Queering Yerevan: same-sex kiss performance act in front of Armenia's National Security building

Armenian activists continue challenging heteronormative, patriarchal, 'national security' stereotypes dominated in the country.

In yet another creative way of Queering Yerevan, they staged same-sex kiss performance act in front of Armenia's National Security (ex-KGB) building.

Details via Epress.am in a video below.

Bravo!

Lesbian kiss graffiti in downtown Yerevan

A year ago we witnessed Armenian version of “Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!” in Yerevan to mark IDAHOT.

Today this graffiti depicting lesbian kiss appeared in downtown Yerevan.

Whoever did it, big respects !!

"I am on you, you are on me" dance performance celebrates IDAHOT in downtown Yerevan, Armenia

While Armenian LGBT activists are not quite able yet to openly celebrate IDAHOT, they find creative ways to make sure that the event is marked in the very heart of Armenia’s capital Yerevan.

"I am on you, you are on me" creative dance performance was staged instead. Bravo.

Love is unprotected in a street,
love is fragile at home,
when there is no love.

«Ես քո վրա, դու իմ վրա» պարային ներկայացում

Սերն անպաշտան է փողոցում,
սերը խոցելի է տանը,
երբ չկա սեր:

 

Epress.am provides more details (AM) and video of that performance.

Սերն անպաշտպան է փողոցում, սերը խոցելի է տանը Երեկ Հյուսիսային պողոտայում «Ես քո վրա, դու իմ վրա» պարային ներկայացումն էր։ Միջոցառման հրավերը տարածել էր «Հանրային տեղեկատվութուն և գիտելիքի կարիք» (Փինք Արմենիա) հասարակական կազմակերպությունը հետևյալ մակագրությամբ. Սերն անպաշտան է փողոցում, սերը խոցելի է տանը, երբ չկա սեր:  

Միջոցառումը սկսվեց շատ հանկարծակի. երկու աղջիկ իրար ձեռք բռնած նստել էին մայթեզրին։ Հետո դանդաղ պարելով սկսեցին իջնել դեպի Աբովյան-Հյուսիսային պողոտա խաչմերուկ։ Աղջիկները կանգնում էին, նստում, գետնին թավալվելով առաջ շարժվում, իրար շալակում։  

Պարի ընթացքում մեծ թվով անցորդներ հավաքվեցին։ Նրանց արձագանքները հիմնականում բացասական էին.
- Դե էլ սանիտեկը (աղբահանություն և սանմաքրում իրականացնող ընկերություն-խմբ․) ինչի ա աշխատում, սրանք լավ էլ մաքրում են պոլերը։
- Անբարոյականնե՛ր։
- Սենց թավալվելով գնան, մեզ մինչև Ռասիա կհասցնեն։
- Վայ քո, ուր հասանք։
- Արա, լավ կինո ա, մենակ կինոյում սենց բան կանեն։
- Ինչ էշություն ասես կանեն։
- Դե հա անում են, որ Եվրոպայից փող ստանան։
- Լավ, սրանց ծնող չունեն։
- Լավ է ապե, հելանք ստուց, ստեղ ուրիշ շուխուռ ա։
Մոտենում են տղա և աղջիկ։ Աղջիկ. – Էս ի՞նչ ա։ Տղա. – Գործ չունես, մի նայի տենց բաների, գնացինք։  

Վերջում պարող աղջիկները ինչքան հանկարծակի հայտնվել էին, այնպես էլ հանկարծակի անհետացան։ Հյուսիսային-Աբովյան խաչմերուկում տաքսին կանգնեց, նրանք գնացին։

And here is a beautiful photo story of the performance on Hetq.

Armenian Progressive Youth NGO: “LOVE means LOVE | Սերը՝ սեր է”

Group of volunteers of the Armenian Progressive Youth (APY) NGO made this short video on LGBT rights.

Here is the description of the video, as posted on YouTube: “Protection of human rights concerns the whole society! Everything that is related to society concerns you too. Armenia without discrimination is good for everyone! Check out our new video on LGBT rights in Armenia!

Մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպանությունը մեր ամբողջ հասարակության խնդիրն է։ Այն ինչ վերաբերում է հասարակությանը, վերաբերում է նաև քեզ։ Առանց խտրականությունների Հայաստանը լավ է բոլորիս համար: Դիտեք մեր նոր տեսանյութը Հայաստանում ԼԳԲՏ անձանց իրավունքների մասին։”



Says Ester Violante, volunteer of APY NGO, who produced this video:"In Armenia the struggle of LGBTI people is quite hard: there are a lot of prejudices. Those prejudices bring fear, and fear brings violence. We must stop this vicious circle with knowledge. [...] I want to show that there is no difference between “them” and “us”, because love means love!"

Good to see that the Armenian Progressive Youth stands true to its name in embracing equality and tackling discrimination.

“Women are different”: Celebration of LGBT-inclusive diversity as Armenia’s Feminist Platform marks International Women’s Day in Yerevan

“Women are different” - this was the main slogan Armenia’s Feminist Platform group chose to mark International Women’s Day.

