...and a bit of a rainbow ;))
P.S. For more on my travel diaries from Bari, Italy - see Unzipped: Putin, St Nicholas (S. Nicola) and Italian city Bari (travel diaries)
վճարված է|paid
6 years ago
Sunday, 10 February 2013
Man and a baby (Bari, Italy)
...and a bit of a rainbow ;))
P.S. For more on my travel diaries from Bari, Italy - see Unzipped: Putin, St Nicholas (S. Nicola) and Italian city Bari (travel diaries)
Friday, 1 February 2013
Human Rights Watch 2013 report on Armenia highlights discrimination against LGBT people
Below are relevant extracts from the Human Rights Watch 2013 report on Armenia:
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
In July, the NGO Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK) Armenia reported that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people experience employment discrimination, obstacles accessing healthcare, and physical and psychological abuse in the army, in families, and in public.
On May 8, unidentified people threw a homemade bomb at DIY, a Yerevan bar frequented by LGBT and women’s rights activists. Graffiti identified LGBT people as targets. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov called the attack “right and justified.” Police arrested two suspects who were released pending trial. Unidentified attackers destroyed bar property and made death threats against its owners in three subsequent May incidents. Police were called during each attack but intervened only once.
On May 21 in Yerevan, a group of people threatened violence and shouted homophobic slogans at participants in a march organized by PINK Armenia and the Women’s Resource Center Armenia to celebrate diversity.
Key International Actors
In its May European Neighborhood Policy Progress Report, the European Commission urged Armenia to address corruption, media freedom, low public trust in the judiciary, and inadequate investigation of ill-treatment. It commended the government for strengthening laws on gender equality and health care.
European Union foreign ministers’ conclusions on the South Caucasus adopted in February at the Foreign Affairs council in Brussels highlighted the importance of free and fair elections and further judiciary reforms, political pluralism, freedom of and equal access to media, and protection of human rights defenders.
In his July visit to Yerevan, EU President Herman Van Rompuy welcomed Armenian authorities’ efforts to deliver more competitive and transparent parliamentary elections, but cautioned that February 2013 presidential elections should be more democratic.
Following its July review of Armenia’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the HRC highlighted a host of concerns, including lack of comprehensive antidiscrimination legislation, violence against racial and religious minorities and LGBT people, discrimination and violence against women, lack of accountability for torture, and threats and attacks against rights defenders.
In May, the UN Office in Armenia condemned violence and intolerance based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The EU Delegation to Armenia and the CoE’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance expressed concern over Armenia’s inadequate response to anti-LGBT hate speech and violence.
In a new strategy for Armenia adopted in May, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development stressed the need for “further steps” such as police and judiciary reform and facilitating media pluralism.
***
Unfortunately, there was no reflection on LGBT rights in Georgia and Azerbaijan related annual reports.
***
Unfortunately, there was no reflection on LGBT rights in Georgia and Azerbaijan related annual reports.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
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!!
[You may watch the brief interview from around 11:30 on http://www.france2.fr/jt/20h]
Respects!!
Monday, 21 January 2013
Today in history: Barack Obama highlights gay rights in an inaugural address
Obama made history today as the first President of the United States to highlight gay rights in an inaugural address:
"Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
Barack Obama, 21 January 2013 (*source)
Respects, Mr. President !!
"Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
Barack Obama, 21 January 2013 (*source)
Respects, Mr. President !!
Friday, 11 January 2013
#funnysad : “No Cross-Dressing Comedians Please, We're Azerbaijani”
Even in the former Soviet Union cross-dressing for comical purposes, comedy sketches was considered pretty acceptable and widely used.
In independent Azerbaijan, like in other post-Soviet states, including Armenia, cross-dressing is still used by some of the most popular comedians, actors, performers.
RFE/RL report suggests, however, that at least for one Azeri MP & co this is no longer considered as ‘funny’ (regardless of the context) .
If I understood right from this Wikipedia article (AZ), he is a member of parliamentary human rights committee (! - not that I have any illusion re what ‘human rights’ committee in Azeri parliament could possibly represent) and member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. He is also a member of the “Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe” (no comment, indeed).
I suppose, as long as cross-dressing appeared as part of parody or comedy sketch shows, it was considered for him & co as something of an ‘entertainment only’, 'safe', something to laugh-off. But seeing this on billboards, up-your-face, or as part of ads entering into daily life (routine!) signalled some kind of ‘threat to masculinity’ and apparently 'national mentality'.
