Armenian LGBT activists report that a local gay couple committed joint suicide after being rejected by their families for coming out.
According to a spokesperson from PINK Armenia, two men that were in a relationship posted their suicide announcement on their respective Instagram accounts before jumping off the Davtashen bridge in Yerevan, Armenia. The photos showed the couple kissing and were captioned: “Happy End. Decisions about sharing photos and our next steps were taken by both of us together.”
Greek news outlets report that the couple were rejected by their relatives after coming out as gay. Facing the alleged abandonment of their families and living in a country that lacks LGBT protections reportedly pushed the young men to take their own lives.
Armenia is known to be socially conservative as 97% of its citizens belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Homosexuality was legalized in Armenia in 2003 yet a 2017 Pew research poll revealed that 97% of Armenian respondents said that they don’t believe LGBT+ Armenians should be accepted in society.
LGBT+ rights groups from neighboring countries have expressed their condolences. With Georgian organization Tbilisi Pride tweeting “We are saddened to hear such devastating news from our neighboring country. Our deepest condolences and solidarity go out to the LGBT community in Armenia. Homophobia, hate & violence have no place in any society!”