The invitation to join the march was for everyone regardless of age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, whether local or foreigner, from village or city, to “celebrate different ways of being a woman”.

Not every day you see such a public celebration of diversity - for real (!) - in Armenia capital Yerevan, especially inclusive of LGBT people.

Posters during march read: “women are different”, “lesbian”, “bisexual”, “transgender”, “scientist”, “virgin”, “sex worker”, “woman living with HIV”, “cleaner”, “entrepreneur”, “mother”, “single mother”, “model”, “soldier”, “not married”, “footballer / weightlifter”, “woman with disability” [agree with @Mushegh1 re original Armenian term used on poster “հաշմանդամ”] and more…

Big respects to organisers and participants.

Video below via Epress.am, pictures - via PINK Armenia.

And yes, love this #LoveWins and some other T-shirts spotted during the march.

I noticed one with “We are unstoppable” too.

Of course, as Epress.am reports, not everyone were happy to see such march in the heart of Yerevan:

Most passersby reacted positively to the march and showed interest in what they heard and read. Some people, however, mostly young males, were visibly aggravated by the march and even stopped to inform the marchers that such public actions “are shameful and ugly phenomena.” 

“One might think that women’s rights in this country are totally violated. Who says women have no rights? Sure they do, but that doesn’t mean I should take posters and start protecting people’s rights,” Epress.am reporters overheard one of the young men saying to a female marcher. “These people have the same rights as anyone else. They have the right to freedom of assembly. Besides, the law might provide for equal rights between men and women, but it’s on paper only,” the girl replied. 

The young man was not convinced and proceeded to complain that the marchers were “advocating homosexuality, and that’s not normal.” “I don’t care what they do among themselves, but let them not take to the streets and preach it. They have no right to a family,” he said, adding that “it’s like allowing people to marry animals if they want to.”

Երթին անցորդների մի մասը հետաքրքրությամբ էր վերաբերվում, սակայն կային նաև դժգոհողներ՝ հիմնականում երիտասարդ տղամարդիկ։ «Ապե գիտես չէ, սրանցից մեկին մատով կպնես, կտանեն բերդում կփակեն», – ընկերոջը դիմեց մոտ 25 տարեկան երիտասարդը՝ տեսնելով երթի մասնակից կանանց։ Մեկ այլ երիտասարդ մոտեցավ երկու աղջիկների և հայտարարեց, որ նման հանրային ակցիաներն «ամոթ և տգեղ երևույթ» են․ «Կարա տպավորություն ստեղծվի, որ կնանիքի իրավունքները էս երկրում լրիվ ոտնահարված են»։ Նրա և աղջիկների միջև երկխոսություն ծավալվեց․ - Ով չի ընդունում, որ էս երկրում կինը իրավունք չունի։ Հա, կինը իրավունք ունի, բայց էդ չի նշանակում, որ ես պետք ա պլակատներով հելնեմ ու մարդկանց իրավունքները պաշտպանեմ։ - Բայց բոլորը իրավունքներ ունեն, ինչպես և նրանք իրավունք ունեն ազատ հավաքվելու։ Բացի դա, գուցե, փաստաթղթերով, օրենքով ամրագրված է, որ կնոջ և տղամարդու իրավունքները հավասար են, բայց դա միայն թղթի վրա է։ - Դե հա, բայց ես էստեղ տեսա նաև, որ քարոզում են նույնասեռականությունը, էդ նորմալ չի։ Դե հա, իրենք իրար հետ ինչ ուզում են թող անեն, մենակ թե դուրս չգան, մի տեղ պետք ա փակեն իրանց, կամ եթե դուրս էլ են գալիս, թող չքարոզեն, իրանք իրավունք չունեն ընտանիք պահելու։ - Բայց ինչպես ես իրավունք ունեմ ընտանիք կազմելու, էնպես էլ երկու հոգի, որոնք նույն սեռից են, բայց իրար հարգում են ու սիրում, փորձեն այլ ճանապարհով երեխա ունանալ։ - Դե հիմա, քուրս, քո ասածից դուրս ա գալիս, որ էն մարդը, որը որ կենդանու հետ ա, պետք ա թույլ տանք, որ, ըստ օրենքի, կենդանու հետ ամուսնանա։ Աղջիկները կրկին չհամաձայնեցին, իսկ զրույցի վերջում երիտասարդն ասաց․ «Էն կինը, որը իրա տղամարդուն հնազանդ չի, տղամարդ չի կարող ունենալ իր գլխին։ Մնում ա փողոցում»։

Armenia ruling Republican party rep to constitutional referendum observer: "Go back to Holland to gay and lesbian parties"

For my general commentary re constitutional referendum in Armenia and its aftermath, read: Defeated in Armenia

***

This video (along with number of other updates and videos on Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere), posted by one of the brave election observers Nairi Hakhverdi (Diasporan Armenian from the Netherland, lives in Armenia for years now) reflects perfectly the overall atmosphere of intimidation and general level of 'conversation' by ruling regime representatives at voting precincts:

"This Republican Party proxy said something along the lines of: "Just watch, it's going to be VERY different in 2017." I turned on the camera and asked him to repeat what he said. What follows is something about going back to Holland and going to gay and lesbian parties. According to him, I've ruined this country. 9/23 #ArmRef15 #ditord"

[Unzipped: Gay Armenia: by "2017", he refers to the parliamentary election that will be conducted according to new constitution]

This Republican Party proxy said something along the lines of: "Just watch, it's going to be VERY different in 2017." I turned on the camera and asked him to repeat what he said. What follows is something about going back to Holland and going to gay and lesbian parties. According to him, I've ruined this country. :) 9/23 #ArmRef15 #ditord
Posted by Nairi Hakhverdi on Monday, 7 December 2015

Lesbian Azeri activists in Baku stage photo-session in front of mosque : “We exist!”

Photos coming from Azerbaijan capital Baku target visibility in a context of LGBT, Islam and secular society.

The photo-session is titled “Z-53”, and as Azeri LGBT activist explained to this blog, this refers to Sura (chapter) from Quran, aya (verse) 53, where it is mentioned: “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves (by singing), do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful”.

“Our society always says that being LGBT is a great sin. Allah cursed them all, but these sentences from Quran show different view of Islam which denies all the dogmas in secular Azerbaijani society”.

Says Gulara Azimzadeh, head of the “Peace for LGBT” organisation:

“The photo-session “Z-53” represents religious, national and legal aspects of Azerbaijani LGBT people’s lives. Those photos are a message and a protest to the unbearable levels of discrimination from the homophobic society towards LGBT people. The fear for our lives derived during the making of “Z-53” did not suppress our demand for freedom of expression. For years our existence has been ignored – today we say “We exist”! Despite all the shaming, humiliations for years, and making us believe we were doing wrong - we accept our homosexual nature, we are not ashamed of who we are! You did not give us the rights to take them away. Do not try to fit everybody under the same figure! It is time to accept us – the people “different” from you.”

Unsurprisingly, as per organisers, this action generated a “huge wave of hatred” towards them, as is always the case whenever LGBT activists in the South Caucasus lower a threshold of visibility by their actions.

Respects to these brave Azeri activists.

*pictures courtesy of "Peace for LGBT"

Intro: Armenian Feminist blog

Armenian Feminist blog was created by a group of feminists to raise awareness about women’s rights, gender equality and gender identity.

Its main aim is to reach out to the general public in Armenia, including the most remote areas, by making available important feminist texts in Armenian language.

Even with the vast information flow of the 21st century, there are still certain groups in Armenian society, which remain on the margins. Most often these are women who are cut off from the media and alternative modes of obtaining information about their rights, opportunities, etc.

Of course, it will be the most difficult to reach out to such groups, since if they are cut off from the alternative modes of obtaining information, then they would hardly read blogs.

The good news is that the authors of this blog started getting feedback and contributors from women in Armenian villages too. There is hope, afterwards. And this is a very encouraging sign, indeed.

This situation makes women more vulnerable to sustaining abusive relationships, dysfunctional family relations, abuse of their economic and political rights, etc. Even if these women have access to the media, the lack of coverage on topics that are considered taboo or irrelevant make these women subject to isolation, frustration, lack of acknowledgement. The general attitude of keeping quiet about taboo topics, which make people feel uncomfortable  contributes to the general attitude that there are no problems in society at all.

Along with translations, they make original postings and interviews too.

And the subjects of their posts are quite diverse: from Fem manifesto to domestic violence to problems facing by people with disabilities to the ways of dealing with menstruation among some transgender men.

I personally know the main creators behind this blog. Great bunch of people.

And if you wish to support their efforts, you may donate here.

US Peace Corps book advice for their LGBT volunteers in Armenia

This is an LGBT-related excerpt from a US Peace Corps book on Armenia ["Armenia in Depth: A Peace Corps Publication", 18 September 2014], providing advice to their volunteers. There are some amusing passages there on expected behaviour re both gay men and women.
***

Possible Issues for Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Volunteers

“Gay, lesbian and bisexual Volunteers have to practice discretion. Although homosexuals certainly exist in Armenia, homosexuality may be considered immoral by some people. Certain mannerisms considered acceptable in the United States may be viewed with disdain or suspicion by Armenians. Your basic civil liberties may be ignored, and you may be hassled in bars or in the streets.

You may serve for two years without meeting another gay, lesbian, or bisexual Volunteer or Armenian. Most gay, lesbian, and bisexual Armenian probably have migrated to larger cities, while many Peace Corps Volunteers are posted in rural sites. Relationships with host country nationals can happen, but as with all cross-cultural relationships, they are not likely be easy. Lesbians will have to deal with constant questions about boyfriends, marriage, and sex (as do all women). Wearing an “engagement ring” may help. Gay men must deal with machismo: talk of conquest(s), girl watching, dirty jokes etc.

The Peace Corps is committed to providing support for all Volunteers regardless of sexual orientation.”