I like the mobile phone company response: “The company has investigated and established that there are no laws that would forbid male actors in women's clothing from promoting a company. The 'Azercell' advertisement contained no embarrassing elements and nothing that would cause psychological stress or spoil people's moral atmosphere."
Truly, a comedy. #funnysad
The ads were since halted and billboards taken down, reports RFE/RL.
*Thanks to O.K. for the link.
In independent Azerbaijan, like in other post-Soviet states, including Armenia, cross-dressing is still used by some of the most popular comedians, actors, performers.
RFE/RL report suggests, however, that at least for one Azeri MP & co this is no longer considered as ‘funny’ (regardless of the context) .
Dressing up as women is something of a stock in trade for Azerbaijani comedians Rafael and Cosqun. But the double act has run into trouble over an advertisement for a major mobile-phone operator in which the two men don blond and brunette wigs twinned with white and black dresses. The advertisement for Azercell appeared on billboards across Baku and on television. [...] But not everyone was amused. Parliament member Fazil Mustafa sharply criticized the actors' cross-dressing, labeling it as contradictory to the Azerbaijani mentality, and last month called on the Baku City Executive Office to take down the billboards.
*picture via RFE/RL
If I understood right from this Wikipedia article (AZ), he is a member of parliamentary human rights committee (! - not that I have any illusion re what ‘human rights’ committee in Azeri parliament could possibly represent) and member of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. He is also a member of the “Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe” (no comment, indeed).
I suppose, as long as cross-dressing appeared as part of parody or comedy sketch shows, it was considered for him & co as something of an ‘entertainment only’, 'safe', something to laugh-off. But seeing this on billboards, up-your-face, or as part of ads entering into daily life (routine!) signalled some kind of ‘threat to masculinity’ and apparently 'national mentality'.
I like the mobile phone company response: “The company has investigated and established that there are no laws that would forbid male actors in women's clothing from promoting a company. The 'Azercell' advertisement contained no embarrassing elements and nothing that would cause psychological stress or spoil people's moral atmosphere."
Truly, a comedy. #funnysad
The ads were since halted and billboards taken down, reports RFE/RL.
*Thanks to O.K. for the link.
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Rainbow street crossing and logo on police car, West Hollywood, LA
I knew that West Hollywood is pretty much a gay village. Still, was pleasantly surprised spotting these sights ;))
*Los Angeles County sheriff’s car with rainbow logo (official logo of the City of West Hollywood, LA).
*Rainbow street crossing (crosswalk).
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Prince Harry and the artwork of Manbar in London
Manbar was recently launched in place of former CXR on 79 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London.
The artwork inside the venue, with wall murals reminiscent of underground gay films and magazines in past, creates a sexy retro vibe.
Not to mention the now famous mural of Prince Harry (see below) that became local and tourist attraction of itself, and in fact the main reason why I paid the visit to the bar. I will come back again, for sure.
The artwork inside the venue, with wall murals reminiscent of underground gay films and magazines in past, creates a sexy retro vibe.
Not to mention the now famous mural of Prince Harry (see below) that became local and tourist attraction of itself, and in fact the main reason why I paid the visit to the bar. I will come back again, for sure.
Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 23 December 2012
CNN: Stateless gay Armenian man stuck in American Samoa in real life "The Terminal"
UPDATE 16 February 2013: Good news: stateless gay Armenian will be allowed entry back into US
*Via CNN and Huffington Post
In the movie "The Terminal," actor Tom Hanks plays a man who suddenly finds himself stateless when his country ceases to exist. New York’s JFK Airport becomes his only home.
That movie was loosely based on a true story, but for Mikhail Sebastian being stateless is a dilemma that is all too real. Sebastian is stateless.
He is an ethnic Armenian born in Azerbaijan in what was the Soviet Union. He was forced to flee when the Soviet bloc began to crumble in the 1990s. He tried to take refuge in Armenia but eventually wound up in the newly independent nation of Turkmenistan. But Sebastian is gay and homosexuality is illegal there. So once again, he had to search for a home.
He came to the United States and was allowed to stay as a “stateless person.” There was only one catch: Since he still held the passport from the Soviet Union, a place that no longer existed, he could not travel outside the United States – a tough reality for a man who loves to travel. So Sebastian set out from his home in Los Angeles to too many parts of the United States, including the American territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. Last December, he was allowed to fly to American Samoa – a U.S. territory in the South Pacific – for a brief vacation. But while Sebastian was there, he took a short side trip to Western Samoa, not realizing that it is a separate and independent nation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deemed that self-deportation and so for the past year, Sebastian's been trapped in limbo, unable to leave American Samoa and return to the United States.
