QueeRadar,whichregularlymonitorsanti-LGBTIQ+rhetoricintheAzerbaijanimedia,ismarking itsthirdanniversary.
Overthelastthreeyears,alongwithmonitoringtherepresentationofLGBTIQ+intheAzerbaijani media,wehavebeenconductingtrainingsforjournalistsonhowtocreatequeer-inclusivearticles, andorganizingcompetitionstoarouseinterestinthecreationofimpartialandfairjournalistic materials.
Theaimofourannualmonitoringistopayspecialattentiontodiscriminatorystatementsagainst peoplebasedonsexualorientationandgenderidentityandtoanalyzeanddocumenttheuseof incorrectvocabularyandhatespeechinrelationtovulnerablesocialgroupsinAzerbaijan.
"Hatespeech"impliesexpressionsthatthreatenpublicsafety,incitehostilityanddehumanize certaingroupsofpeople.Basedoninstancesofhatespeechinthelocalmedia,therearethree typesthatshouldbeconditionallyrecognized:
-directincitementtohatred,discriminationandviolence;
-spreadofthreatsandinsultsonadiscriminatorybasis;
-expressionscontainingdiscriminationandstigma;
Oneimportantevent,intermsofimpactonthemedialandscapeofAzerbaijanin2021,wasthe adoptionoftheLawonMedia.Thelawwaspasseddespiterepeatedcriticismfromlocal journalists.Criticssaythelawwillsignificantlyaffectthefreedom,independenceandqualityof mediainAzerbaijan.
Unfortunately,in2021,materialsthatwerequeerphobicanddistortedtherealityofqueercitizens appearedinAzerbaijanimedia.
In2021,AzerbaijanmaintaineditsLGBTIQ+phobicstatus,rankinglastontheILGA-Europe’s RainbowMap.AttacksonLGBTIQ+andhatespeechareonariseinthecountry.WhileLGBTIQ+s celebrateyearlyPrideMontharoundtheworld,thismonththerehavealreadybeennumerous attacksinAzerbaijan,andtherehavebeenreportsofLGBTIQ+peoplebeingevictedfromtheir rentedapartments.AtransgenderwomanwasbrutallymurderedinAugust,whileanother transgenderwomanwasattackedinNovember.
Inourcurrentreportwepresenthowtheseeventsarereflectedinthemedia,thetransphobicand homophobicsilenceofthemediaagainstthebackgroundofviolenceandkillingofLGBTIQ+,in whatcontextandwithinwhatboundariesthenewsarticlewasprepared,whowasinterviewed andwhowasnot,whichpointwasexaggeratedandwhichpointwasobscuredorrelegatedtothe background.
Weexpressourgratitudetothosemediarepresentativesandresearcherswhotrynottodistort thelivesandrealitiesofqueercitizensintheirjournalisticwritingandaresensitivetoensuring thatthatnewsisnotpreparedonthebasisofcis-heteronormativediscourse.
INTRODUCTION
Methodology
Throughayear-longstudy,QueeRadardocumentedthefrequencyofmainstreammediareporting onLGBTIQ+relatedissuesandtherepresentationofLGBTIQ+peopleinthedocumentedcoverage. Wesearchedthroughtheonlineversionsof23mediaoutletsinAzerbaijanforexamplesofhate speechbasedongenderidentityandsexualorientationfromJanuaryuntiltheendofDecember 2021.
Weselectedmediaoutletsbasedonthefollowingcriteria:
1.Ithasawebsite.
2.Itreachesawideaudience.
3.Itpublishesmaterialonsocio-politicaltopics.
Searcheswereperformedusingkeywords.ToidentifyLGBTIQ+relatedstoriesweusedkeywords suchaslesbian,gay,bisexual,trans,intersex,sexualorientation,genderidentity,homophobia, transphobia,queer,aswellasAzerbaijanipejorativestowardsLGBTIQ+“mavi (blue), üzdəniraqlar, minorities” .
Whenwecameacrossrelevantarticles,weaskedthefollowingquestions:
•ArethehumanrightsofLGBTIQ+peoplebeingviolatedinthetext?
•IstherespacefortheviewsofLGBTIQ+peopleinthetext,orspacemostly(orentirely)given to peoplewhorejectLGBTIQ+peopleorarehostiletothem?
•Who/whatarethemainsourcesofinformationforthestory?Didtheauthorsuseavariety ofsources?
•WhatlocaltermsareusedtodescribeLGBTIQ+people?