“We Are Among You” campaign by LGBT group in Azerbaijan

Via Gay.az, the aim of “We Are Among You” campaign by Azeri group Nefes LGBT (“Free LGBT”) is to send a message to the public in this largely homophobic country that LGBT people are an integral part of the Azerbaijani society.

As part of the campaign, LGBT activists posted stickers “before you, a lesbian [or gay/bi/trans person] sat [or stood] here” in various parts of the capital Baku.

Как говорят организаторы, цель компании - показать общественности, что ЛГБТ являются неотъемлемой частью азербайджанского общества.

По словам общественной организации «Свободные ЛГБТ» (Nefes LGBT), общество ошибочно полагает, что представители ЛГБТ никогда не жили в Азербайджане и появились в результате изменения образа жизни после обретения Азербайджаном независимости, в результате активной интеграции в Европу.

«Мы, как и гетеросексуалы, являемся неотъемлемой частью азербайджанского общества. Мы не больны, и наравне с гетеросексуалами активно участвуем в общественной жизни страны». С этой целью в различных частях столицы ЛГБТ активистами были расклеены стикеры «До тебя тут сидел гей», «До тебя тут сидела лесбиянка».

*screenshot - via Nefes LGBT Facebook group

Armenian lesbian matchmaker to the straights kicks off season 2 with a serious message

Very special first episode of season 2 by Lousine Shamamian, Armenian lesbian matchmaker to the straights: “Dedicated to all people who have been judged, victimised or rejected for their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The day for firsts is here. Sonya's first wool beating and Lousine's first entirely honest conversation with her mother.

Big part of the episode is in Armenian (with English subtitles). Must watch.


For the very first episode of Lousine's hilarious show - see here.

Love x

Lousine: Armenian lesbian matchmaker to the straights

This is hilarious. I am hooked.

Look forward to more episodes.


*Thanks to N.A. for the link

Radio Yerevan (AM) by Armen Ohanyan: Մի սիրո պատմություն, կամ գույնափոխ Երևան

Today Armenia marks the short-lived independent First Republic Day. I’d suggest listening to the Radio Yerevan citybook by Armenian contemporary writer Armen Ohanyan. He tells the story of Yerevan, his version of Yerevan diaries, via love letters between two women: Yerevan and Araks. 

Selected extracts below. For the full version, listen to the podcast (below), or read the transcript (AM) here.

[Արմեն Օհանյան]

Moving forward. NOT: Երեւանյան մետրոն մեր առաջընթացի պատմությունն է. նախատեսում էին 38 կայարան, 10-ից ավելի գիծ, ու հիմա ունենք մի գիծ, 10 կայարան: Սկիզբը լավ դրեցինք: Գիտե՞ք, ասում են՝ անունը ճակատագիր է: Մենք շատ լավ սկսեցինք՝ մետրոյի առաջին կայարանի անունը դնելով «Բարեկամություն», բայց ամեն անգամ, որ լսում եմ` «Գարեգին Նժդեհ. վերջին կայարանն է», մազերս բիզ-բիզ են կանգնում, հասկանում եմ, որ էս կետում վերջանում է մեր քաղաքային առաջընթացի պատմությունը, եւ խորհրդանշական առումով էլ` քաղաքակրթվելու գործընթացը:

The HOPE: Երեւանն արդեն իսկ իր նոր երգը ցածրաձայն երգում է նրանց ձայներով, ովքեր դարերով լռեցվել են, եղել են ձայնազուրկ. ուշադիր եղեք եւ կլսեք:

- [...] ի՞նչն է ձեզ հույս ներշնչում, որ նախկինում վարդագույն, ներկայումս մոխրագույն Երեւանը վաղը լինելու է բազմերանգ` ծիածանագույն:

-Ինձ հույս է ներշնչում մեր զրույցը, որ կայացավ, իսկ սրանից 5 տարի առաջ ուղիղ եթերում կլռեցնեին: Ամեն մի ընդվզում, անհնազանդություն, ցանկացած մակարդակում, ուղղված է անօրինակարգ իշխանությունների դեմ. եթե անգամ տանն աղջիկը բռնակալ հոր դեմ հոխորտում է, դա արդեն քաղաքական գործողություն է: Ու ես իրեն ասում եմ՝ ապրես, չվախենաս, բաց պորտդ ու դուրս արի փողոց, բանի տեղ մի դիր սեւ գորտերի կռկռոցը, նրանք ինձ տարիներով վախեցնում են, բայց ես գլուխս բարձր քայլում եմ, որովհետև իմը սերն է, ոչ թե ատելությունը: Հեղափոխությունը սեր է ու հանուն սիրո պայքար, իսկ սերը սեռ ու տարիք չի ճանաչում:

LOVE Letters 

Araks to Yerevan: Քո մարմինն իրական է, սիրած աղջկա մարմին, որ պիտի սուզվի իմ կրքի ջրերում, շունչը պահած՝ լող տա, իջնի ջրի հատակը, մինչեւ օդի ոչ մի կաթիլ էլ չմնա թոքերիդ մեջ, ու հետո բարձրանա ալիքի վրա եւ մակերեսին տարուբերվի էնքան ժամանակ, մինչեւ մեր ջրերը երկուստեք հետ քաշվեն: [...]

