Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label alvin huseynov

Azerbaijan and gay rights, what's the deal? And what did Samir do?

Time to be serious for a moment. We all know Azerbaijan has issues with neighbour Armenia and we still don't know if they will (be able to) participate in Eurovision 2012 in Baku. The other big issue is the gay rights. It's no secret Eurovision is also one of the world biggests annual gay meetings.These few lines sum it up nicely: "During Eurovision, no-one will bother gay foreigners in Baku. People here don't mind, as long as it's not in their family. There are several openly gay celebrities in Baku who have money and bodyguards, and they are safe. But nothing will change [because of Eurovision] for the majority of gays, particularly in the provinces. This society will never accept them. Homosexuality here is seen as worse than prostitution. If a family decided to kill a gay relative, most people would approve. I have heard of many suicides of suspected homosexuals - I have never met an openly gay person around here." And we thought there were issues...