Sebastian says his only wish this Christmas is to get back home to Los Angeles.
***
“It’s horrible here, it’s hot, it’s making me sick, I can’t stand it anymore” Sebastian is quoted as having told GlobalPost over Skype. “I just want to go home.”
Among Sebastian's advocates is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) office in the United States. "There’s a big gap in the legal structure of the United States when it comes to stateless people, and Mikhail has fallen right through it,” spokeswoman Charity Tooze told GlobalPost in October.
*Via CNN and Huffington Post
In the movie "The Terminal," actor Tom Hanks plays a man who suddenly finds himself stateless when his country ceases to exist. New York’s JFK Airport becomes his only home.
That movie was loosely based on a true story, but for Mikhail Sebastian being stateless is a dilemma that is all too real. Sebastian is stateless.
He is an ethnic Armenian born in Azerbaijan in what was the Soviet Union. He was forced to flee when the Soviet bloc began to crumble in the 1990s. He tried to take refuge in Armenia but eventually wound up in the newly independent nation of Turkmenistan. But Sebastian is gay and homosexuality is illegal there. So once again, he had to search for a home.
He came to the United States and was allowed to stay as a “stateless person.” There was only one catch: Since he still held the passport from the Soviet Union, a place that no longer existed, he could not travel outside the United States – a tough reality for a man who loves to travel. So Sebastian set out from his home in Los Angeles to too many parts of the United States, including the American territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. Last December, he was allowed to fly to American Samoa – a U.S. territory in the South Pacific – for a brief vacation. But while Sebastian was there, he took a short side trip to Western Samoa, not realizing that it is a separate and independent nation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deemed that self-deportation and so for the past year, Sebastian's been trapped in limbo, unable to leave American Samoa and return to the United States.
Sebastian says his only wish this Christmas is to get back home to Los Angeles.
***
“It’s horrible here, it’s hot, it’s making me sick, I can’t stand it anymore” Sebastian is quoted as having told GlobalPost over Skype. “I just want to go home.”
Among Sebastian's advocates is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) office in the United States. "There’s a big gap in the legal structure of the United States when it comes to stateless people, and Mikhail has fallen right through it,” spokeswoman Charity Tooze told GlobalPost in October.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
"F*ck gender", "Down with the Patriarch": activist video from Georgia
Absolutely loved this. Great example of multimedia activism tackling issues of gender identity, homophobia, religion, freedom...
We need more of this in the South Caucasus and beyond.
A must see.
"Painting activism", Tbilisi, Georgia
Film by Lasha Kavtaradze and George Gogua, 2012
We need more of this in the South Caucasus and beyond.
A must see.
"Painting activism", Tbilisi, Georgia
Film by Lasha Kavtaradze and George Gogua, 2012
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Brussels: pics
Few pics from wonderfully weird Brussels.
*For World AIDS Day
*For chocoholics, like me :))
*Flyer: "A queer night of fresh dances, songs, poetry & dicks"
*Grand Place
*'Free Pussy Riot'
Saturday, 1 December 2012
World AIDS Day 2012 - pics from Yerevan, Armenia
Pictures from the World AIDS Day 2012 event in Yerevan, organised by the Advocacy Group on AIDS (PINK Armenia, Women's Resource Center; Positive People Armenian Network; Real World Real People), with participation of well-known Armenian actors, singers, showbiz reps, club scene stars, to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS. This event was followed by film screening, discussions and after-party.
For more pictures: visit www.facebook.com/hivaidshr
For more pictures: visit www.facebook.com/hivaidshr
*with DJ Vakcina and Sofi Mkheyan
*with Nazeni Hovhannisyan
*with Sos Janibekyan
Friday, 30 November 2012
Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Hot Chip - Don't Deny Your Heart... in football
...and then people wonder why I love football ;))
*Via Towleroad: Male Footballers Can't Deny Their Lust for One Another in Hot Chip's New Video: WATCH
*Via Towleroad: Male Footballers Can't Deny Their Lust for One Another in Hot Chip's New Video: WATCH
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Anti-discrimination legislation under discussion in Armenia amid discontent of local human rights groups with the Ombudsman office
On the occasion of the International Day of Tolerance, 16th November, PINK Armenia organised a round-table discussion aimed at developing and advocating for anti-discrimination legislation in the Republic of Armenia.
It was bizarre to learn that the Ombudsman’s office has already prepared or in a process of finalising a draft anti-discrimination legislation without consultations with the local NGOs working in the filed. This resulted in heated discussions at the round-table.
