EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Brianna Caradja, the Gay Friendly Princess of Romania

Brianna Caradja is the most important gay symbol of modern Romania. She is a Princess, she is straight and she is gay friendly. So the gay community adopted her as their asset, a Romanian version of a Princess Diana. Brianna speaked freely in an exclusive interview for StiriGay.ro about her relationship with the community, about her unfortunate experiences with her ex-husband and about her future as a supporter of the Romanian Gay movement.

Although you're not a member of the LGBT community, you rapidly become a symbol of it because of your gay friendly atitude and, even more, because you are a supporter of the community. What was the experience or who did you ended to be close to the gays?
I like the way you put the question. :))) Exactly, I am not a member because I am totally straight. But, I am adopted by the community. I love telling that because it describes best this situation.

 So, I hope that (once an for all) we made it clear about my relationship with the gay community. Otherwise, I want you to do a campaign to "Adopt the Princess", and finally enlighten the Romanian media.

I'm a supporter because I can't stand blind, stupid or uninformed discrimination. I always had gay friends and I consider them normals.

The media "Big-Bang" started in 2005 when I participated at the first Romanian Gay Pride. The phone rang all day, I gave a lot of interviews, I was filmed and pictured almost non-stop. Then they started the unavoidable comments, in pure Romanian style. If I add the fact that I went to the Parades in 2006 and 2007, then it's clear why I was labeled. Now I can honestly tell everyone that I enhale smoke from the police smoke-grenades as much as you did (who went to the Parades, knows).

As for the symbol, I must thank all of you for that. You made me a symbol, you loved me. I only love you in return. :)

Why do you think that the public image of the Romanian gay community is so bad and, if you could, what would you do to improve it?It is not that bad... it's only misrepresented. And it is in this way because of the media that covers only what is ridiculous, easy to see or cartoon like.

When you deal with an activist march (unfortunately, we are far away from a real Pride Parade), you must not put in front a dozen of drag queens and in the back 300 people!!! The result is unavoidable: a true hard work turns into a cartoon in seconds.

Don't get me wrong, I have drag queen friends but when you try to send a message, you must stay sober, unfortunately.

The reality is simple and I comment it only with you. For now, you need to gain recognition and RESPECT! Then you can add feathers, glitter and glamour on the boulevard. Then, I'd love to see more public persons involved and supporting the community (although I'll become madly jealous because I want to be the sole "adopted").

In the last days, you were in all sorts of media scandals with your ex-husband and his boyfriend. What's you version of the story?The oldest story in the world: I was scammed big time! It could be worse but I realised on time before he took everything and now he wants revenge. For this he started all sorts of media statements and "tips" for some newspapers. His "boyfriend" wants to be a star. I saw him already with two names and three jobs. He made me a lesbian and a fraud... He doesn't know what to do next but it is better this way because he faults himself.

Last of it: I have no debts to pay to this "monkey"! All the trials he started have just one purpose: to ruin my image as much as possible.

And the thing with the deal regarding me selling them my egg-cells: be serious, it is terrible to use such lies in a country where the subject "gay couples with kids" is beyond controversial. It is ridiculous and beside the troubles they did to me, these statemens took back the discussion about this subject to the level for some years ago. Shame on them because they say they are gay. They ruined the work others did with enormous efforts. And all of this was made from pure selfishness and cheap vendetta.

This useless war, beyond the private aspects, makes a bad image to the gay community and I am sorry for that. All my gay friends are horrified and all these started when I still had the show on Radio Purple. If I was "weaker", I should retreat but no, I didn't. I want to thank to all of my listeners from that time that supported me and gave me the impulse and the courage every night !!! Those were the moments I felt best even I was in the middle of the storm.

How deals your rebel public image with the rigorous image of a princess?Very well! We're in the 21st century. The so called "rigorous image" exists only in the imagination of some people that mixes the title, with you are born, with stories from long, long times ago. I still meet people that think I must keep a distance to the people. Eventually I must close myself in a (ivory) tower and see only the people that asked a princiarry hearing. Honestly, I hardly understand what's in their minds, how they imagine a Princess. Usually, they are the same persons that criticised me for attending the Gay Prides for ruining my image, etc., etc. You can jump on the conclusions.

You are extremelly spontaneous and friendly. What is the routine of your meetings with the gay gang of friends?There are no "routines" and "gay gang" sounds like a ghetto thing. I have a lot of friends, some that don't know eachother because of their different activities. With some I sort out to the clubs, with others I drink a coffee or I just chat...

But let me tell you something really funny about "my best gay friend". I know him for a long time. Years. He ruined me three relationships for various reasons: for example he could not like one of them, at all. He is totally into my life and when he becomes jealous, nobody comes near me. (Really, his moustache starts to shiver and he throws killing looks) He criticises everything (my hair colour, my outfit, my lipstick colour). He is turning my house upside down until he is satisfied about how it looks (then I can't find anything for a couple of weeks). A true tyrant, a despot, a dictator!!

Did you ever had troubles because you are close to the LGBT community?Except for some stupid comments in the garbage media and some "friends" that I mentioned already, no. It is funny but I have more troubles because of my ex-husband's lover that tries to convince everybody that I'm a famous lesbian.

Will you continue to be present in the media on behalf of the community and, if yes, what would you like most: press, TV or continuing your radio show?Of course! The experience from Purple Radio was extraordinary. But this time I think it would be better to have a serious management. And if I'll see a Gay Tv in Romania, I'll do a two hours show weekly. Two hours minimum! Live!

What are your future project on this side of your life, the gay movement?Hello... I'm a person not an NGO! To do something, I need an active organisation. Of course, I'll speak when I can about the gay community as I did all this time, but this is "on my own".
I have a message for the organisers of the 2010 Romanian Gay Pride Parade!!! We're celebrating 5 years of Pride in Romania. It deserves something special! But I want to know that they will ask firmly to the authorities not to authorise IN THE SAME DAY the march of the anti-gay organisations like "Noua Dreapta". They must do it when they make the papers to the authorities and ask for the permission for a specific date for the event.

Of course, for democratic and freedom of speech reasons, they are allowed to march too. But, from past years experience, we have reasons to belive that their march being in the same spot and only few hours earlier in the same day, was nothing but a ARROUSEMENT TO VIOLENCE!!!! So, the authorities can approve their march in other day, one day after if they want. It is perfectly legal and totally motivated. I hope they'll hear me because it is extremely important.