Paper Short Abstract:

This paper focuses on queer community's perceptions of state-sponsored homo/queerphobia in Azerbaijan. By ethnographically exploring, this study seeks to unpack how queers perceive the ongoing homo/queerphobia by the state and how to understand its interconnectedness with the state institutions.

Paper Abstract:

In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union and began a new decade of development. In order to join the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan decriminalised homosexuality in 2000, which was the most influential decision for protecting queer lives. However, the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, booming oil industry, and rising authoritarianism avoided further developments of LGBTQI+ rights. This paper will focus on queer community's perceptions of state-sponsored homophobia and homophobic society, which is triggered by the state that decided to become inactive to protect queers. By ethnographically exploring, I study how queers perceive the ongoing homo/queerphobia by state against queer community and how to understand its interconnectedness with the state institutions. By institutions, I aim to explore police and state security service and the way queer reporting culture to these institutions works in practice.

Throughout this paper, I claim that nobody should die or be attacked because of the state’s inactivity to protect them based on their non-heterosexual gender identities. If the Azerbaijani state changed its rigid regulations and protected LGBTQI+ citizens, queers could be tolerated more and report cases of attacks or threats to the state authorities with less hesitation. Additionally, in case of protective actions from Azerbaijani state towards LGBTQI+ citizens and against hate speech, we would not be witnessing queerphobic attacks and many queers’ deaths in comparison with the current scene. Methodologically, this chapter builds on semi-structured interview materials with queer activists and initiatives and extensive fieldwork in Baku from May 2021 to July 2022.