•Doesthestoryprovidebackgroundinformationaboutthesocialandpoliticalconditionsof LGBTIQ+peopleinthecountry?
•IsthereanyprejudiceagainstLGBTIQ+inthetext?
2021-ciilnələrlə yaddaqaldı
LGBTİQ+relatedtopicsthatwerehighonmedia’sagendain2021areasfollows:
· BloggerSevinjHuseynova'shatecalls
· Homophobicandtransphobicattacks
· Evictionfromrentalhousing
· TransgenderwomanNuray’smurder
· Scandalaroundraisingarainbowflaginthestadium
· AttemptstocriminalizethecommunitybasedonseveralincidentsinvolvingLGBTIQ+s
Theabove-mentionedarethemostnotabletopicsrelatedtodiscriminationandhatespeech againstLGBTIQ+.
InJuly2021,thesocialmediaphenomenonSevinjHuseynova,whointroducedherselfasa journalist,madea .Ignoringlocallaws, harshtransphobicandhomophobicvideoappeal Huseynovacalledforviolenceandmurder,andthreatenedLGBTIQ+swithdeath.
AlthoughherpageonTikTokwasblockedbecauseofhatespeech,shecontinuedtodosoon Instagram,targetingLGBTIQ+sbysharingthemonherInstagramstoryandurgingthe authoritiestotakeactionagainsttransgenderpeople.
OnAugust22,atransgenderwomanwasreportedlyburnedtodeathwithherhandstiedinthe PutasettlementoftheGaradaghdistrictofBaku.Threedayslater,onAugust25,shemadeanother videoappealtothepublic,justifyingthemurderofthetransgenderwomanandthreatening transgenderpeoplewithdeath:
"Behaveyourselfandjusttrytolivequietlyfromnowon,ormoreandmoretransgenderpeople willbemurdered!Becausewehavebravesonsinthiscountry,whowillnotallowyoutodo whateveryouwantinfrontoftheirmothers,sisters,familiesandchildren!”
( magazine)
MinorityAzerbaijan
AsaresultofSevinjHuseynova'scalls,AvazHafizli,aqueerjournalistandemployeeofKanal-13, attemptedsuicideonthenightofSeptember4-5.HetookthisstepafterHuseynova'sopenthreats againsthim.Afterbecominganopentarget,onFebruary22,2022,AvazHafizliwasmurderedby hiscousin.Thiscasewillbeanalyzedindetailinourmonitoringcovering2022.
SevinjHuseynova'shatespeechremainedahottopicforLGBTIQ+activistsandplatformsfor months.However,veryfewmediaoutletsfocusedondeaththreatsagainstagroupofAzerbaijani citizens.Thus,thefirstfivemediaoutletsthatpublishthemostnewsorarticlesaboutLGBTIQ+YeniMusavat(80),Milli.Az(73),Haqqin.Az(47),Qafqazinfo(28),Lent.Az(27)turnedablindeyeto SevinjHuseynova'scallsforhatred,themostpressingissueoftheyear.Onlyonebriefnewsarticle aboutSevinjHuseynova'sactionswaspublishedontheQafqazinfo.azwebsiteaftershetargetedan InteriorMinistryspokesmaninOctober.Thearticlewiththetitle"ThistimeSevinjHuseynova
insultsInteriorMinistryofficial-Video"readsthatshedeniedInteriorMinistry’sSpokesperson Zahidov'smediastatementandinsultedhimwhiledoingso.Shepostedavideoonsocialmediain responsetoZahidov'sstatementthat“SevinjHuseynovahasapologizedforwhatshesaid."She deniedtheinformationandsaidthatshedidnotapologizetoanyoneandhadnointentiontodo so.Thus,Qafqazinfo.azpublishedonlyadenialofthenewswhichitdidnotreportabout.
MonitoringshowsthatoneofthemaintendenciesintheAzerbaijanimediaistohurrytomakea refutationofthenewswhichtheydidnotpublishearlier.Forexample,thiscanbeclearlyseenin thereportsabouttransgenderwomenbeingevictedfromrentedapartments.OnJune9,LGBTIQ+ reportedthatthreetransgenderwomenwereforciblyevictedfromtheirhomelocatednearthe “Dostlug”cinemainBakubyofficersofthe20thpolicestation,leavingalltheirbelongingsand moneyintheapartment.AlthoughthevictimscomplainedtotheOmbudsman'sOffice,the Ombudsmanwouldnotmeetthemdirectly..
