Some human rights organization workers offer to “cure” LGBT people. Report of State Department
29-06-2015
Societal discrimination in Armenia based on sexual orientation and gender identity negatively affected employment, family relations, and access to education and health care, says in report of US Department of State concerning human rights situation in Armenia in 2014.
The research notes, that anti discrimination laws do not apply to sexual orientation or gender identity.
“There were no hate crime laws or other criminal judicial mechanisms to aid in the prosecution of bias-motivated crimes against members of the LGBT community. Societal attitudes toward LGBT persons remained highly negative, with society generally viewing homosexuality as a medical affliction,” – department noticed, adding that society considers homosexuality a disease.
Referring to the survey done by Open Society Foundation Armenia in 2013, which was related to attitudes of lawyers, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and teachers toward LGBT persons, report says, that from 500 respondents 45% considered homosexuality a disease (including 57 percent of the doctors and 47 percent of the nurses interviewed) and 12% considered it immoral.
Citing to another NGO’s (name is not mentioned) survey, attention is paid to low level of awareness of workers in human rights organizations, as well as that some of respondents expressed the view that homosexuality is a disease and the best way to help LGBT persons was to “cure” them.
Regarding mass media State department stresses Pro-government media campaign against gays, particularly mentions “Iravunk” newspaper’s case.
The report also touches issues related to army. “Openly gay men were exempt from military service, purportedly because of concern that fellow service members would abuse them,” – it says.
According to survey an exemption required a medical finding, based on a psychological examination, that an individual had a mental disorder; this information appeared in the individual’s personal documents, and was an obstacle to employment and obtaining a driver’s license.
It is stressed, that Gay men who served in the army faced physical and psychological abuse.
