I have been lucky to have the support of different grassroots movements and a political party that values feminism and gender parity. When you are a woman, left-wing, and openly lesbian, it means you have to work harder. People consider your voice marginal, which means you have to be an even better negotiator. You have to be even more convincing and clever.

If you are left-wing and openly lesbian, of course you are a target. As a parliamentarian, I am in quite a safe space. But there is a high level of aggression coming from men on social media. Being in politics also means you are a public person, which in itself can be daunting. That is why we need to support women who enter politics – it can be a rough world.

I want to make sure young women in Europe know there are supportive spaces they can be a part of and that they can even create those spaces themselves. Being part of a movement is crucial, that’s where you get the inspiration and the energy to keep fighting in more institutional and formalized spaces.