Djani Jovanović was forced to marry at the age of 14, very soon after that he had a child, and today he is one of the biggest LGBTQ activists and fighters for Roma rights in Germany.
Jovanović doesn't hide at all, and he doesn't try not to be conspicuous. In fact, he tries to be as visible as possible so that others can also benefit from it, especially on behalf of the Roma, and he himself says that he is "a child of a small majority". He also wrote about this in his new book. He is also a lecturer, a comedian and above all a dentist, writes Blic.
What is interesting is that the life story of Đanija Jovanović, originally from Serbia and born in Germany, is like something out of a documentary film. And he is only 44 years old! He says that he knew he was gay even when he was a kid, not knowing what was waiting for him in life, and the first thing that awaited him was an arranged marriage that his parents imposed on him when he was only 14 years old.
- I didn't know anything in advance. I found out on the day of my marriage. I was 14 at the time and I remember thinking: This doesn't look right and I don't feel right, but I didn't know what exactly was wrong. I had the impression that someone was choking me. It's like I'm a frog that's been put in hot water and doesn't want to be boiled. But it made me feel bad, and yet at the same time it was "normal". That's how it was in my family, and others who surrounded me. Regardless, I felt as if someone had robbed me, as if they had taken my soul and I thought I would have to live like that for the rest of my life - says Jovanović, who lives in Cologne today.
Marriage also meant that he had to become a parent very soon, even though he was still a child at the age of 16.