As far as I learned, Ombudsman’s office reassured that the draft anti-discrimination law will be inclusive (inclusive of sexual orientation too). However, until I see it, I won’t be certain that this is indeed a comprehensive law. Also, Ombudsman’s office should use the word “consultation” to its full meaning and not just a mere formality.
On the other hand, while welcoming these developments, I have doubts that with the current parliament such legislative initiatives have a chance to pass, unless they are set as precondition by the European Union and European organisations to further develop ties with Armenia.
“Armenia has joined and/or ratified all the main international tools to eradicate discrimination. Nevertheless, the problem of discrimination has never been discussed consistently, and there are no effective legal mechanisms to prevent and punish discrimination against individuals. It is important to shape operational mechanisms in this context to prevent discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia, as well as to respond appropriately to such manifestations”, mentioned the head of PINK Mamikon Hovsepyan. (PINK Armenia press release)Representatives of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Office informed that they have already prepared a preliminary draft of the anti-discrimination law while stating the necessity and importance of this legislation.
It was bizarre to learn that the Ombudsman’s office has already prepared or in a process of finalising a draft anti-discrimination legislation without consultations with the local NGOs working in the filed. This resulted in heated discussions at the round-table.
As far as I learned, Ombudsman’s office reassured that the draft anti-discrimination law will be inclusive (inclusive of sexual orientation too). However, until I see it, I won’t be certain that this is indeed a comprehensive law. Also, Ombudsman’s office should use the word “consultation” to its full meaning and not just a mere formality.
On the other hand, while welcoming these developments, I have doubts that with the current parliament such legislative initiatives have a chance to pass, unless they are set as precondition by the European Union and European organisations to further develop ties with Armenia.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
"You are beautiful..." (spotted on Park Avenue, New York)
"You are beautiful, no matter what they say"...
*Niki de Saint Phalle: Les Trois Graces (Park avenue, NYC)
Friday, 16 November 2012
Srđan Dragojević, director of Parada: "I didn't know Armenia was so homophobic"
"I can't remember the last time I laughed AND cried so hard in one film." On her blog post Watching Parada and Not in Armenia, Adrineh shares personal impressions of the Serbian film Parada after watching it in one of the European capitals as part of the film festival. Towards the end of the screening, she also managed to exchange few words with the director of Parada.
[...] The other thing that broke my heart was a sentence uttered by the director, Srđan Dragojević, who I was lucky enough to exchange a few words with after the screening. When I asked him whether he knew that attempts to screen in the film in Armenia were unsuccessful as a result of pressure and protests, he said he knew, but "I didn't know Armenia was so homophobic". He then seemed to liken Armenia to Russia by adding the film will "probably be banned in Russia". Not. good. news. at. all. I tried to explain that things in Armenia had ballooned only in recent years, but I only had two minutes of his time as he was rushing off somewhere else, and I wasn't able to get into any more details. He did mention, however, that German embassies in countries where human rights is an issue were given directives to screen the film. Yes, you read that right: "where human rights is an issue"... [...]
***
For background to the story, read:
Yerevan Press Club, NGOs: Parada film cancellation 'blatant rights violation' and indicator for EU re Armenia commitments
EU head says LGBT people in Armenia are “the most vulnerable” while hatemongers celebrate “victory”... over cancellation of gay rights film screening
Puppets attack Germany embassy and the EU office in Armenia
[...] The other thing that broke my heart was a sentence uttered by the director, Srđan Dragojević, who I was lucky enough to exchange a few words with after the screening. When I asked him whether he knew that attempts to screen in the film in Armenia were unsuccessful as a result of pressure and protests, he said he knew, but "I didn't know Armenia was so homophobic". He then seemed to liken Armenia to Russia by adding the film will "probably be banned in Russia". Not. good. news. at. all. I tried to explain that things in Armenia had ballooned only in recent years, but I only had two minutes of his time as he was rushing off somewhere else, and I wasn't able to get into any more details. He did mention, however, that German embassies in countries where human rights is an issue were given directives to screen the film. Yes, you read that right: "where human rights is an issue"... [...]
***
For background to the story, read:
Yerevan Press Club, NGOs: Parada film cancellation 'blatant rights violation' and indicator for EU re Armenia commitments
EU head says LGBT people in Armenia are “the most vulnerable” while hatemongers celebrate “victory”... over cancellation of gay rights film screening
Puppets attack Germany embassy and the EU office in Armenia
Wednesday, 14 November 2012
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):
*thanks to K. for the link to the video
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
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