Achievements of the year

2022 comes to an end. The country’s security issues and political challenges also had a significant impact on the organization’s overall activities, but we were able to continue our work for the protection of human rights and the creation of an atmosphere of solidarity.

We see off the past year with promising results, and we enter the following year with better expectations.

Like every year, this year, Pink celebrated IDAHOBIT week, which symbolizes sexual diversity. On May 17, Pink organized a roundtable discussion titled “10 Years of Impunity”, which was attended by representatives of embassies of different countries in Armenia, international organizations, the representatives of the Office of the Ombudsperson, and local civil society, government officials, as well as organization beneficiaries, supporters and, and victims of cases represented in Pink’s strategic litigations.

It is noteworthy to refer to the fact that during the roundtable discussion on May 17, ten years after the explosion of the DIY club, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Republic of Armenia did not protect the rights of Armine Oganezova. Thus, the ten-year atmosphere of impunity was broken by the decision of the Court.

Another significant achievement is that, even though Pink has not had access to law enforcement for many years, this year, we were able to train police officers, investigators, and prosecutors on the specifics of investigating hate crimes and on sensitive attitudes towards the victims.

Thanks to Pink’s excellent work, crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity may now lead to criminal liability under the new Criminal Code.

From 28 to October 30, Pink held the traditional 7th Rainbow Forum with over 140 registered participants this year. This time the theme of the forum was “Strengthening the LGBT+ movement.” During the forum, LGBT+ people and supporters discussed various topics, many queer artists had the opportunity to show their films, and there was also queer performance, “Berneberan” (“Mouth to Mouth”), where LGBT+ people and allies performed. It should also be noted that on the last day of the forum, a Turkish Mejlis member, Garo Paylan, known for his pro-Armenian activities, paid an unscheduled visit at Pink’s invitation.

On December 14, we celebrated our 15th anniversary. It was a long-awaited event for the LGBT+ community. About 400 people attended the event: ambassadors, activists, representatives of the LGBT+ community, artists, sympathizers, etc. The long-awaited 3rd revival of Armenian drag art occurred during the event. The audience had the opportunity to enjoy the performance of five Armenian drag artists.

This year, Pink provided 12 sub-grants to non-governmental organizations whose main goal was to raise awareness of the human rights of LGBT+ people, reduce discrimination in the political, social, and media spheres, and address the discourse of inequality and institutional discrimination in Armenia.

One of the sub-grantees, Pen, created the Pink Pen Club, which produced high-quality, influential LGBT+ literary and artistic works. In November, a solemn ceremony of presenting the Pink Pen Award took place, during which the participants of the Pink Pen competition read excerpts from their literary works, and the results of the competition were summed up.

Yet, these are not all the activities we had during 2022. Hundreds of beneficiaries have received professional support from psychologists, lawyers and social workers,  dozens of cultural and social events have given queer people and artists the opportunity to present their works. Film screenings, trainings, group discussions, language clubs, clay and other handcraft workshops have touched the hearts of many visitors and ensured high participation.

Pink wishes everyone Happy Holidays. Let 2023 be a year of success, new achievements, and, of course, peace.

Thank you for being with us. Happy New Year!