Let'slookatsomeexamplesofhowthiseventwascoveredinthemedia.
Theheadlinesandmaintextsofthenewsarecopiesofeachotherwithslightdifferences.The pressreleasewrittenbytheMinistryofInternalAffairsonJune10andsenttothemediawas recreatedbyusingthe"copy-paste"method(from16:30to17:00).
Theincidentwasreportedundertheheadline“MIA:factsaboutapartmentsofminoritiesunder investigation SexualminoritiesevictedfromhomeinBaku:Policeintervened Conflictbetween ”,“ ”,“ sexualminoritiesandlandlords-MIAinvestigates”.
Themediaoutlets,whichremainedsilentwhilethevictimswerebeingevictedandheadingtothe Ombudsman'sOffice,didnotcommentonthematteroutsidetheInteriorMinistry'spressrelease anddidnotgivetheevictedpeopletherighttospeakasthevictimsoftheincident.Nordidthey providetheslightestmentionofLGBTIQ+prospectsreferringtoLGBTIQ+activists'statements onsocialmediaplatforms,aswellasalimitednumberofothermediaoutletscoveringthe incident.
TherightsofqueercitizensareviolatedinAzerbaijan,butthemainstreammediacirculatesthis newsinamanipulativeway.Asaresult,itmakesself-expressionofqueercitizens,whosesocial, economicandculturalrightsarenotrecognized,problematic,andlegitimizestheviolenceagainst queercitizensandviolationsofthelaw
Asaresult,readersareservedone-sidedandbiasednewsarticles.
WecanseethesameapproachinthecaseofamurderofatransgenderwomanNuray,another incidentthathappenedin2021.Again,withtheexceptionofahandfulofjournalists,the traditionalmediahavebeenbiasedintheircoverageofthecrimeintermsoflanguage,styleand investigation.
Howtheincidenthappened?
OnAugust18,transgenderwomanNuraywaskilled.HerburntbodywasfoundinPutasettlement ofGaradaghregiononAugust22.Transgenderwomenprotestedagainsttheincidentinfrontof theGaradaghDistrictPoliceOfficeandtheOmbudsman'sOffice.TheysaidbloggerSevinj Huseynovawasresponsibleforthecrime.
Whatwasthemediacoverageofit?
Thecrimewascomprehensivelyandfairlycoveredbyseveralmediaoutlets.However,the approachofmostmediaoutletstotheeventisdescribedintheleftcolumn:
· Anincorrecttermsuchas"sexualminority» wasused;
· Theincidentwasreportedonlyonthebasis ofpressreleasesbytheInteriorMinistryand theProsecutorGeneral'sOffice;
· TheprospectsandopinionofLGBTIQwere ignored;
· Thereisanattitudethatwhathappenedwas notacrime,acrimeofhatred,butascandal;
· Withthecaption"SexualminoritykilledinBaku forthisreason"copiedfromeachother,the readerassumesthekillerhadvalidreasonsfor thecrime.Theytriedtolegitimizethemurder inthetextbystatingthat"...hedeliberately killedhimbyinflictingmultiplestabwounds duringanargumentbetweenthembecausethe videoonhismobilephonewasnotdeletedby thelatter"
· “Initialreportssaidthevictimwasnota woman,butamemberofasexualminority”. Thistransphobicsentencealsosuggeststhat transwomenarenotrealwomen,whichisa widespreadmanifestationoftransphobiainthe Azerbaijanimedia.”
· Finally,anotherelementoftransphobia circulatedbythelocalmediawas"deadnaming"
Oneoftheeventsinthespotlightoflocalandforeignmediain2021wasthedisplayoftherainbow flagbyDanishfansinthequarterfinalsofEuro2020inBakuonJuly3.Thepoliceintervenedand confiscatedtheflag
“
LGBTflagscandalatthestadiuminBaku:whoneedsit?
“
”(YeniMüsavat,0607.2021)
”(Qafqazinfo, RegardingtheLGBTflagtakenawayfromafaninBaku-Officialstatement 05.07.2021)
“
”(Ədalətqəzeti, TheworldthatembracesLGBT:Immorality,diseaseorapurposefulplan? 0707.2021)
ThesearetwoexamplesofLGBTIQ+phobicheadlinesregardingthedisplayoftheflaginthe EuroCupfinals2020.
Allthenewsonthistopicispresentedbydevaluingandcriminalizingtherainbowflag,whichisa symbolofLGBTIQ+struggleandvisibility.Thisapproachhasbeenappliedbothbyselecting emotionallychargedwordsandbycirculatingstatementsbyqueerphobicofficialsandpolitical figures.
