The California Courier Online, August 16, 2018
1- Commentary
Countering Erdogan’s Propaganda
In The New York Times
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Appeals Court Frees Ex-Armenian President Robert Kocharian
3 – After Brutal Mob Attack, LGBTQ activists in Armenia ‘Want Justice’
4 – Diaspora Ministry Introduces ‘Neruzh’ Program
5 – Parks Project, REI Collaborate to Save U.S. National Parks
By Eillie Anzilotti
6- Commentary: Homophobia In Armenia: A National Crisis
By Vic Gerami
7 – Armenia Fund Philanthropist Antranik Baghdassarian:
A vision of long-term sustainability
8- Mer Hooys Celebrates Sixth Year With Art Exhibition, Gala
Fundraising Concert
9- Armand Dorian Named USC Verdugo Hills Chief Medical Officer
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1 – Commentary
Countering Erdogan’s Propaganda
In The New York Times
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
For many years, the Turkish government has hired numerous American
companies in Washington, D.C., to lobby and carry out public relations
on its behalf.
Hiring such companies is very expensive and most of the time, it is a
waste of money, as they produce more paperwork than actual results.
But once in a while, they can draft and help publish opinion articles
(op-eds) in American newspapers on behalf of Turkish officials and
arrange their visits and meetings in the United States.
The Turkish government is obligated to spend large amounts of money to
hire such companies because it cannot rely on the Turkish-American
community to lobby or do PR on its behalf, no matter how much funding
is provided from Ankara. The same situation applies to the Azerbaijani
government and the Azeri-American community. Neither the Turkish nor
Azeri communities are very active in American politics and have not
existed in the United States as long as the Armenian community. This
is why Turkey and Azerbaijan rely on paid lobbyists to advance their
interests in the United States.
Given the recent turmoil in the relationship between the United States
and Turkey, one of the PR firms hired by the Turkish government was
probably asked to draft an opinion column on behalf of Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and use its contacts to have that
article published in The New York Times.
Naturally, the column had to reflect the views of Erdogan rather than
those of the PR firm. It would have been interesting to compare the
first draft of what the American PR firm first suggested to the final
version as revised by Erdogan’s staff.
Judging from the content of Erdogan’s article, one can tell that the
PR firm’s proposed text, written delicately and professionally, was
not accepted by Ankara. Instead, what The New York Times ended up
publishing is a typical bombastic article reflecting Erdogan’s
dictatorial and pompous stand. Having rejected the PR firm’s more
diplomatic text, Erdogan has made his article useless in having any
positive effect on the American public and government.
Erdogan’s August 10, 2018 critical article was titled: “How Turkey
Sees the Crisis With the U.S.,” and subtitled: “Unilateral actions
against Turkey by the United States will undermine American interests
and force Turkey to look for other friends and allies.”
The reader would be turned off right away from the article’s title by
its confrontational tone and threatening language inappropriate for
resolving any kind of a dispute. Here are a few examples of Erdogan’s
questionable opinions expressed in his controversial op-ed column:
“…The United States has repeatedly and consistently failed to
understand and respect the Turkish people’s concerns.”
How about the Turkish leader’s need to understand and respect the
concerns of the American people? The tail does not wag the dog.
Erdogan does not comprehend that Turkey needs the United States more
than the U.S. needs Turkey. For far too long, because of weak
leadership in Washington, the Turkish government has gotten away with
its inappropriate behavior as a NATO member and U.S. ally. The more
American leaders accommodated Turkish misbehavior, the more
antagonistic they have become. If decades ago, the United States had
put Turkey in its place, it would have learned to behave as a junior
U.S. partner, and not as a bully.
Erdogan warned: “Unless the United States starts respecting Turkey’s
sovereignty and proves that it understands the dangers that our nation
faces, our partnership could be in jeopardy…. Turkey has alternatives.
Failure to reverse this trend of unilateralism and disrespect will
require us to start looking for new friends and allies.”
This is an empty threat. Turkey is free to turn to Russia or China and
lose the support of the United States and Western Europe. It is high
time for NATO to consider kicking Turkey out of the alliance. Good
riddance!
Erdogan also accused the United States of arming Kurdish fighters in
Syria and using these weapons against Turkey “in Syria, Iraq and
Turkey” itself.
