Armenians march at Toronto Pride

Of course, you can spot Armenians at Gay Pride marches, rallies and parades in any country. But more formal presence so far was noted in LA, San Francisco, NYC and Paris.

Yesterday this small beautiful group of LGBT Armenians in Toronto made history by marching with the Armenian tricolour amidst the sea of rainbow.

This was the first organised Armenian presence at Toronto Pride. Mark this day: 25 June 2017

Pictures below.

Canadian police chief of Armenian origin Matt Torigian - champion of diversity

FYI: police in Armenia

*via The Record

WATERLOO REGION — Matt Torigian can easily recall his early days on the Waterloo Regional Police Service.

*picture - Waterloo Regional Police Chief Matt Torigian, right, congratulates Ian Ford during a badge ceremony held at the A.R. Kaufman Family Y. (Philip Walker/Record staff)

It was 1985 and the then police constable was working his second shift with the police service.

A supervisor approached and, knowing that Torigian is of Armenian descent, said: “Your father must be in the jewelry or carpet business.”

The comment wasn’t mean-spirited, and Torigian says he wasn’t offended.

“I was just pleased and proud that he knew about Armenia,” said Torigian, who now heads the service as chief of police.

“I was never, ever treated any differently.”

Torigian recalled that conversation recently during an interview on diversity within the police service. The service’s top cop says it’s his “passion” to see that officers who police our region are representative of everyone. [...]

For years, the Waterloo Regional Police Service has been stepping up its recruitment effort to encourage everyone — regardless of their colour, sexuality, age and experience — to apply. The service formed its own internal diversity committee.

Still, Torigian admits, more work needs to be done.

“We’re not there yet. We don’t ever stop striving to get there. What would really be important is to be in a place where our recruiters are seeing diversity coming through the door.”

There are currently 730 sworn officers on staff — 586 men and 144 women. No study has been done that breaks down ethnic backgrounds within the service.

Most recently, officers received praise from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community after setting up a booth at the Tri-Pride Festival in Victoria Park and at Toronto’s Pride weekend.

Two openly gay officers shared their experiences with festival goers.

In 2004, Torigian sat on a provincial diversity committee and remembers members of the gay community saying they had to “degay” their home if they were the victim of a break-in. They were fearful the police wouldn’t properly investigate the crime if they knew they were gay, Torigian said.

“This is the mindset that existed and probably still does to some extent,” the police chief said.

“The last thing we want is for someone who would love to be a cop but feels they are not the right fit because they are gay. That absolutely cannot happen.”

Deb Gollnick, co-chair of Tri-Pride, said she is encouraged by the police initiative to attract members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

“I think a lot of organizations in the community are starting to get us on their radar,” she said. “It’s par for the course that a big organization like the Waterloo Regional Police Service is doing that.”

Gollnick said officers even came to one of her board meetings to express interest. [...]

In the past, recruitment officers have also attended gatherings for the Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E.), the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region, the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Festival and the local Turkish festival. [...]

“We want to have officers who reflect the diversity of the city,” said Toronto Police Const. Tom Decker, the service’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender liaison officer.

“It helps us understand the concerns the community is facing. And it helps the community relate to the police a little better. Some communities are still afraid of interacting with police and having these liaison officers really helps dispel these fears.”

Austria became the 18th country in Europe to legalise gay civil unions

Symbolically coincided with the International Human Rights Day - which calls to "embrace diversity and end discrimination" - Austrian parliament made an important decision today by providing a legal recognition for same-sex partners. Although not a full marriage rights (no adoption or artificial insemination rights), this is certainly a step in a right direction.

VIENNA (AP) -- Austria's parliament passed legislation Thursday allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions, a move hailed by proponents as a historic win for gay rights in the country. The bill, slated to become law Jan. 1, will give same-sex couples many of the rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, including access to a pension if one partner dies and alimony in the event of a split.