Yeni Müsavat triedtojustifyitshomophobicpositionbyreferringtothestatement"whichseesno differencebetweenmanandwoman"bymadePresidentIlhamAliyevin2019andthenapproached GunelSafarova,amemberoftheSupervisoryBoardoftheStateSupportAgencyforNGOs,and AhadMammadli,officialofAgParty(knownforitsdiscriminatoryandregressivepolicies)for furthercomment.BothintervieweesopenlyandindirectlydescribedthedisplayoftheLGBTIQ+ flaginthestadiumasthewillofWesternfunds,andtriedtodiscreditpeoplebyaccusingthemof usingtheclassicmethodof"promotingsomethingformoney"AhadMammadlitookthe opportunitytoaddressthegovernmentagencies:“TheAgPartyisagainstthepropagandaofthis trend,andwehavenotseenaconcretestanceonthisissuefromotherparties.Wearenottalking aboutmarginalizedgroupsthatworkfor3-5qəpik.Thedangerrathercomesfromtheirpatrons. TheAzerbaijanistatemustresolvethisissue.Measuresshouldbetakenevenwiththosekindsof singersandshow-businesspeopleonTV.”
Themonitoringshowsthat LGBTIQ+phobicmediausespublicfigures,politicalfiguresand celebritiesastoolstocirculatediscriminatoryandreactionaryviews.The"Queerphobes"section ofthereportfocusesonthisissueinamoredetailedway.
Hate“columns”
Asinthepreviousreport,theresultsofthisyear'smonitoringshowthatcolumnwritingisthe mostsuitablegenreforhatespeech,discriminatorylanguage,andadegradingstyle.
10outof80materialsthatincludewordsandtermswithreferencetoLGBTIQ+inYeniMüsavat arecolumnarticleswrittenbyKhalidKazimli,whoisknownbyhispennameSamirSari.
Duringtheyear,whileidentifyingwordsandphrasesdescribingLGBTIQ+,itbecameclearthat theword"petukh"enteredthisyear'sstatisticsthroughSamirSari'scolumns.Althoughnotallof thesearticlesaredirectlyaboutLGBTIQ+,expressionsaboutLGBTIQ+havebeenusedasatoolto writederogatoryandridiculoussentiments.Let'stakeacloserlookattheauthor'sarticle"Letthe minoritynotturntothemajority,nomatterwhat".
SamirSari,whouseshomophobicrhetoricfromthetitletothemiddleofthearticle,says: "Personally,Iamnothomophobic."Hesubstantiateshisopinionabouthimselfasfollows:“Many timesIhadachance(especiallyatinternationalconferences)totalktoapersonwhoseemedto representasexualminoritywithallhisgesturesandappearance,Ididnotturnawayindisgustor sayanythingelse."
TheLGBTIQ+phobiaexpressedbydirectviolencebytheauthoritiesisclear.Butwhatdoes homophobicbehaviorimplyandwhyisaveteranmediarepresentativelikeSamirSariunawareof it?Homophobiaisassociatedwithlegitimizingsexism,authoritarianismandaheterocentric system;itstemsfromamindsetthathindersfreedomandafairlife.
Homophobicrhetorichaschangeditsstrategyandstylesignificantlyovertheyears.Although homophobicrhetoricusedtobemoreopenandharsh,ithasdevelopedsignificantlyinrecent years.Nowhomophobicrhetorichasexpandeditsscopethankstoitssoftstyle.Because homophobiahasnoclearboundaries,itcanmanifestitselfanywhere.
Eventheharshestexpressionsanddemands,asintheupdatedversionofhomophobicrhetoric overtheyears,canprovetobeimpartial,tolerantandharmless.Usingthisstrategyinthearticle (whetherintentionallyorunintentionally),theauthorsaysthat “Mostly, people are afraid that today's sexual minorities are aggressive, they can scratch and cut four face with a blade. It is even said that many carry knives in their bags,” thuscriminalizingthemanddistortingtheirrealities.
ElchinAliyogluwasoneofthecolumnistscoveredinthelastreport.Hecontinuedtofollowthe samepathinhisMarch9articletitled“ ”."Agroupofwomentriedto NoFeministGossipinBaku protestinBaku,"theauthorsaid,insultingfeministactivists,accusingthemofmisunderstanding feminism.
