A gay Syrian refugee who resettled in Boise, Idaho three years ago discusses finding love and acceptance in a new interview with local ABC affiliate KIVI, and if it doesn't make your heart bleed for the thousands of LGBT refugees seeking a way out of the Middle East right now, nothing will.

"You know sometimes when you’re so happy you cry because you can't believe this moment you are in?" 29-year-old Shadi Ismail told the station.

"I don't believe that I am in this stage of my life. I can walk, and my boyfriend can walk next to me, and how happy I am, not afraid, not afraid to get killed or anything."

Shadi revealed his family tried to kill him in Syria when they found out he was gay, and he was abruptly fired from his job after his managers found out. He was terrified of talking to straight people by the time he moved to America out of fear of being beaten.

But that changed suddenly one day, according to Shadi, when he found himself lost and asked a stranger for directions.

“She looked [at my map], and she grabbed my hand and walked with me across the street to where I was going and said, 'See this door? Good luck!'” he explained. “And this was my first impression and first feeling about Boise and I just thought, 'God, I love this city.’"

“It opened really a lot of stuff in my heart I didn't know existed. It's amazing. It's like, 'really these people exist?'"

Now a proud Idahoan, Shadi said he never expected to feel so free in his life.

"I have a very amazing life, because Boise accepted who I am and didn’t judge me for being Syrian or being Arabic or being gay,” he said. "I never felt love before except here; and I found love here. So it's my dream come true."

Shadi now lives in a house with his boyfriend and two other women, whom he refers to as family.

In June, they all marched int he Boise Pridefest Parade together.

Said Shadi of the experience: "Everything in me was feeling love. No hate. I wasn't embarrassed. I was walking and people were telling me, ‘welcome, we love you’ and all this kind of stuff and cheering me up."

Check out his touching story below:

Last month, humanitarian and LGBT refugee advocate Subhi Nahas accepted the Trailblazer Honors Award for work on behalf of the LGBT refugee community. Check out his acceptance speech below:

For more on international LGBT issues, visit Logo's Global Ally site.