here at all. I had a very good job that allowed me to earn a very good living; I had no intention of coming to Europe. I was 12 years old when I was caught for the first time. 

I was beaten and locked up for three days. So there was no doubt, I had three children with the same woman but we didn't live together. I went back and forth between my wife's flat and another small house that I kept and where I saw my companion. When people had doubts as to why I wasn't getting married, I had a second child. On the day my third child was born, my partner wanted to show our daughter to friends and thinking that I was renting the little house to friends, she surprised my partner and me. In shock, she called́ members of my family who immediately threatened me with death. I left for work; I was thinking a lot because I could no longer see myself staying in Côte d'Ivoire with everything that had happened. I wanted to live my life, to express myself as I wanted. I was not ready to face the entire world to be able to live my homosexuality. 

So I spoke to a gay friend who worked with me in order to have all the papers I needed, he advised me to go to Europe.