Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan worst places to be gay

Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan are ranked the worst places to live in Europe for LGBTI people, meeting only 5 percent of the rights community’s criteria for legal equality.

The ILGA-Rainbow Europe Organization ranked up to 50 European countries basing marks on various points that affect the daily life of LGBTI people.

Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan are ranked with the worst scores while Malta, Belgium and the United Kingdom were listed as the best-ranking countries.

LGBTI people face hate crime and discrimination although homosexuality is legal in the worst-ranking countries. Homophobic and transphobic violent attacks appear often in these countries and the state policies are criticized in the western media.

Recently journalist Anna Nemtsova wrote a piece, “Who’s Killing Gay Journalists in Russia?’ and criticized the harsh approaches toward LGBTI people in Russia. Another important article appeared on PRI under the headline of, “Russian-style anti-gay legislation has inspired homophobic attacks in Kyrgyzstan”. According to the article, hate crime issue in Russia is accepted as a good model for anti-LGBTI groups on Central Asian countries.

It is written as, “Lesbian, gay, and transgender people say they’re feeling the impact of a proposed law preventing discussion of LGBT issues in the Central Asian nation that is closely allied with Russia. Gay people in Kyrgyzstan say the legislation has led to an increase in homophobia and hate crimes against their community.”