Recap | January 2024
Pink’s new strategic planning process has begun
Pink started the process of creating a new strategic document. Back in the second half of last year, the organization’s staff, together with the Board, started the planning process. At the same time, the process of needs assessment of LGBT+ people living in Armenia has started.
The staff members started the year with the assessment of the strategic plan for 2021-2023, based on which the main priorities were highlighted and the new strategic plan for 2024-2026 was designed.
As a result of our discussions and workshops, we have specified the directions within which we will continue our activities.
Expert opinion of Media Ethics Monitoring Body regarding the case of “Pink” vs. Aysor.am
“Pink” human rights defender non-governmental organization applied to the Media Ethics Monitoring Body of Armenia, informing that there are about 900 comments under the Facebook publication of the article “A gay boy threw himself from the bridge” published on the Aysor.am news site on 11/15/2023, the overwhelming majority of which spread hate speech against LGBT+ people.
In the complaint, it was noted that the comments on the media’s Facebook posts on both November 15 and November 21 have turned into platforms for spreading hate speech and calls for violence. The media did not control the comments field, which directly contributed to the spread of hatred and negative attitudes towards LGBT+ people. The newspaper neither urged users to refrain from such behavior nor deleted or blocked them.
The Monitoring Body urged the editorial board of Aysor.am to moderate the social network publications and to remove comments containing hate speech and discrimination, and to do the same in the case of future publications.
Armenia must act to prevent discrimination against LGBTI people
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe published a written statement on anti-discrimination legislation in Armenia with an appeal to the Armenian Government and Parliament to ensure the protection of the rights of LGBTI people in the law and proposed the following recommendations:
- explicit inclusion of sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression and sex characteristics, as protection grounds in Article 4 of the law;
- inclusion of a provision in Article 8, allowing human rights organizations to bring claims related to the protection of public interest;
- establish an independent equality body, empowered by the Parliament, to oversee and address discrimination cases.
Training for students specializing in mental health
Pink organized a three-day training for students specializing in mental health. The training aimed to increase the awareness and sensitivity of future professionals on topics related to sexuality.
During the sessions, the participants explored issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, and the unique mental health issues faced by LGBT+ people. The comprehensive approach was aimed at equipping future mental health professionals with various tools and knowledge related to sexuality.
This positive experience reinforces our decision to continue to engage in sexuality awareness and sensitization among both practitioners and students specializing in their fields.