TheMarch8marchoffeministsinBakuwasalsoatopicforanauthoratthehaqqın.azwebsite NatellaRustamova:"HonorofoneAzerbaijanianddishonorofanother"
Inthestate-nationalistdiscourse,awoman'scitizenshipandexistenceasanindividualisbuilt differentlyfromandrelatedtothecitizenshipandexistenceofmalecitizens.Inthediscourse highlightedbyNatellaRustamova,womenareoneofthemaintoolstoprotecttheexistenceofthe stateandthenation–theywillbecalledtothefrontifnecessary,andwhenthethreattothestate andthenationsubsides,theywillsendthemhomeasabirthmachinetoensurepopulationgrowth andthereforegrowthofthenation.Womenandtheirsexualityareattheheartofnationaland ethnicprocesses.Forthisreason,awoman'sdeparturefromthisdiscourseisperceivedasher disappearance,abetrayalofthemotherland,thenationandthestate.Inthisarticle,weseethatit isassociatedwithfeminismbecauseitdoesnotcoincidewithstatehoodandnationalism.Aswe havenoted,ifawomandoesnotdevoteherlifetothewelfareofthenation,thestate,the reproductionandreconstructionofitspoliticalambitions-forexample,asamartyr'smother, sister,daughterorhusband-sheisatraitor.B.S.Walbyinterpretspatriarchyintwoways:a) privatepatriarchy,b)publicpatriarchy.Privatepatriarchalvaluespreferwomenintheprivate sphere,benefitfromtheirdomesticlabor,andisolatethemfrompubliclifeandsociety.The presenceofawomanhereistoservethehouseandthepeoplethere.Publicpatriarchyis connectedwiththestate.Womenarenotisolatedfromsociety,buttheconditionfornotbeing isolatedistoservethewelfareofthecommunitywithintheconditionsbuiltbythatsociety.Inthis article,thewoman,whoisvaluedbythenationalist-statediscourse,isbuiltonlyasaheterosexual andmartyr'smother,sisterandrelative.Thewoman,whogoesbeyondthisidentity,islabelleda traitortoboththehomelandandherpeers.
Queerphobesoftheyear
Monitoringresultsshowthatthemediaisthemostfertileplatformforpoliticiansandcelebrities tomakequeerphobicstatements.Peopleoperatinginvariousfieldsarethosewhousethepressas atooltospreadhatespeechandmisinformation,aswellastotargetLGBTIQ+s.
Psychologists,politicians,doctors,etc.areperceivedasdominantinsociety,andtheir discriminatoryviewsaretakenmoreseriously.Moreover,theseideasarespreadingveryquickly thankstosensationalmediaheadlineswrittenforthesakeofclickbait.Inparticular,becauseofthe lackofaqueer-inclusiveenvironmentinconservativecountriessuchasAzerbaijan,LGBTQ+sare notgivenspaceinthemainstreammedia;thereisnodenyingthemisinformation(forexamplethe ideathathomosexualityisadisease)spreadbysuchdominantindividuals,whohaveaccessto hundredsofthousandsandevenmillionsofpeople.
ThevoicesofLGBTQ+saresilencedbyqueerphobicanddiscriminatoryspeeches;andthosewho directlyopposeLGBTIQ+citizensinpublicarefindingthecouragetocommithatecrimesbecause publicfiguresempowerthem.
Whoarethemostdistinguishedsocio-politicalfiguresin2021withtheirdiscriminatoryspeeches?
Wehavecompiledalistofthemtogetherwiththeviewstheyspreadtosocietythroughthemedia.
Statistics of sexual minorities, their lifestyle (drug transit, immorality, same-sex marriages) should be determined. Moreover, it is not a secret that being a sexual minority is also a health problem. Therefore, official registration must be carried out. Those who suffer from this sexual illness are also psychologically handicapped… Therefore, someone should be responsible for interfering in the process. After all, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for criminal acts, but who will take care of this mental problem, which does not fit into these mental values and religious views? Maybe we should expect that, just like the "white death", the issue of sexual minorities will create a wave of "color death" in the country and explode?!
Our tricolor flag has a rival like a multicolor flag! LGBT! LGBT people promise a deadly spiritual fate for the future of the people who have lived for hundreds of years with the Maiden Tower mindset, for me and your children!
The propaganda of LGBT symbols, as well as its belonging to the 3rd sex, is inadmissible. It is sometimes said that God created them this way. No. Nature has created humans in two sexes in terms of the necessary instrumental equipment. The third sex is a deviation, an exception. It is just that many people belonging to sexual minorities, as a result of their upbringing and propaganda, deviate from the straight and natural path and tend to the third door. Their numbers would not increase and would be limited without open promotion of LGBT people.
