Azad Isa-zade: "Our society got used to the fact that its certain part consists of people of untraditional sexual orientation"

- Azerbaijani gay painter Babakhan Badalov was arrested by British frontier services. He went to Britain in 2006, claiming that he is being pursued in Azerbaijan. British powers did not provide refuge for him. In July he lost an appeal in the court and was preparing for a new court process in which he was going to prove that his life would be under threat in case he returns to Azerbaijan. Do you consider that Badalov's life is really under threat upon return to Azerbaijan because he is gay?

- Let's admit that he would not be able to integrate with our society without any problems. At the same time, I do not see any special threat to his life and freedom. Yes, people in Azerbaijan do not welcome untraditional sexual orientation, but no cases of violence against sexual minorities are recorded in our country. Moreover, Badalov is an art worker and art workers with their untraditional orientation are treated normally not only in the developed countries but also in present-day Azerbaijan.

- Why are people now used to put an equality sign between a person of art and a person of untraditional sexual orientation?

- A person of art differs from a person, earning a living at a plant, in a technical sphere for his outlook, people, he is communicating with, and lifestyle. Moreover, the opinion of the surrounding people is important for a person of art and he tries to attract the attention with a scandalous behavior, untraditional thinking, outlook and sexual orientation, which can often be a fashion, a part of entourage, surrounding the world of a person of art and it can also be a gay game, by means of which any artist or a singer or a musician tries to raise public interest.

- Did the attitude towards people of untraditional sexual orientation change through the past few years in Azerbaijan?

- I think through the past few years the attitude towards people of untraditional sexual orientation in Azerbaijan has become more tolerant. Certainly, local homosexuals do not feel too free, as they do in the developed countries, however, they do not face any special problems in Azerbaijan, as well. Our society got used to the fact that its certain part consists of people of untraditional sexual orientation and it has become tolerant to it, though it does not welcome such people.

- Is this tolerance connected with the propaganda of their success in mass media and Internet?

- I do not think that people of normal sexual orientation tend to imitate people of untraditional sexual orientation, no matter how successful the latter are. But I agree that effeminacy in speech and conduct has become a fashion among the people of traditional sexual orientation. In other words, there is a fashion not for untraditional orientation, but for its imitation. The number of real homosexuals in local show business is much lower than the number people, pretending to be homosexual.

- Is it possible that Baku  will turn into a city, as much favorable for gays, as Amsterdam? Can gay parades be possibly held in our capital?

- Bakuvians and guests of Baku could observe a kind of gay parades every night, while walking over the night city, especially by the Tbilisi Avenue. As we know, this "parade" was dispersed within a night and there are no places where homosexuals could gather in Baku. Therefore, I do not think that Baku may turn into the second Amsterdam. No matter how tolerant our society is, we will never have such a level of integration of homosexuals into the public life, like it is in Holland.

/Day.Az/