Սերս, ես մենակ մի բան եմ ուզում, որ մեր սավանը երբեք անբիծ չմնա, ուզում եմ՝ սիրո թաց հետքերը չհասցնեն չորանալ, որ մեր բակի խանութում լվացքի փոշին վերջանա, տանն էլ մաքուր սավան չմնա, իսկ մենք շարունակենք գիշերուզօր կաթկթել սիրուց, բայց մեջս դեռ խլրտացող միջատ վախ կա` քարի վախը: Ես վախենում եմ էս քարերից` մեջը լիքը արյուն, որ մի օր մեր գլխին կտան, ես վախենում եմ քարկոծվելուց: Էս քար սրտերը մեր սիրահեղուկի հետքերով կգան ու կբռնեն մեզ, ինձ ու քեզ կկապեն սպիտակ սավանով եւ մի բարձր քարի ծերից խոր ձորը կշպրտեն:

Ուրեմն գիշեր-ցերեկ սեր պիտի անենք. վերջին միջատին սատկացնելու ուրիշ ձեւ չկա: Ամեն գիշեր պիտի հարթուկենք հայոց լեռները, սարերը շուռ տանք ու հավասարեցնենք քո անուշ հոտով ներծծված սավանին, մինչեւ որ մեր սիրահեղուկից չփափկեն բոլոր-բոլոր քարերը, ապառաժները ճաքեր չտան, ժայռերը չկակղեն ու չհալվեն, որ մենք հայտվենք անծայրածիր կանաչ դաշտում, եւ երբ բացվի առավոտը` էն գրքում գրած Արարատյան դաշտի լուսապայծառ առավոտը, մենք վերջապես հանգիստ, անվտանգ ու առանց վախի՝ կփռվենք, թավալգլոր կտանք փափուկ դաշտ դարձած մեր աշխարհում: Հետո, երբ մենք կգնանք գործի` գիշեր լինի, թե ցերեկ, մեկ է՝ էլի չենք բաժանվի, ես կգործարկեմ մեքենայի շարժիչը, քո ձայնը, ալիք դարծած, կհասնի ականջիս, ու ես կհոսեմ քաղաքի փողոցներով:

Բոլորն ասին՝ Արաքս, դու գիժ ես, երկու կարմիր դիպլոմ տանը դրած՝ գնում ես տաքսի քշես մի քաղաքում, ուր, քեզնից բացի, աղջիկ տաքսիստ երեւի չկա էլ, բայց, պարզվեց, կար մի ամբողջ սերվիս՝ «Փինք» անունով, միայն կանանց եւ աղջիկների համար: Ինձ միանգամից գործի ընդունեցին, որովհետեւ դու բարեխոսել էիր, դու, ում ձայնով սիրեցի, իմ միակ սեր, իմ սիրուն Երեւան:

Yerevan: [...] Էդպես մեր ամուր, հայկական, օրինակելի ընտանիքն իր համար, ազգային երգուպարով տարված, ապրում էր` պետական տոների օրացույցային երջանկության մեխանիկայով, էժանագին փառքի դափնիներին բազմած, մինչեւ որ անճոռնի ճուտիկը` հանձին ինձ, մեծացավ ու հակառակ ծնողների բոլոր սպասումների` չվերածվեց կարապի: [...]

Երկրորդ հիասթափությունն աններելի էր: Հայրս ինձ բռնացրեց սեքսի պահին, ոնց որ հիմար ֆիլմերում է լինում, երբ ամուսինը գործուղումից վերադառնում է շատ անսպասելիորեն, իսկ սիրեկանը դեռ չի հասցրել պատուհանից դուրս ցատկել: Ընտանիքս ինձնից երես թեքեց: Ես որոշեցի առանձին ապրել, չնայած ինձ արդեն քաղաքավարի կերպով հասկացրել էին, որ տնից դուրս կանեն, եթե չբուժվեմ: Ես, բնականաբար, չբուժվեցի: Դվինից բացի, ամբողջ ընտանիքը բարեւս մոռացավ, մենակ նա է, որ հետս իր կապը չկտրեց: Ծանր ժամանակներ էին, ռադիոյում քիչ էին վճարում, դրա համար էլ շաբաթվա մեջ մի քանի օր «Փինք» տաքսի սերվիսում դիսպետչեր էի աշխատում: Հետո հայտնվեց Արաքսը, եւ ամեն ինչ իր տեղն ընկավ: Ձայնս ռադիոյով լսել, հավանել էր, ասում է՝ դու ինձ կանչեցիր: Եկավ ծանոթացավ, ի վերջո իր ուզածին հասավ: Հիմա միասին ենք ապրում: Գիշեր-ցերեկ միասին ենք, միասին ենք անգամ հերթափոխի դուրս գալիս, ինքը քշում է, ես ուղղություն եմ տալիս: Արաքսն ինձ ստիպեց սիրել անունս, մի բան, որ էդպես էլ չհաջողվեց հորս, բայց սա լրիվ ուրիշ պատմություն է, իսկ էս մեկը պատմում էր, թե ինչպես Երեւանը դադարեց գոյություն ունենալ իմ Արարատ հոր ու Հայաստան մոր համար, որովհետեւ վարդագույն դուրս եկավ:


Relevant: Armenia: in need of REVOLUTION

Aregnazan or Magical World: queer, Armenian, futuristic video-animation - re-interpreting Ghazaros Aghayan fairytale (fundraising)

The Queering Yerevan Collective’s Indiegogo fundraising campaign is nearing its end, with only 6 days left at the time of this posting. It’s an experimental video project by Arpi Adamyan and Melissa Boyajian called AREGNAZAN OR MAGICAL WORLD. This is a unique collaboration between two outstanding artists from Yerevan and Boston respectively, who reconstruct and reinvent Armenian writer Ghazaros Aghayan’s fairytale, originally written in 1887, in a completely new way.

You can find out more about the project here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/magical-world

Please, read artists' description below and make contribution to this queer, Armenian, futuristic video-animation, where the evil witch is replaced with an oligarch.


***
Aregnazan or Magical World is an adaptation of an Armenian epic fairytale by Ghazaros Aghayan. This olden day fairytale takes place near the base of Mount Ararat, a symbolic mountain to the Armenian people. The story begins with a father and his 3 children, 2 of which are beautiful girls. And the 3rd child, Aregnazan, was the most beautiful, but good spirits decided to hide the sex of Aregnazan until a day when it would need to be revealed for the greater good of the world. Aregnazan's father chooses to raise Aregnazan like his 2 daughter's, and dress them all in girl's clothes. However, Aregnazan disliked playing girl's games and learned how to ride a horse and use weapons. After the children grew up the father realized that there was future for them and that he must send 1 of his children out to fight for the king. He devises a test for them and disguises himself as a masked thief in an attempt to test the strength and will of his children. Aregnazan wins the test and leaves on a journey to save the king from a bear, defeat an evil witch who has imprisoned the citizens of the stone city, and save the ailing princess.

We are interested in adapting the story because of the unique representation of gender of Aregnazan within the story's beginning. However, the story remains very patriarchal and sexist in it's glorification of masculinity and lack of agency with the female characters. Aregnazan does not become a true hero in the story until completely transforming into a man. And of course the tropes of the sick princess, lovesick and waiting for her prince to save her as well as the wicked evil witch are also examples.

Our fantastical video animation is about Aregnazan's journey to self-discovery, redefining of traditions, love and revolution! Our piece is very important because it is offering an alternative narrative and representation of gender within Armenian culture! While our adaptation will still be following the journey of Aregnazan, Aregnazan's gender remains fluid throughout the story and will never become a man. Our version will also be reversing the roles of the weak female characters to be strong. The piece will make connections with socio-economic conditions of present day Armenia by replacing the evil witch with an oligarch, a symbol of the small very wealthy group of men that have monopolies on most of the resources of Armenia while a staggering portion of the population is unemployed. Some of the things Aregnazan encounters on their journey are a fight on a dangerous bridge, a meeting with a cyborg woman and a girl that can fly, and a revolutionary scene in the sleeping city!

The piece will not follow in a cut-and-dry filmic narrative fashion. The scenes contain performative actions between the characters that give reference to Armenian traditions and literature and reinterpret and queer their meanings. The performative gestures in some scenes can be likened to a choreographed dance of actions.  The video and animation will be layered together in post-production editing to make the already fantastical atmosphere even more stunning!

If you have not done so already, please visit our Indiegogo page and make a contribution to our project!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/magical-world

Louna: Armenian Russian LGBT friendly "protest rock sensation"

Awesome. I did not know about this band until reading this article on Advocate: Meet Russia's Female-Fronted Protest Rock Sensation ["The Russian punk rock band Louna, and their sexy butchy lead singer Lou Gevorkian, talk about gay life in Russia, their beef with Madonna, and the masks we all wear."]

"Louna is widely considered the most successful rock band of the modern protest movement in Russia (though Pussy Riot has certainly gotten all the press internationally). [...]  Now Gevorkian and her Louna bandmates have found themselves with a larger audience, significant portion of which is queer girls. In fact, when we asked if Gevorkian was a lesbian, through a translater and publicists in Russia and the U.S., she was perplexed. She reminded us that while commonplace in America, such questions aren't usually asked in Russia, where there's been a crack down on anything promoting homosexuality. Still she and her bandmates, Vitaly Demidenko and Ruben “Rou” Kazarian, were eager to talk about their new album Behind a Mask (which has many songs that could speak to LGBT issues), their growing LGBT fanbase, and why punk rock is a lesbian thing in Russia."

I dig a bit further, and her full name is Lousine Gevorkyan. She is originally from Kapan (Armenia).