Homosexuality is a habit and a direct psychological disorder. Whether they are lesbians, transsexuals, gays or bisexuals, they all have childhood traumas. The common name is parental neglect. Either there was no one to guide them properly or they were abused or abandoned by parents.
There is homosexuality in nature, but human society is governed not only by biology but also by consciousness. It seems to me that as long as ethical values remain in force, such cases will not be allowed in Azerbaijan.
Hey transgender people, know your limits. Do not overdo it, I personally warn you. I am still speaking on my own behalf. If you come to me, I will do my best to destroy you. From here, I appeal to all our men, my brothers, and girls like me. Wherever you see them, beat them.
As long as I am an MP, I will protest against the issue of sexual minorities: "I can even rebel, everything can be tolerated, but not this. When Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe, one of the commitments was to show tolerance for sexual minorities: “I strongly objected to this. I said that Azerbaijan has national traditions and we cannot accept this commitment. However, they removed Article 113 from the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. We can't agree on same-sex relationships and marriages."
LGBT ugliness will not find a place in society. Now they are trying to impose these disgusting, inhuman features on the world. Unfortunately, there are a few brainwashed people in Azerbaijan. There are young people who have become propagandists of this abomination. Such actions are not only against the state but also against humanity. These actions must be prevented.
DuringtheJanuary-December2021studyperiod,501materials(news,articles,columns, interviews)withwordsandtermsrelatedtoLGBTIQ+werepublishedin23mediaoutlets. Although37.5%ofthemhaveneutralcontent,62.5%arebiasedorpublishedincorrectmaterials againstLGBTIQ+.
Ifwecomparethenumberofarticleswith2020,thereisanincreaseof89.
Thisyear’smonitoringresultsalsoshowthatmediaoutletsarereinforcingnegativestereotypes thatcouldleadtoviolenceagainstLGBTIQ+.Themediaoftenturnsablindeyetoconcernsabout rightsandequality,includingoffencesrelatedtoLGBTIQ+.
Mostofthetermsandexpressionsinthenewsandarticlesaremisused.Forexample,aphobic expressionsuchas"sexualminority"wasused103timesin2020,butin2021itwas116 Although theterm"petukh"didnotappearinthemediain2020,in2021thetermwaswidelycirculatedby cisheterocolumnistsandauthors.Thetotalnumberofusesofthewords"mavi"(blue)and "petukh"was21.
ThestudyshowsthatLGBTIQ+continuestobeusedintheAzerbaijanimediaasatooltoinsult politicalopponents.
Althoughnotrelatedtothenewsorarticles,journalistsemphasizepeople'ssexualorientationor genderidentity
Interestingly,ineachofourreportsoverthepastthreeyears,ithasbecomeclearthatthetopicof LGBTIQ+intheAzerbaijanimediaappearsinanon-Azerbaijanicontext:therearefewermaterials onthestatusandrightsofLGBTIQ+inAzerbaijan.
Transphobiaisespeciallyprevalentinthemedia.Transgendertermssuchas"transgender", "formerlymale/female"or"male/femaleborn"areused.Deadnamingpatternsarealsocommon.
Alltheabove-mentionedproblemsshowthatthereasonwhythemediaoutletsgivewidecoverage tostigmatizinganddiscriminatoryhatespeechisnotsimplythattheyarelessinformedandhave lessaccesstoqueerresources.Manifestationsofhatespeechdonothappenbychanceeither.Both ourmonitoringandthereportsofotheragenciesandgroupsmakeitclearthatthepolicyof discriminationinthemediaispurposefullyimplementedinproportiontothestatementsof governmentagenciesandpro-governmentpublicfigureswhoarehostiletoLGBTIQ+.
Inadditiontotheproblems,thecoverageofLGBTQ+inthecontextofrightsandfreedomsinthe country'smediaismorecommonthaninpreviousyears.Thishaschangedinparallelwiththe activitiesofvariousinitiativegroups,LGBTIQ+activismthathasgainedmorevisibilityincertain publicspaces.Inthisregard,oneofthememorableeventsof2021isthefirstpublicstatementby Azerbaijanicivilsocietyrepresentativesagainsttheincreaseinviolence,discriminationandother violationsofLGBTQ+citizensandtheinactionofthestateinthisregard.
CONCLUSION
Figure1.