Maarten Truijen
Belgium
Mr Gay Europe 2023
Why do you want to take part in MGE23
I am the current Mr Gay Belgium 2022, and I would love to represent our beautiful country.
It would be a great honor for me, to take part in the Mr Gay Europe 2023 competition.
This because I’m very proud of the fact that I’m the reigning Mr Gay of a country with such a high score on the Rainbow index.
I wanna show Europe how hard we work for a LGBTQIA+ friendly Belgium, and how proud I am to represent our LGBTQIA+ community!
As Mr Gay Europe, I would be able to spread even more love, and persuade more people to show off their true colors.
I should no longer limit myself to Belgium, my reach could expand enormously!
I would love to empower our beautiful rainbow community, and show the world that we will keep fighting for our rights!
What is the biggest LGBT challenge in Europe today
First of all, I think we are very blessed to live in Europe, because overall, Europe is a quite safe continent to live as a LGBTQIA+ person.
Notwithstanding, when it comes to tolerance towards our community, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
People are hard for each other, especially when it’s outside their own comfort zone.
So in my opinion, the answer is acceptance, tolerance & dignity.
The numbers show that suicide rates in our community are still far too high, so with the right approach I am sure it is possible to change this in the long term.
TOGETHER we can make the world more tolerant & beautiful!
Your profession / study
I am self-employed. I work as spiritual coach, and I am a shop owner of 2 shops: a fashion store & a crystal shop.
Your hobbies
At this point, being Mr Gay Belgium is my biggest hobby and passion!
I really enjoy all the nice events, and the fact that I’m able to meet so many interesting people.
My goal in life is to help and support other people, so I love to inspire them, and show them that self-acceptance is the highest good.
I also try to workout at least 3-4 times a week, and I love to go shopping, cooking, and hanging out with friends.
Why should you become MGE23
I am a lightworker!
My mission is to help and support other people.
I always try to be as emphatic and kind as possible, because I believe in good Karma.
In my job as spiritual coach, it is my goal and passion to guide people in the right direction.
I would love to become the next ‘European voice’ of our beautiful community and try to support and guide as many people as possible.
My mission is to convince as many people as I can reach of the fact that everyone is beautiful, just the way they are, and give the ones who need it that little bit of extra power to see their own beauty, show off their fierce & conquer the world.
I would like to support organisations like ILGA-Europe, because their doing a great job for our community.
As Mr Gay Europe I want to give visibility to the current issues within our beautiful ‘rainbow family’, and take actions to raise money for organizations that are committed to our community.
I also want to encourage people within the EU to volunteer at organizations that could use support and extra help.
What is the biggest mental health challenge in the LGBT community today
I think the most important thing to be mental healthy is happiness.
And I think at this moment, there are still way too many unhappy people within our community.
Think of all the people who are not accepted within their familie…
Think of all the people who are bullied…
Think of all the people who didn’t get the love they deserved…just because they’re trying to be themselves!
The biggest challenge regarding mental health is try to create more tolerance, so that our world evolves into a place where everyone can be themselves.
Sexual and gender minorities in particular, face many mental health challenges, such as victimization, bullying and rejection, at school, at work and at home.
Among these groups, bullying and peer victimization are very common all over Europe.
More knowledge and understanding of the underlying mechanisms is needed in order to design effective bullying interventions and resilience strategies that further empower youth, teachers and parents, that diminish the negative consequences on mental health, and that create safe school, workspace and home environments for all children growing up across Europe and all the adolescents.
Your idea for your national costume
I would love to wear a suit with some sparkle and shine!
Maybe some lace 😉
I will choose a black suit, with some cut-outs, and gemstones in the color of our Belgian Flag.
Black – Red – Yellow