Wikipedia: Lusine «Lou» Gevorkyan (Russian: Лусинэ Геворкян, Armenian: Լուսինե Գևորգյան,
born February 21, 1983) is a lead singer of Russian nu metal bands Tracktor Bowling and Louna. Gevorkyan was born in Kapan. She was one of the founding members of the Russian band Sfera Vliyaniya, but she left this group one year after the establishment. Later, she was picked as the lead singer of another project, Tracktor Bowling, that became one of the most popular metal bands from Russia. In 2008, she founded one more group, Louna, and at the moment Lusine appears in both.



Another Armenian in the band is Rouben Kazarian / Kazariyan (Rou). According to Louna website, he is "the quiet maestro of Louna. Rouben holds a PhD in Political Science, is fluent in Korean, English and Russian, and is the composer of almost every hit song in the history of Louna."

He is working at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a staff researcher for the Korean Department. Here is what he had to say re human rights in Russia, religion and church in an interview posted on The Pit:

Rou: [...] we agreed that we would address the most pressing and sharp social issues in our lyrics. It was just natural, given the fact that the situation in the country began to actively stagnate, human rights were regularly violated, and those in power increasingly distanced themselves from solving social problems while at the same time plundering the country. We have been really angry about it and unfortunately nothing in our country has changed since Louna’s first day. [...] One of our strong and common convictions in Louna is atheism. We do not have anything against the beliefs that people have, but we are definitely against the Church as a form social organization and control. Unfortunately despite the advances in science, technology and knowledge the XXI century still has brought back the relics of the dark ages – religion has returned with a vengeance in Russia and in the world. That is an obvious result of the lack of education in our consumer driven society. Religion is a convenient tool to breed docile and unthinking people easily controlled and manipulated. Business is our statement against all this. Mama is a different story. This is how we see our fans and first of all ourselves coming to what we are now. I think the best way for me to describe Mama would be to cite Bon Jovi: “Welcome to wherever you are, this is your life. You’ve made it that far”
***
Back to the interview with the Advocate re LGBT rights and being gay in Russia. I do not agree with Lou that "There’s really not any real social problems as such as long as you don’t scream about it on every street corner." This is exactly THE indication of the problem. But I agree with her about marginalising and scandalising LGBT related culture and people, and using it by politicians & co to distract people from real issues. Similar things happening in Armenia too.

Advocate: You’ve done some work with LGBT groups. What does it mean to be gay this day and age in Russia?
Gevorkian: There’s really not any real social problems as such as long as you don’t scream about it on every street corner. It’s true that same-sex marriage is prohibited in Russia, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be together. However, the pop music industry has marginalized LGBT culture in Russia in the eyes of ordinary people by making them seem vulgar and laughable. It makes gays seem like freaks in the eyes of ordinary people. The church has tried to turn this around to their favor by making it a problem. I, on the other hand, really think that the scandalous attention given to such things serves only to distract people from political and economic problems. It’s like the situation when Madonna performed in Russia a few months ago. The politicians wanted to sue her for spreading gay propaganda when she voiced her support of LGBT issues during her show. By doing this they sparked another cheap scandal in order to make it look like they are doing something, like they’re doing their jobs. They use their power to show people that they are in control and that they make the rules.

Advocate: Lou, do you or any of your bandmates have a gay following?
Gevorkian: Of course, I have quite a lot of lesbian fans here. They are my friends. We always share our problems and emotions with each other. They’re just normal people who listen to rock. I don’t divide people between sexual minorities or majorities. I’m only interested in the human qualities of a person. Your heavy metal punk sound isn’t generally a genre that’s thought to have many gay fans. Is that assumption wrong?
Kazarian: I agree. And as I said earlier, gay culture [in Russia] is basically coming from richer people who are not into rock music. But you’ll find many lesbians listening to rock music. Besides that, we tend to play heavier than usual rock, and that probably appeals even less to the LGBT audience. I think that is a common prejudice. The LGBT community is definitely a minority in every country, but fans of really heavy music — like death metal, grindcore, hardcore etc — are a minority, too. So we’re ready to try to fix that injustice.
Gevorkian: As far as I know in Russia there are lots of girls who have homosexual relations who love rock and punk music.

TIME: Gay Marriage Revolution

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G .

...and totally inspiring.

TIME's cover story "chronicles how, thanks to a massive shift in public opinion, gay marriage went from inconceivable to inevitable in less than two decades."

TIME's new issue, featuring the story, 'How Gay Marriage Won,' hits newsstands Friday. Two couples who were photographed to illustrate the story appear on two separate covers this week. See more portraits from TIME's cover shoot. 

*Cover photographs by Peter Hapak.

Gay and straight Armenians join massive marriage equality rally in Paris

Great to see visible Armenian presence during massive pro- marriage equality rally in Paris today. Both gay and straight Armenians, as well as Armenian families joined the rally with posters and interviews to express their support for marriage equality bill that will soon be discussed in the French parliament.

The largest French public TV channel "20h" information show interviewed the participants of the rally, and there was an Armenian family Catheriene and Serge Bagdadian with 2 lesbians daughters. The dad said that he wants this law to become real and also the right for lesbian women to have the possibility of artificial insemination so that he can become a granddad.

