Refworld | Azeri Gay Rights Activist's Death Rais Difficult Qutns

Contents:

• GAY LIFE AZERBAIJAN
• GAY DICTNARY AZERI
• AZERI-ARMENIAN GAY LOVE STORY STRAS AT TABOOS
• AZERIS E BOTTOM OF GAY TOLERANCE POLL
• BAKU GAY TRAVEL
• EUROVISN 2012: AZERBAIJAN'S GAYS NOT WELE AT HOME
• NOVEL OF GAY LOVE BRGS OUT THE POLICE
• FEATURE: THE TTH ABOUT GAY LIFE AZERBAIJAN OUTSI OF THE EUROVISN SONG CONTT
• BEG GAY AZERBAIJAN
• AZERBAIJAN DETAS DOZENS OF GAY AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE
• AZERI GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST'S DEATH RAIS DIFFICULT QUTNS

GAY LIFE AZERBAIJAN

The year 2000 saw the abolishg of the Azerbaijani law forbiddg homosexual teractns (gay sex). Although homosexual acts between nsentg male adults were officially crimalized, reports about police ab agast gays, maly male prostut, persisted durg the last year.

It has been observed that the state ntrolled media outlets e homosexualy as a tool to harass and discred crics of the ernment and opposn journalist.

GAY DICTNARY AZERI

Homosexualy Azerbaijan is an issue surround by nfn, ignorance, secrecy and a lack of nceptual unrstandg at the most basic level.

There is hardly any objective and rrect rmatn on the psychologil, soclogil and legal aspects of homosexualy Azerbaijan, wh the rult that the majory of society simply do not know what homosexualy is. “Comg out” as a gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr person is therefore rare and dividual LGBT people are aaid of the nsequenc. Some, particular those who are fancially pennt and livg Baku, are able to lead a safe life as a LGBT person, as long as they ‘practice’ their homosexualy the private sphere.

The age of nsent is equal for both heterosexual and homosexual sex, at 16 years of age. As of 2009, there are no tablished forms of legally regnized unns for homosexuals. But not all is well for LGBT people Azerbaijan; is, spe some reforms and secularism, still a Mlim-based untry where homophobia has ep roots i the relign.

AZERI-ARMENIAN GAY LOVE STORY STRAS AT TABOOS

As reported this BBC story, one gay artist was forced to flee his untry bee of persecutn and threats. Officials Azerbaijan sist gay visors are wele to the 2012 Eurovisn song ntt when the event, which has an enthiastic gay followg, is hosted the pal, Baku. However, such assuranc jar wh those who have had first-hand experience of how homosexuals are treated Azeri society.

“My brother has vowed to kill me, and then kill himself, ” says Babi Badalov (photo right), a radil gay Azeri artist who has recently been granted polil asylum France.

AZERIS E BOTTOM OF GAY TOLERANCE POLL

But his applitn failed on the grounds that homosexualy was not illegal Azerbaijan. “Homosexualy here is seen as worse than prostutn, ” says Yadigyar Sadykov, a human rights activist om Mr Badalov’s native regn.

I have heard of many suicis of spected homosexuals – I have never met an openly gay person around here. “Durg Eurovisn, no-one will bother gay foreigners Baku, ” says Alekper Aliyev, a wrer and an thor of a ntroversial book about a gay relatnship between an Azeri and a man om Armenia, the untry’s historic enemy. There are several openly gay celebri Baku who have money and bodyguards, and they are safe.

Azeri officials disagree, potg out that Azerbaijan crimalized homosexualy 2001.

BAKU GAY TRAVEL

“Recently there has been much ill-rmed speculatn by some expatriat about how we treat our homosexual muny, ” says Elnur Aslanov, a senr official om the printial admistratn.

“Everyone knows that after midnight not far om this hotel you n get gay sex wh a transvte prostute.

“Everybody’s rights are vlated Azerbaijan, ” says Mr Badalov, “and gays are not an exceptn. Homosexualy is not well seen and public homosexual behavr not tolerated, although a uple of bars seem to work as meetg plac for the gay and lbian muny.