First of all, it is a lie that U.S. weapons were used by Kurds in
Turkey. Secondly, Turkish forces have no business invading Syria and
Iraq, thus violating their territorial sovereignty.
Erdogan went on to counter Pres. Trump’s request to free the unfairly
held American pastor, Andrew Brunson, by asking the United States to
respect Turkey’s “judicial process.” What judicial process under
Erdogan’s dictatorship? Thousands of Turks have been in jail without
any due process or an iota of guilt. If Erdogan had any brains, he
would have ordered the release of Pastor Brunson a long time ago, thus
avoiding an unnecessary conflict with the United States. Because
Erdogan and his junior brother, Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, are
so unhinged, they have generated negative publicity against Turkey and
Azerbaijan that no PR company can fix, no matter how much money it is
paid.
Interestingly, The New York Times published an editorial on the same
day as Erdogan’s article, condemning the Turkish leader’s
“unscrupulous behavior” for holding Pastor Brunson on “trumped-up
charges,” and asking: “is Turkey still an American ally?”
Ironically, The New York Times editorial destroyed any benefit
Erdogan was expecting from the publication of his propaganda article,
thus wasting the large amount of money Turkey spent on public
relations.
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2- Appeals Court Frees Ex-Armenian President Robert Kocharian
By Amalia Margaryan
On Monday, August 13, Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian
walked out of jail a free man after the country’s Court of Appeals
ruled that he cannot be prosecuted for the March 1, 2008 post-
election violence in Yerevan that killed ten.
The Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s ruling to arrest
Kocharian on charges that he usurped state power during the 2008
protests.
Kocharian had vehemently denied the charge, while his defense lawyers
argued that their client enjoyed legal immunity from prosecution.
The lawyers claimed that the Pashinyan government was waging a
political vendetta against Kocharian. Kocharian was charged on July
26. Two days later, a Yerevan court issued an order detaining him for
two months.
Ruben Sahakyan, one of Kocharian’s defense lawyers, told reporters
outside the court that the Special Investigative Service (SIS) opposes
today’s ruling and will file an appeal with the Court of Cassation.
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3 – After Brutal Mob Attack, LGBTQ activists in Armenia ‘Want Justice’
By Alex Cooper
Nine LGBTQ individuals were attacked by a mob of more than 30 people
in the Armenian village of Shurnukh last week, according to police and
one of the victims. Two of the victims were seriously injured and
required hospitalization, while seven suffered minor injuries.
The attackers, who allegedly yelled anti-gay slurs while beating and
throwing rocks at the nine friends, were released by police after a
brief investigation. Now, the victims and an international human
rights group are calling for the assailants to be brought to justice.
Hayk Oprah Hakobyan, founder of LGBTQ advocacy group Rainbow Armenia
Initiative, said he invited a group friends to his family’s home on
the Armenia-Iran border last week for a weekend getaway. On Friday
evening, however, the group got unexpected visitors. Two men from the
village arrived at Hakobyan’s family home and demanded to see him.
“When I refused to talk to them, one of the guys jumped over the fence
and entered into the house and onto the balcony,” Hakobyan recalled.
The man wanted Hakobyan to go outside with him, but he refused. His
friends then called the police and Hakobyan’s family to help
intervene. His family, however, told him and his friends to leave the
house, where they were then met with a growing mob of people.
“By that point there were already 15 men, “Hakobyan said. “They were
gathered around, and they spoke to my father and brother and told them
that we had to leave.”
They accused Hakobyan and his friends of sharing so-called gay
propaganda and behaving wildly, a claim Hakobyan disputes. Shortly
after the group of nine left Hakobyan’s home, he said they were
assaulted by the crowd. “We were standing outside and someone just
came and hit one of my friends, and then the horrors started,”
Hakobyan recalled. “People were throwing rocks. People were punching
and hitting my friend’s head.”
The angry mob, according to Hakobyan, started yelling homophobic slurs
at him and his friends and telling them they need to leave the
village. The crowd, which eventually reached more than 30 people,
chased the nine friends to the outskirts of the village. “They were
saying, ‘We need to catch Hayk. We need to kill him,’” Hakobyan said,
noting that they knew his name since he was from the village.
