The annual Salzburg Global LGBT Forum, this year, took on a question that many sexual and gender minorities have pondered about and sadly, many have still come up with very uncertain answers.

What is family? What is a simple question with an even simpler answer for many poses such a complicated subject for a person who has had to fight for acceptance from the very people who would otherwise be expected to hold their hand throughout life’s journey.

Several activists and front-runners from across the globe, were tasked to explain what family means to them and many expressed the core values of a family to be love, care, safety and support. Sadly, they also expressed their realization that these very values were not upheld by many when it comes to dealing with LGBTI persons.

Klaus Mueller the founder and Chair of the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum queries how we can create a space for ourselves when every aspect of the world as we know it does not account for us or even recognise and respect our very existence. The numerous activists who also feature in the video titled What is family- A global Conversation, agree that it is time to create a space for ourselves and where better to start than family.

With over thirty explanations of what family means to different defenders of human rights of LGBT persons, on thing was clearly- any group of people that are in your corner supporting you and believing in you are your family, regardless of whether they are biologically related to you or not