March, music and common sense for 'Equality for all' in Azerbaijan

As Azerbaijan will host the next Council of Europe Conference of Ministers, Nəfəs LGBT Azərbaycan Alyansı Organization sees this as a chance for the advancement of LGBT rights in Azerbaijan. Therefore, they have planned the campaign “Equality for All” which will consist of  several activities.

Photo: Logo of the group Nəfəs LGBT Azerbaijan.
“March for Equality” – On May 17 there will be a march to one of the oldest settlements of Azerbaijan – Gobustan. The slogan of the “March for Equality” will be ‘We are as old as Gobustan’, ‘We were here, we are here, we
will be here’.
Sing for Equality: They are planning to prepare music which will symbolize the interests of LGBT or other minorities (ethnic, ‘race’ etc.) in Azerbaijan. People from different backgrounds (age, social group, profession) will be involved to sing this music.
Common Sense for Equality: This activity will encompass, mainly, 30 European countries. In every country there is an inscription on cigarette boxes: “Smoking is harmful for your health and people around you’. The word smoking will be replaced by ‘homophobia’. As a result, it will then say “Homophobia is harmful for your health and people around you’. People with cigarette boxes in their hands from different countries will take photos and send it to the organization. They will prepare posters and spread it through all social networks.
Legislation for Equality: In 2001 Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe with several obligations. Azerbaijan doesn’t consider recommendations of international organisations in the field of human rights. Therefore, activists want to analyse the legislation in terms of LGBT rights in Azerbaijan and to propose new bills. They also want to raise the issue of the obligations that Azerbaijan did not fulfill in front of the European parliament.
Currently, Nəfəs is still searching for funding to realise the planned activities for May 17.