The mob finally stopped when Hakobyan and his friends reached the
outskirts of the village and were met by police officers. The
officers, however, were not supportive, according to Hakobyan. “They
told us we had to go back to the village to make clarifications. We
were like, ‘Are you crazy?’” Hakobyan recalled.
When they arrived at the police station in Goris, the closest city,
Hakobyan said an officer told him and his friends to “cut the
emotions” and tell them “the real story.”
In response to the incident, the Armenian police released a short
statement corroborating the victims’ assertions of a violent mob
attack. And at least one of the assailants publicly admitted to
attacking the group of friends because they were gay.
“We went out into the street to fight for our honor,” the man told a
local news outlet. “If they come again, we will beat again.”
Following last week’s attack and the subsequent release of the
assailants, the victims and several human rights organizations are
calling on the police to further investigate the incident. “We want
justice. We want these people in jail,” Hakobyan said, adding that has
life has been completely changed after the assault. “I don’t have a
home anymore. I’m targeted.” He fears if those who attacked him and
his friends go unpunished, it could set a dangerous and violent
precedent in the country.
“If this case would go down [without a proper investigation] then
there would be no place for people who are different in Armenia,”
Hakobyan said. “Armenia would be no place for people who are diverse.”
He said he and his friends are now “physically OK” for the most part
but “psychologically we’re pretty much broken.”
Human rights group Amnesty International called the attack “a
deplorable act of homophobic violence” and called on the authorities
to take action.
“Amnesty International calls on the Armenian authorities to fully and
effectively investigate the attack and bring the perpetrators to
justice,” the organization said in a statement. “Authorities must take
all necessary steps to unmask any discriminatory motive based on
sexual orientation behind the attack.”
LGBTQ rights group ILGA-Europe also condemned the “violent attack.”
“LGBTQI people are part of Armenian society and should be able to live
fully and freely, without fear,” the organization said in a statement.
“We call on local police officers, national law enforcement agencies
and policymakers to find the perpetrators, fully investigate this
incident without delay and introduce laws to protect LGBTI people
against bias-motivated crimes.”
The United States embassy in the Armenian capital of Yerevan spoke out
against the attack through its official Twitter account. “The U.S.
Embassy condemns all hate crimes, including the violent August 3
attack against nine young LGBTI Armenians. The state is responsible
for all Armenians’ safety and security,” said the embassy in its post.
The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society (GALAS) issued a statement
following the recent attacks in Armenia. “In light of the recent
violence against 9 LGBTQ individuals in Armenia, we call upon the
Armenian government to publicly condemn this and all hate crimes
targeting people due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Marginalized groups in Armenia have continuously been deprived of full
legal protection and equal rights. It is our hope that the new
government of Armenia will stand firmly in defense of human rights and
justice for all,” said GALAS in its statement. This latest incident
fits a pattern of homophobic and transphobic violence in the former
Soviet country of almost 3 million.
In April, a 15-year-old was stabbed for being assumed gay by a
35-year-old man, ILGA-Europe reported. Two months earlier, a
transgender woman was attacked in her Yerevan apartment, according to
Armenian trans rights group Right Side NGO.
A 2016 survey by LGBTQ rights group PINK Armenia found 90 percent of
Armenians think the rights of LGBTQ people should be limited through
legal means. The same survey found more than 90 percent of people in
the country think it is unacceptable for same-sex couples to hold
hands in public.
Armenia currently ranks 48th among 49 European countries on
ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Map, which ranks countries according to
how LGBTQ-friendly they are. Neighboring Azerbaijan came in last on
the list
According to a 2017 Amnesty International report, hostility has
increased in several former Soviet states, including Armenia, due in
part to “the repressive rhetoric and practices emanating from Moscow.”
This article appeared on NBC News on August 8, 2018.
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4 – Diaspora Ministry Introduces ‘Neruzh’ Program
A program that was often mentioned during Armenia’s Diaspora Minister
Mkhitar Hayrapetyan’s visit to Los Angeles was officially introduced
by the ministry on Tuesday, August 7.
Neruzh is initiated and organized by the Ministry of Diaspora of the
Republic of Armenia in close cooperation with the Foundation for
Armenian Science and Technology (FAST), with the support of the
Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) foundation, the United
World Colleges (UWC) Dilijan, Impact Hub Yerevan, and the
Russian-Armenian University.