What all EU countries (and others) should and would eventually do is to follow the example of Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and South Africa  in providing full and equal marriage rights.

Europe's main gay rights group ILGA-Europe welcomes this decision by the Austrian parliament.

On 10 December 2009, the International Human Rights day, the Austrian parliament passed a law on registered partnerships for same-sex partners. ILGA-Europe welcomes this development which makes Austria the 18th country in Europe which provides legal recognition for same-sex partners. The law will come into effect on 1 January 2010.

Introducing openly gay US Consular Chief in Tbilisi, Georgia

Gay Caucasus, Russian language LGBT blog, introduces newly appointed openly gay US Consular Chief in Tbilisi, Georgia - Patrick Wingate. Below is a brief biography of Patrick Wingate (in English), via US Department of State website.

Gay and Lesbian Pride Month:
Patrick Wingate

OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS

---

Office of Civil Rights
June 2009
Washington, DC

Patrick R. Wingate joined the Department of State as a consular-coned Foreign Service Officer in January 2004. He and his family served first in San Salvador, El Salvador and then in Zagreb, Croatia. Their next tour is Tbilisi, Georgia.

Before joining the Foreign Service Patrick worked for State and USAID from 1993 through 2003 in Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and he served as Washington-based program manager for USAID/OTI projects in Sierra Leone, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Patrick and his Canadian partner, Rami Shakra, were married in Canada in September 2003, and their two children Canaan and Maya were born in 2004 in Guatemala. The Shakra-Wingate Family proudly serves the United States of America abroad, and hopes to be a cultural example of the rich diversity and equality their country has to offer for all families, both foreign and domestic.

Sweden legalizes gay marriage!!

Sweden became the 7th country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Spain, Canada, and South Africa also allow same-sex marriage. (Civil unions are allowed in more countries.) The new law will take effect on 1 May 2009.

Radio Sweden International (via ILGA Europe): Following a parliamentary vote Wednesday afternoon, MPs voted by a huge majority to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in civil ceremonies. If they want to get married in a church, however, then they will have to find a vicar who will agree to marry them.

Same-sex couples have been able to become civil partners in Sweden since 1995, and the law change doesn’t automatically make them husband and husband or wife and wife, if they want to get married they will have to either have a new ceremony, or send in an application to get the partnership converted into a marriage.

The government was split on the issue with coalition partner the Christian Democrats the only party in the Swedish parliament to oppose the extension of the term ”marriage” to include non-heterosexuals. But in a free vote in parliament 261 MPs voted in favour of the reform, 22 voted no, while 16 abstained.

Religious groups in Sweden are split on the issue. Some Lutheran Church of Sweden vicars have said they will marry same-sex couples, and the church will take a common stand on the issue at a Synod in the Autumn. Roman Catholic, Muslim, and other religions have been much more sceptical to the law change in their comments.

UNHCR Review of Gay Rights in Armenia (2003-2005)

Armenia: The situation of homosexuals and lesbians; public perception of gays and lesbians; availability of state protection and whether there exist state programs to promote the respect of their human rights (January 2003 - December 2005)

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officially published in its website the above review. It was originally conducted by Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada as ‘Responses to Information Requests’ (RIRs) and published in Ottawa on 19 January 2006.

Background info from Agency’s website:
RIRs respond to focused queries or Requests for Information that are submitted to the Research Directorate in the course of the refugee protection determination process.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Personal Notes:
It should be noted that this review reflects 2003-2005 years. Since then, some positive changes occurred in Armenia. Particularly, gay or gay-friendly venues emerged in Armenian capital, Yerevan, which was unthinkable just a year or two ago. Also, the first LGBT NGO called Menk (“We For Civil Equality”) was founded and registered by Ministry of Justice in July 2006. It was referred in this review as not yet established “Self-Help Group”.

