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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Armenia have yet to be claimed and acquired in both the legal and social spheres. High rates of homophobia are prevalent throughout the country primarily due to the public's lack of information and education along with the nation's strong religious beliefs. Homosexuality has been legal in Armenia since 2003.〔 However, even though it has been decriminalized, the situation of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) citizens has not changed substantially. Many LGBT Armenians fear being socially outcast by their friends and families, causing them to keep their sexual orientation or gender identity private. Recently, the LGBT community in Armenia has become better connected due to social media, although a sense of fear and a desire for anonymity remains due to the nation's conservative culture. Homosexuality remains a taboo topic in many parts of Armenian society. In a 2012 study, 55% of correspondents in Armenian stated that they would cease their relationship with a friend or relative if they were to come out as gay. Furthermore, this study found that 70% of Armenians find LGBT people to be "strange." There is, moreover, no legal protection for LGBT persons whose human rights are violated regularly.Armenia has been ranked 47th out of 49 European countries for LGBT rights, with Russia and neighboring Azerbaijian taking the 48th and 49th positions respectively. 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Armenia is number 3 among unfavorable countries for LGBTI people in Europe )〕 The younger generation of Armenians still remain very unknowledgeable about many LGBT issues, likely attributed to the family culture where young people live at home until they reach the primary goal for many Armenians, heterosexual marriage. Many fear violence in their workplace or from their family, and therefore, do not file complaints of human rights violations or of criminal offences. ==Former legislation against homosexuality== Between 1920-1991 Armenia was part of the USSR. Until 2003 the legislation of Armenia followed the corresponding Section 121 from the former Soviet Union penal code, which only specifically criminalized anal intercourse between men. Lesbian and non-penetrative gay sex between consenting adults was not explicitly mentioned in the law as being a criminal offence. The specific article of the penal code was 116, dating back to 1936, and the maximum penalty was 5 years. The abolition of the anti-gay law along with the death penalty was among Armenia's pre-accession conditions to the Council of Europe back in 2001. In December 2002, Azgayin Zhoghov (National Assembly) has approved the new penal code in which the anti-gay article has been removed. On 1 August 2003 the President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan has ratified it bringing to an end the decades of repression against gay men in this South Caucasian Republic. There were 7 prosecutions in 1996 and 4 in 1997 under this law (Amnesty International 1999 Report on Armenia); and 4 in 1999 (Opinion of the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe on the accession of Armenia - Doc. 8756 - 6 June 2000). In 2001, local human rights NGO "Helsinki Association"〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Home )〕 published via its website the story of a 20-year-old Hovik Minassian.〔(Helsinki Association's Open Pages: Homosexuals - Money source for the police )〕 In 1999 the young man was sentenced to 3 months of imprisonment for having sex with another man. He was the last condemned under article 116. In his testimony, he denounced prison guard abuse and mistreatment but also the corrupted judge who shortened his sentence for a $US 1000 bribe. The mediatization of his case signed the first gay "coming out" in Armenia. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「LGBT rights in Armenia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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