How PR reps failed Yerevan mayor with a bouquet of abusive, homophobic language

Here we are. The faces of ‘PR-machine’ for Yerevan mayor. Or its spectacular failure in the most abusive, cheap and homophobic fashion possible. These screenshots, widely distributed in the Armenian section of Facebook, resulted in a storm of reaction by FB users.

To put it short, PR reps and some employees for the mayor office in Yerevan use nauseating, cheap, homophobic language to ‘counter-attack’ the arguments of environmental activists and other concerned Yerevan (and not only) residents.

*Arthur Sarukhanyan is a PR rep for Yerevan mayor office. He and his colleagues are marked in red. All 'conversation' was taken place on mayor Taron Margaryan FB page. (source: PanArmenian.net FB page)

*More - via PanArmenian.net FB page

*More - via Մեր Քաղաքը FB page

Below is just a small portion of their vocabulary [more - on screenshots above (AM)]:

“հորթ” (‘calf’); “Գոմ-այգի” (play of words, referring to cruising park in downtown Yerevan, by using homophobic language); “պոչիկով” (homophobic reference to men who considered gay if they have long hair)... abundance of other abusive, violent language and references to all those activists and residents who disagree with them and fight to preserve the remaining green spaces in Armenian capital.

These employees for Yerevan mayor Taron Margaryan not only suck in their job of PR, but in fact ensured the best possible anti-PR.

There is no place for such people in any state, public or related jobs. Not even close.

They suck big time. And they should get sacked.

Armenia president Serj Sargsyan and openly gay mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë

Jean Eckian reports from Paris that having attended Charles Aznavour concert in Olympia, Armenia president Serj Sargsyan met the mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë. They both then hosted a meeting with around 600 French Armenians.

Background info: “Despite France’s political tradition of keeping one’s personal life out of the public, Delanoë came out in a French television interview in 1998. In his book, “La vie, passionnément” (“Life, Passionately”) (2004), Delanoë says he made that decision because he thought it could help, even if in a small way, “lighten the burden of secrecy borne by so many people.” On the topic of gay marriage Delanoë writes, “In the name of what can one reject this demand for equality?” (source)

Wikipedia: (Personal life) Delanoë was one of the first major French politicians to announce that he was gay, during a 1998 television interview (before being elected mayor). His election made Paris the world's largest city with an openly LGBT mayor at the time; upon the election of Klaus Wowereit as Governing Mayor of Berlin in October 2001, it became the second-largest. Of the largest three, all have taken office since 2001; previously, the largest city with an LGBT mayor had been Winnipeg, Canada, in openly-gay former mayor Glen Murray (1998–2004). Delanoë is not known for taking an active part in the gay and lesbian community, but he has helped end discrimination in municipal subsidies to civic groups.

(Assassination attempt) He was stabbed on 5 October 2002 during the Nuit Blanche, a night of festivities in Paris, while mingling with the public. His assailant was a Muslim immigrant, Azedine Berkane, who reportedly told police that "he hated politicians, the Socialist Party, and homosexuals." Speaking to Le Monde, one of his neighbors said, "He was a bit like us. We're all homophobic here because it's not natural." Before being taken to hospital, Delanoë ordered that the festivities continue. Delanoë's wound was reported not to be life-threatening and he left the hospital after about two weeks. Azedine Berkane was eventually permitted to leave the psychiatric hospital where he had been a patient after his doctors no longer considered him a threat. However, in early April, 2007, he failed to keep a scheduled appointment with his doctors, and has not been seen since.

The mayor of Paris will be in Yerevan in October to participate in the conference of francophone mayors that he chairs.