However, main issues raised in this review still exist and need urgent attention. There is still widespread homophobia in Armenian society and lack of legal protection of LGBT people whose human rights are violated. Gay men and lesbians are subjected to both verbal and physical homophobic abuse in everyday life and are ill-treated by law-enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, due to known reasons, these facts generally remain unreported and mainly based on anecdotal evidence. Moreover, as stated in this review, till now “Armenia[n] legislation does not contain a single provision on discrimination based on or due to sexual orientation”.

Today, speaking to RFE/RL (Radio Liberty), Avet Adonts, chairman of parliamentary committee to promote Armenia’s integration into European structures, stressed his group’s intention to “harmonize Armenia’s laws with those adopted by EU countries”. He rightly pointed out that “laws alone will not bring Armenia closer to Europe. “Public opinion in Armenia is not quite prepared for European integration,” he said. “Many think that it is being imposed on us. We have to explain, we have to work actively with non-governmental organizations.”

I hope Adonts, a career diplomat, understands that EU-like laws mean also equality and protection of human rights, including specific anti-discrimination laws to protect rights of minority groups, in this case, LGBT people. We’ve yet to hear from Armenian Ombudsman if/how he intends to incorporate gay rights into the agenda of Human Rights Defender of Republic of Armenia. European institutions, international bodies and local organisations, along with representatives of gay community, should keep these issues high in their agenda while dealing with Armenia’s European aspirations, which are my aspirations too.

Below is a copy of the UNHCR review (the full list of used or consulted references is available in Agency’s official website):

*Many thanks to M. M. for info about this publication!

Homosexual actions were decriminalized in 2003 when the Criminal Code was amended and the provision on homosexuality was repudiated (UN 2005; COE 12 Jan. 2004, 33; AGLA 1 Dec. 2005; ILGA Europe 20 Oct. 2005; ILGA 17 July 2005; Helsinki Committee of Armenia 2004, 26; Internews n.d.; Sodomy Laws 9 Jan. 2003). This was done once the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe imposed decriminalization of homosexuality as a condition for Armenia to become a member of the Council of Europe (COE 28 June 2000; ILGA Aug. 2000; Sodomy Laws n.d.; Armenian Law Review 26 July 2004; AGLA 3 Oct. 2004). The new Criminal Code was adopted on 18 April 2003 (UN 2005; ILGA n.d.; Internews n.d.) and came into force on 1 August 2003 (ibid.; ILGA n.d.; ibid. 17 July 2005).

However, gays and lesbians still face problems in Armenia (AGLA 22 Apr. 2005; ibid. 3 Oct. 2004; ibid. 5 Oct. 2004; Helsinki Committee of Armenia 2004; UN 2005; Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Secs. 1.c, 5; Armenian Law Review 26 July 2004; COE 12 Jan. 2004; IWPR 21 Apr. 2004; ArmeniaNow 10 Jan. 2003). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports that "[i]t is noteworthy that public opinions on homosexuality are rather tough: traditional Armenian society rejects displays of non-heterosexual relations" and

... according to data provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (also referred to as 'the Police of the RA'), there were 21 'registered' male homosexuals. It is thus not surprising that information related to MSM [Men who have Sex with Men] is rather limited, reflecting the traditionally negative attitude of society towards homosexuality (2005).

Country Reports 2004 reported that "[h]omosexuals ... also reported that they were singled out for hazing by officers and other conscripts" (28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1.c) and "[m]ilitary officers targeted homosexuals for hazing. The Helsinki Association reported cases of police harassment of homosexuals through blackmail, extortion, and, on occasion, violence" (Country Reports 2004 28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 5).

According to an article in the Armenian Law Review, "[e]ven though the law on homosexuals has been abolished, homosexuals did not receive the 'legal' recognition by society and the church; they still remain 'criminals' (not by law) or immoral, sick people" (26 July 2004). The Armenian Law Review also indicates that the fact that homosexuality has been decriminalized does not change the public perception nor does it put an end to violation of human rights based on sexual orientation (Armenian Law Review 26 July 2004).