[You may watch the brief interview from around 11:30 on http://www.france2.fr/jt/20h] 

Respects!!

Vladimir Shakhidjanyan: "Is it possible to understand homosexuality?"

Interesting way of "explaining" homosexuality and why gay people should be accepted as equals by society by prominent Russian psychologist of Armenian origin Vladimir Shakhidjanyan.

Just one quote here (RU):

Какая разница, какой ты - голубой, розовый, зелененький, красненький, светленький. Любые цвета хороши, кроме коричневых (коричневый - это фашизм, это скверно), а всё остальное допустимо.

For the rest, watch the video (RU). He questions: "Is it possible to understand homosexuality?" by addressing some of the common prejudices still prevalent in Russia and other ex-Soviet states.


*thanks to K. for the link to the video

"I sign this petition in memory of my great-grandfather" - To the Government of Armenia: Honor the Constitutional Right of Each Citizen [including LGBT]

As I posted earlier, the Armenian Gay and Lesbian Association of New York has sponsored historic petition co-signed by 20+ leading Armenian cultural figures who have unified their voices to support human rights in Armenia. This is the first time such a petition has been created in support of LGBT human rights in Armenia.

Chairman of Golden Apricot International Film Festival, one of my favourite film-makers, prominent Canadian Armenian director Atom Egoyan is among those who co-signed the petition.

It has since been supported by more than 300 (at the time of writing this post) Armenian and foreign citizens, including well known activists, cultural, art figures.

Comments are being posted under the petition by people who signed it.

Here is a very touching one by Christine Allen:

My great-grandfather, Shukrey Sanjiyan, was brutally attacked during a pogrom in Tarsus on November 15, 1895. He managed to survive and made his way to the U.S. via France in 1897. The rest of his family was slaughtered during the genocide. It is in his memory that I, his lesbian great-granddaughter, sign this petition. My wife and I have been together for over 26 years and our youngest daughter, Kalie Sanjiyan, carries his name. I work for equal rights for all people in America, and I support equal rights for all people in the homeland of my heart, Armenia.

[For more comments - follow this link to the petition.]

Please sign and share the petition with all your friends, family and allies. [The Armenian translation has now been posted with English original]

!f Istanbul: Rainbow films

A good selection of LGBT-themed films will be on a showcase at !f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival.

The !f Istanbul International Independent Film Festival was founded in 2001 and every February and March it hosts some 70,000 film buffs and celebrated filmmakers from around the world. Dedicated to showcasing the best in contemporary film, !f believes that the shared experience of cinema is a form of activism that has the power to connect people across borders and boundaries of all description. The festival is curated and based on thematic sections, some of which change every year to reflect issues that are gripping the world's - and filmmakers'- imagination.

With each such event, I am becoming more and more convinced that Istanbul (its European part) is perhaps the most vibrant city in the region, and I have to visit it as soon as possible.

Here is a selection of films from US to Iran to Turkey.
***

The Pink Report



"Homosexuality is a disease and needs to be treated!" stated Selma Aliye Kavaf, ex-Minister of Family Affairs. The Turkish military considers homosexuality to be a 'psychosexual disorder' that could exempt one from mandatory service, and therefore needs to be diagnosed by military physicians. If a psychological examination is inconclusive, doctors are required to use other methods - either an anal examination is called for or the applicant must submit pornographic images of himself engaged in a homosexual act. The Pink Report is an intimate encounter with four men and their moving stories of institutional violence, tremendous fear and the longing for acceptance within a society that considers them to be ill, rotten, disabled.
***

Circumstance



"In Iran we have the public face and we have the private face." Circumstance is a sensuous melodrama of forbidden love in modern Tehran. Teenagers Atafeh and her best friend, Shireen, are experimenting with their burgeoning sexuality amidst the subculture of Tehran's underground art scene when Atafeh's brother, Mehran, returns home from drug rehab as the prodigal son. Battling his demons, Mehran joins the morality police. As Atafeh falls deeper in love with her best friend, Mehran's disapproval grows. Suddenly, the two siblings are entangled in a triangle of suspense, surveillance, and betrayal. Though Circumstance is an unrelenting look into how religious authoritarianism forces its way into people's intimate lives, it also has an underlying beat that reminds the viewer of that unconquerable desire for personal freedom, and its will to life.
***

Becoming Chaz



A story of love, courage and being what you need to be. Intimate and nakedly honest, Becoming Chaz follows Chaz Bono's transition from female to male. Growing up as Sonny and Cher's daughter Chastity in a body he felt wasn't his own, Chaz decides to undertake gender transition. As hormone shots give way to top surgery, we follow Chaz and girlfriend Jenny's lives as they watch, question, adapt to, and sometimes rejoice about the changes. For Chaz, this is first and foremost a story of liberation. For Jenny, who fell in love with a woman but is now living with a man, there are questions about the nature of enduring love. For Cher, one can see the struggle, but also the strength involved in accepting life decisions made by loved ones. Told up close and with stunning simplicity, Becoming Chaz is first and foremost a film about courage and open minds.