Selected extracts (AM) from Sargsyan’s speech below, via president.am:

[...] Մենք հատկապես կարևորում ենք մեր մայրաքաղաքների` Երևանի և Փարիզի միջև ընթացող համագործակցությունը և այդ շրջանակում քաղաքապետ Դելանոեի գործունեությունը, ում օրոք Երևանի և Փարիզի միջև համագործակցությունը նոր բովանդակություն ստացավ` ներառելով նորանոր բնագավառներ ու ծրագրեր:

Փարիզի կենտրոնական հատվածներից մեկում Կոմիտաս վարդապետի արձանի տեղադրումը և Երևանի պուրակի հիմնումն իսկապես մեծ հպարտություն է բոլոր հայերի համար, որտեղ էլ նրանք բնակվեն:

Իհարկե, տեղյակ ենք նաև, որ այս տարի Փարիզի քաղաքապետարանն իր հյուրընկալ դռներն էր բացել հայության և Ֆրանսիայի հասարակական շրջանակների առջև` Ֆրանսիայում Հայաստանի դեսպանության հետ համատեղ տոնելու Հայաստանի անկախության 20-ամյա հոբելյանը, ինչի համար հայտնում ենք մեր խորին երախտագիտությունը: [...]

Հարգելի՛ պարոն Դելանոե,

Մենք սիրով սպասում ենք Ձեզ Երևանում այս տարվա հոկտեմբերին՝ Ձեր գլխավորած Ֆրանկոֆոն քաղաքապետերի միջազգային ասոցիացիայի Գլխավոր Ասամբլեայի տարեկան նիստին:

Կրկին շնորհակալություն եմ հայտնում Ձեզ այս հյուրընկալության համար և վստահ եմ, որ Երևան և Փարիզ քույր-քաղաքների հարաբերությունները զարգանալու են առաջանցիկ տեմպերով:

Շնորհակալ եմ:

*pictures - by Jean Eckian

Forced out. Gay hater Moscow mayor Luzhkov sacked. Finally

At last. Bigot No. 1 in Russia, homophobic Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov got sacked by Russia president Medvedev. Interestingly, president’s decree uses strongest possible words for the occasion and humiliatingly straightforward for Luzhkov (‘due to lost of confidence’):

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has fired Moscow's powerful mayor, Yuri Luzhkov. Mr Luzhkov, 74, was being removed because he had lost "the trust of the president of the Russian Federation", a presidential decree said. [...]
On Monday, after returning from a week's holiday in Austria, Mr Luzhkov said he would not stand down voluntarily.

His decades in the office were marked by blatant homophobia. He infamously referred to gays as “satanists” and "faggots". He constantly denied Moscow gay activists the right to peaceful actions, including crackdown on Gay Pride events.

Of course, the real reasons behind the sacking of Luzhkov are outside the human rights context, and rather an outcome of internal battles on the highest levels of power in Russia. Still, feels good for now. And I can only commend Russia president for such decision.

Prominent Russian gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev expressed hope that next mayor will be a person with “European mentality”.

Я рад, что Медведев совершил такой огромный политический шаг, избавив Москву от этого человека. Я не питаю иллюзий, но надеюсь, что мэром станет человек с европейским мышлением...[...]

And another quote from him: “Bravo, president Medvedev! You liberated Moscow from this parasite!”

“Браво, президент Медведев! Вы освободили Москву от этого паразита!”

Below is a video from the very latest action by gay activists in Moscow 'celebrating' Luzhkov’s birthday: “Luzhkov - faggot” (reflections of the language Luzhkov used to refer to gays)

London Pride 2010: Mayor of London backs same-sex marriage and marches with Gay Liberation Front

Mayor of London Boris Johnson marches with Gay Liberation Front founded in 1970 and marking its 40th anniversary. Prominent British human rights activist Peter Tatchell (first picture) reports that during the march London mayor expressed his support for same-sex marriage.
***

Boris Johnson backs same-sex marriage

London - 4 July 2010

When challenged by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell at yesterday’s London Pride gay parade, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, declared his support for same-sex civil marriage.

He was responding to Mr Tatchell’s placard, which read:

“Dave & Sam Cameron can marry, gays can’t. End the ban on gay marriage.”

(David Cameron is the British Prime Minster and Samantha is his wife).