In its annual report on human rights for 2004, the Helsinki Committee of Armenia (HCA) states "[T]he Republic of Armenia legislation does not contain a single provision on discrimination based on or due to sexual orientation. However, society refuses to acknowledge such individuals and exerts social pressure on them" (2004, Para. 25). The HCA also reports "the Criminal Code now contains provisions that aggravate crimes perpetrated on the basis of the victim's sexual orientation. However, police officers continue to persecute homosexuals" (HCA 2004, Para. 25). No information corroborating the HCA's statements could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

According to an article on the Institute for War & Peace Reporting's (IWPR's) Website, members of the homosexual community in Yerevan were trying to establish Armenia's first homosexual support group (21 Apr. 2004). It was to be called the "Self-Help Group"; however, the article stated that it had not been founded as an official organization (IWPR 21 Apr. 2004). No information could be found as to whether such a group currently exists. The source also reported that homosexuals were threatened because of their sexual orientation and that "[f]ew gays ever report offences against them to the police, fearing their families will be notified" (ibid.).

The following information was provided by the president of the Association of Gay and Lesbian Armenians (AGLA) in France (1 Dec. 2005): Even though homosexuality has been decriminalized in Armenia, the situation of gays and lesbians has not improved. Law enforcement agencies continue to extort money and blackmail homosexuals, all of which is known by the authorities. Gays and lesbians do not report any of the problems they face as public perception is negative towards homosexuals. Homophobia and violence are "omnipresent" in the Armenian society.

The Council of Europe (COE) indicates that homosexuals are still subject to blackmail from law enforcement officials to extort money from them, that the public still has a homophobic perception of homosexuals and that "homosexuals are still a long way from being able to organise community activities in freedom" (12 Jan. 2004, Paras. 221 and 222). The COE also reports that some parliamentarians demonstrate homophobic attitudes and would like to reinstate homosexuality as an offence (COE 12 Jan. 2004, Para. 222).

AGLA stated that there is no state protection for homosexuals whose human rights are violated and, according to their contacts in Armenia, homosexuals who are victims of criminal acts often face inactivity on the part of law enforcement and authorities. Homosexuals fear violence and homophobia in their workplace or by their family, and therefore, do not file complaints of human rights violations or of criminal offences. When asked whether any state program exists to promote respect of homosexuals' human rights, AGLA responded in the negative. AGLA indicated that they wrote two letters to the Armenian authorities in October 2004, following an incident of homophobia that occurred in parliament, to request that measures be taken to prevent homophobia and to condemn homophobic remarks made by politicians and by the media. AGLA accused the Armenian authorities of promoting homophobia instead of trying to eliminate it (AGLA 1 Dec. 2005).

The aforementioned incident occurred in September 2004, when the leader of the Armenian Aryan Order, Armen Avetisyan, accused parliamentarians and top officials of being homosexuals (AGLA 22 Apr. 2005; ibid. 3 Oct. 2004; ibid. 5 Oct. 2004; ibid. 3 Nov. 2004; ArmeniaNow 8 Oct. 2004; HCA 2004; ARKA News 19 Jan. 2005). Armen Avetisyan subsequently announced that he had proof and would publish a list of senior officials who were homosexuals with the intention of forcing their resignation (AGLA 3 Oct. 2004; ArmeniaNow 8 Oct. 2004). Following these threats, according to the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, "the National Assembly held a discussion during which they threatened to dismiss the officials who would be proven to be homosexual. To justify their statements, the parliamentarians claimed that it was a threat to national security and that homosexual officials who could be blackmailed by people threatening to publicize their sexual orientation were prone to various deals and compromise" (2004). AGLA corroborated this information by indicating that "the government and opposition leaders, [parliamentary] deputies along with media outlets have organised an ugly campaign of 'witch-hunting' and incitement of hatred toward gays" (5 Oct. 2004).