EUROVISN 2012: AZERBAIJAN'S GAYS NOT WELE AT HOME

Currently article 150 only prcrib punishment for vlent homosexual terurse, which is punishable by 3-15 year imprisonment. Lbian and non-perative gay sex between nsentg adults is not explicly mentned the laws as a crimal offense.

In a recent printial amnty, prisoners nvicted for homosexual acts were exclud om those released. There are no exclively Gay bars, but a uple of bars have a mixed clientele. Anyway, male or female, straight or gay, take preutns, HIV fectn levels are on the rise Azerbaijan.

As far as I n remember, an anizatn, official reprentativ of LGBT muny Azerbaijan, exists om 2006 – 2007 [this was ‘Azeri Gay Communy’]. Q: Although homosexualy is legal Azerbaijan, I unrstand that is not tolerated?

NOVEL OF GAY LOVE BRGS OUT THE POLICE

A: If you mean livg together, there are many homosexual upl Azerbaijan. In most of our fai, the attu towards gays is that they shouldn’t be their fai.

FEATURE: THE TTH ABOUT GAY LIFE AZERBAIJAN OUTSI OF THE EUROVISN SONG CONTT

Q: What do you thk about the future of the LGBT gay movement Azerbaijan?

Some Azerbaijani journalists ll homosexualy “disgtg”, reports on the are left whout reply. We would like to have discsns about homosexualy an aquate, lite and rmed way universi and schools and mass media on the required level. How to say gay AzeriBelow are the words of our Azeri Gay Dictnary that we will expand new edns.

It is an Altaic language havg several dialects spoken several neighborg untri such as Iran, Rsia, Geia, Iraq and Turkey, so the Azeri Gay Dictnary share terms wh Rsian and Turkish. Homosexualy was legalized Azerbaijan 2000 to jo the Council of Europe, however legislative iativ have not yet been taken to protect the rights of LGBT people.

BEG GAY AZERBAIJAN

In the society the Soviet fluence persists, neverthels there are some anizatns and publitns for the llective, and the pal, Baku, there is certa social permissivens as long as homosexualy is lived private. ‘Arth and Zr’ -- the story of a gay love affair between an Azeri and an Armenian amid war between their untrymen as the Soviet Unn llapsed -- is cultural dyname for maly Mlim Aliyev’s own unt, 150 pi have been sold sce the book was published January, a ty number by ternatnal standards but not bad for a homegrown novelist the untry of 8.

Ccially though, the relatnship the book is played out between two homosexual men, still a taboo subject tradnally nservative Azerbaijan. “In Azerbaijan there are two ma stereotyp, the gay man and the Armenian. The worst thg you n be is gay or Armenian, or to have any relatn to Armenia.

AZERBAIJAN DETAS DOZENS OF GAY AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE

Azerbaijan has been ranked the worst place Europe to live as an LGBTI (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and/or tersex) cizen, after fulfillg only one-20th of a leadg human rights anisatn’s creria for legal equaly. Although homosexualy is legal Azerbaijan, the x draws attentn to the largely Mlim natn’s failure to protect s LGBTI muny om hate crim and discrimatn wh a high number of homophobic asslts, as well as discrimatory remarks ma by policians. “Of all the social groups that are victims of vlence and hatred, we are the on that stggle most, ” said gay Azeri activist, Javid Nabiyev.

I had ncerns about visg Baku as a gay person, as would many travelers attracted to betiful ci nservative untri.

Baku is still not so easy for lols, even though there are no longer any laws prohibg homosexualy, gay life.

AZERI GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST'S DEATH RAIS DIFFICULT QUTNS

If you do not have a VPN app on your phone, then be sure to turn off any lotn-based datg or other gay apps. I personally did not enunter any issu while travelg Azerbaijan wh my gay iend Hassan. My personal goal as a gay traveler is to tt out the gay travel experience Baku and other ci around the world.