I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

[Mos]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Research: Armenian public mostly intolerant towards sexual minorities

Arus Harutyunyan (left) and Mamikon Hovsepyan
By Gayane Mkrtchyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

The Public Information and Need of Knowledge and Socioscope NGOs have conducted a research in Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor revealing complete intolerance towards sexual minorities, namely lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

The main fields of operation of the Public Information and Need of Knowledge (PINK Armenia) NGO are sexual health, gender issues and human rights. Head of the organization Mamikon Hovsepyan points out that the survey was held as part of the “Our Rights and Us” project. The project was launched in 2009 and aims at revealing the challenges sexual minorities face in different spheres of social life as well as violations of their rights. A legal analysis of the issue has been carried out as well.

“The goal of the second stage that has just been completed was to reveal the public perception of LGBTs, to collect information by studying public opinion about the state policy towards these sexual minority groups, as well as later, together with professionals in the field, develop a guidebook for protection of their rights,” says Hovsepyan.

Sociologist Arus Harutyunyan from the Socioscope Societal Research and Consultancy Center, says 1,156 people were surveyed for the research. Based on her observations Harutyunyan says the knowledge of the surveyed on LGBT is limited to what they know about homosexuals, which can be explained by dogmatic mentality. For 15 percent of them the source of information on the issue is the Internet. Their knowledge is dogmatic; they are unaware of the scientific side of the issue.

“The majority of the surveyed believes the sexual orientation of minorities is an ailment, 12.7 percent think it is influenced by foreign countries, 10.8 believe it is a result of upbringing, and 9.8 said it is because of internet communication. The majority uses bad language and negative attitude when speaking about them, 11.5 percent is tolerant, and only 2.5 percent is sympathetic. On the whole, we can conclude that the surveyed are intolerant,” says Harutyunyan.

The research has demonstrated that those most informed and most tolerant are young people aged between 18 and 20 and residing in Yerevan and women with higher education.

The research conducting organizations have developed a package of suggestions to the government of Armenia, the Ombudsman’s office, as well as local and international NGOs.

“The main indicator of democratic society is tolerance towards minority groups on the one hand, and perception of the state as the protector of their rights and freedoms, on the other,” reads the document in part.

The research authors believe that first of all the legislative field has to be improved in order to ensure the protection of rights of minority groups; to form an atmosphere of tolerance they suggest adopting anti-discrimination laws and organizing events that would raise public awareness.

http://armenianow.com/social/human_r...al_transgender

The gays have their own club in central yerevan and when you see them they are rather open about who they are. In my view they complain to much. They have these rights, and now they expect everybody to accept them??

[Davo88]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

I am sure there is some intolerance against gays and lesbians in Armenia but I don't think that the percentage is as high as it is revealed in this study. What people would say they would do when they found out that a relative is gay is different than what they would do when a relative actually is gay.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

The gays have their own club in central yerevan and when you see them they are rather open about who they are. In my view they complain to much. They have these rights, and now they expect everybody to accept them??

Everyone has rights except the straight male.... wait, you have the right to remain silent.

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Everyone has rights except the straight male.... wait, you have the right to remain silent.

Said like someone who enjoys privilege that others do not. That's who denies that others are mistreated in any way; people with privilege who never experience the same.

[Mos]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Everyone has rights except the straight male.... wait, you have the right to remain silent.

I wouldn't say it's about rights, rather in some places the political correctness is so over-the-top that you as part of the majority feel burdened.

[ara87]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

I think I heard on the TV once that boys have a penis and girls have a vagina.

That is a quote from the film "Kindergarten Cop," so you probably did

..the link between the physical traits and sexuality isn't fully understood yet.

Gender =/= Sexuality. Sexuality is more like your sexual character, aka heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual, etc.

Thus genetalia which are a physical trait, are an indicator of only gender (unless of course you are transgendered), not who we are attracted to.

Everyone has rights except the straight male.... wait, you have the right to remain silent.

Giving rights to others does not take rights away from yourself. For example giving minorities such as Black Americans, Native Americans, Women(of all races), etc the right to vote and own land, etc, did not take white men's right to own land or vote.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Said like someone who enjoys privilege that others do not. That's who denies that others are mistreated in any way; people with privilege who never experience the same.

Like what privilege? We all live under the same laws and under the same privileges. Only an idiot would WANT to get governed under western family laws, lol.

[KanadaHye]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Giving rights to others does not take rights away from yourself. For example giving minorities such as Black Americans, Native Americans, Women(of all races), etc the right to vote and own land, etc, did not take white men's right to own land or vote.

No, the right thing to do is give Blacks and native americans their own government.... you know... how America goes around dividing people in the rest of the world.

[Siggie]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Fantastic speech.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yMLZO-sObzQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[londontsi]

Re: I am Armenian and GAY. Not feminine, just masculine.

Fantastic speech.

Presentation or content?

For me, a good presenter/salesman.
Probably he could sell snow to the eskimos.