The Mayor took a look at the placard and said: “Why not?”

“So you are in favour of same-sex marriage?” queried Mr Tatchell. “Yes, I don’t see why not,” replied Mr Johnson. Pressed further, the Mayor added: “Fair enough, the ban should go.”

When Mr Tatchell reminded him that that the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government does not support same-sex marriage Mr Johnson replied: “Well, they should.”

“If the Conservatives and Liberals can get together in a national coalition and settle their differences, I don't see why you can't have gay marriage,” the Mayor told Mr Tatchell.

“If a gay couple want to get married in a registry office, why shouldn’t they?” he added.

Mr Johnson, the second most influential Tory political leader, is the most senior Conservative to endorse the campaign for same-sex civil marriage.

His call for marriage equality was echoed by the openly lesbian Tory MP, Margot James. Marching with Mr Tatchell, she told him that although she supported civil partnerships she also wanted to repeal the ban on lesbian and gay couples getting married in a registry office.

“It is a big breakthrough to win Boris’s backing for marriage equality. His support will increase pressure to end the gay ban. I am very grateful to the Mayor.

“Public opinion is on our side. The government and most MPs are out of touch. An opinion poll conducted by Populous and published by iopinion poll conducted by Populous and published by The Times last June found that 61% of the British public support same-sex civil marriage.”

“Civil partnerships are a big advance but they not equality. They are second class. In a democratic society, we should all be equal under the law. Having separate laws for gays and heterosexuals is a form of sexual apartheid,” said Mr Tatchell.

Liza Minnelli at Paris Gay Pride

Liza Minnelli joins openly gay Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe at Gay Pride in Paris on Saturday 27 June 2009.

*photo - by prominent Russian gay rights activist Nikolai Alekseev blog. Nikolai participated at Paris Gay Pride too.

'Women rights' at Yerevan mayor election

Having a woman candidate for the post, Armenia pro-government Orinats Erkir party decided to exploit women rights & gender equality in its Yerevan mayor election campaign which formally launched today. Clever move, perhaps, but unfortunately this will not serve to promote women rights in Armenia, as this party is extremely discredited in the eyes of Yerevan residents. Or so I believe, and hope that they won't be able to fool people again, as they have done during the last presidential election acting as an 'opposition' party. They have never been known for their defense of human rights.

Small town in the US made history by electing nation's first openly transgender mayor

On the same day that the US elected its first black president, history was made also in a small American town Silverton, Oregon, where residents elected the first openly transgender mayor in the United States.

Fascinating story!

Fox News reported the story; more details via TransWorldNews:

A small town in Oregon has elected who is believed to be the first openly transgender mayor in the United States. Silverton, Oregon residents elected Stu Rasmussen as mayor.

Rasmussen is a heterosexual man but says he likes to dress as a woman. He has breast implants, long red hair, and wears high heels and skirts. "I identify mostly as a heterosexual male. But I just like to look like a female,” he explains."Some guys' mid-life crisis is motorcycles or sports cars or climbing mountains or trophy wives or whatever. I always wanted cleavage, so I went out and acquired some."

Rasmussen, who has a girlfriend, served two terms as the Mayor of Silverton in the 1990’s but had not admitted to being transgender. He says he only “came out” a few years ago.

Despite worrying about how his appearance would affect the election, Rasmussen won by 13 points.

"The first 30 seconds they think, am I in a freak show? Is there a camera behind me? What's going on here? And then we get down to discussing whatever the issue is - city business or business or whatever - and they figure out this guy's different, but he knows what he's talking about,” he says.

*source of photo

Picture of the Day

Boris Johnson, newly elected the Mayor of London, has a questionable record of voting/supporting gay rights and equality in past. Now he is holding a Stonewall's Education for All campaign poster to tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools: "Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!"; and in an interview with PinkNews says that he is "very much looking forward to" taking part in this year's London Pride parade on Saturday, his first ever gay event.

*photo - via PinkNews