Trans* activist and model Diana Ghzroyan announced a few weeks ago that she will participate in the “Miss Star International” beauty contest, which will be held in Brazil in December 2024. The beauty contest is intended for trans persons, with the primary goal of making trans people visible and addressing their issues and challenges. The winner of the competition receives a monetary award and signs a contract with the organization to engage in LGBTIQ+ activism on international platforms.
Diana Ghzroyan speaks about her participation in the competition with great joy and enthusiasm, noting that this is an unprecedented event for Armenian society.
Diana mentions that this event has already excited the local trans community. “You can’t imagine how much support I received from our compatriots in the diaspora and from locals as soon as this information got spread,” she says.
Trans activist Lilit Martirosyan, head of the “Right Side” NGO, also emphasizes that Diana Ghzroyan’s participation in this international competition is crucial for the Armenian trans community. “The message of the competition is that participants should raise the visibility of trans people in their country and address the problems they face. I welcome Diana and am very proud of her for her courage and strength. Although she is currently receiving many threats, including death threats, she continues the work she started,” Lilit Martirosyan told us.
Within the LGBTIQ+ community, this news was received with enthusiasm and joy; however, outside the community, the majority of society met this news with resistance. Hate speech, threats of violence and murder against Diana Ghzroyan began to spread on the Internet. Several news outlets even went so far as to publish her personal information.
Lilit Martirosyan emphasizes that Diana’s life is genuinely in danger at the moment, given the violence against and murder cases of the trans community in our region over the past year.
“We are currently documenting all the information: hate speech, threats, and we will contact the police because Diana’s life is now in danger, and she cannot even leave her house,” says Lilit, adding that many comparisons are being made to the murder of Kesaria Abramidze: “People say: Georgians were more honorable for killing Kesaria.”
According to the head of the “Right Side” NGO, these recent incidents have greatly affected the mental health of the local trans community, leaving everyone scared.
Diana Ghzroyan also notes that she anticipated such a reaction from most of society. According to her, in light of these targeted threats, her freedom of movement has now been limited. “I will continue this lifestyle until the competition; I don’t want to create a situation that would prevent me from participating,” she says.
During our conversation, both Diana Ghzroyan and Lilit Martirosyan mentioned that they do not have high hopes for law enforcement bodies to protect against or prevent possible harassment and threats to Diana’s life. Despite this, they have documented the threats spreading on the Internet and sent through private messages, and they have contacted the police.
According to trans activists, their primary support and hope continue to be the Armenian CSO and the international community. “Can you imagine if there were no women’s and feminist organizations, what our situation would be and what would happen to the trans community?” says Lilit Martirosyan.
She argues that today, representatives of CSOs should unite to eliminate the atmosphere of impunity in Armenia or at least prevent it from deepening. “This situation can affect not only the trans community but also the entire LGBTIQ+ community. Trans people have always been involved in all movements—LGBT, feminist. They are always the frontline fighters. Trans people, being more visible, have always been the most targeted. To society’s representatives and activists who stand for human rights and democracy, I ask everyone to support the trans community in unison. Our organization alone cannot address the numerous cases of hatred; we can only tackle them together. Supporting the trans community is vital at this moment; this violence will breed greater violence tomorrow,” Lilit Martirosyan states.
Referring to the anti-LGBTIQ+ law in Georgia, Lilit expressed hope that Armenia will not follow that path, as we “at least strive for democracy at the level of statements.”
Despite the challenges occurring in the region and in our country, trans activists continue their daily struggle, unwaveringly standing firm even in the face of adversities that many privileged groups in society will never face or even consider as issues.
“I want to thank a strong trans woman like Diana for her bravery. I am sure that Diana will achieve great success in the future and will increase the visibility of trans people,” Lilit Martirosyan concludes.
Diana Ghzroyan is also in a positive mood, full of hope that one day everything will be fine. “We should not despair in this tense atmosphere or think that this is the end. No, each of us should start from ourselves and ensure that we do not give up! As long as there is some chance to fight, and even a very small thread to which we can cling, we should continue our struggle,” she says, and together we agree that we will do the next interview with her after her victory.
Interview by Yelena Sargsyan