Neruzh is a Diaspora Youth Startup Program for young entrepreneurs of
Armenian descent who wish to bring their startup ideas and projects to
Armenia.
Applicants should: be an Armenian living abroad, or from the Diaspora
residing in Armenia for a period of 6 months maximum before submitting
their application; be 18-35 years old; and be ready to reside and
build their startup in Armenia or Artsakh. At least one (co)founder
should be of Armenian descent.
The startup field should fit into one or more of the following target
sectors and their subsectors: Agriculture, Tourism, or Innovative
Technologies.
The screening committee will choose up to 100 applications according
to eligibility requirements and selection criteria. Participants will
be introduced to Armenia and its business environment. Two members
from each selected startup/team will be invited to participate in the
startup program, which will take place from December 16 to 21 at the
UWC, Dilijan.
At the end of the startup program a pitching event will be held, where
up to 10 best teams will receive Innovation Grants and Ecosystem
Awards once they settle in Armenia or Artsakh.
Each winning team of Innovation Grants and Ecosystem Awards will
receive a grant of up to 15 million drams after settling in Armenia or
Artsakh. Innovation Grants winners will also receive the Ecosystem
Awards that cover: Free legal and taxation consulting; Membership in
FAST Startup Studio for 4 months with full coaching program and
co-working space; 8-month Fellowship program at Impact Hub Yerevan
including incubation, mentorship and access to a professional
workspace; Mentorship and coaching by field experts; and Support of
partner organizations.
Neruzh is an opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs to live in
the homeland, and it is a unique opportunity for Diaspora Armenians to
do business in Armenia while receiving strong support from the
Government of Armenia, assistance in relocation and settlement in
Armenia, capacity to create employment opportunities in Armenia, and
supporting Armenia to enhance its startup ecosystem.
Applications are due by September 13, 2018. For more information,
visit www.neruzh.am.
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5- Parks Project, REI Collaborate to Save U.S. National Parks
By Eillie Anzilotti
In December, Patagonia blacked out its website with the statement,
“The president stole your land,” after Donald Trump shrunk the size of
two national monuments in Utah. REI protested similarly, saying the
outdoor retailer will continue to work to protect public lands.
Under the Trump administration, the national parks have come under
threat. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who oversees the
National Parks Service, has pushed to open up the land to devastating
practices like mining and fracking. Meanwhile, cultural enthusiasm for
the parks is at a record high: Visitors to the parks have increased by
around 1.5 billion in the past five years. Zinke himself has
acknowledged the parks are beginning to strain under the demand,
saying in February that “our National Parks are being loved to death.”
While Zinke’s approach to helping the parks may center more around
selling their resources for capital gain, businesses–particularly
those with an environmental slant–are trying to use their heft to
restore and preserve the lands.
One of those businesses is Parks Project, which launched four years
ago as a social enterprise specifically geared at funding much-needed
national parks maintenance. Founded by two former TOMS employees—Sevag
Kazanci and Keith Eshelman—the brand is very on-trend–its
vintage-inspired tees, candles, and home decor would not be out of
place in a hipster photo shoot (and in fact, Parks Project sells some
products through Urban Outfitters). But instead of following the TOMS’
buy one, give one model, which has received criticism for failing to
address the root causes of need, Parks Project cofounder Keith
Eshelman decided to do things differently.
Each purchase of a Parks Project item funds a specific backlogged
maintenance project. “We could’ve gone the easy route of just giving
10 percent of a purchase to the National Park Foundation,” Eshelman
says. The foundation is the official nonprofit arm of the National
Parks Service, and it allocates funds and resources to the 59 national
parks and 117 monuments in the U.S. But Eshelman wanted the funds
created through the Parks Project to go toward causes that customers
could connect with more directly.
The sale of Joshua Tree T-shirts, for instance, will support the
planting of new Joshua trees in the park. Climate change, particularly
the 2015 drought in California, decimated the rare tree’s landscape,
and the species is struggling to survive. For every five T-shirts
sold, Parks Project funds the addition of two additional Joshua trees
(or other climate-change-endangered flora) to the park. So far,
they’ve funded nearly 10,000 new plantings.
Figuring out which projects to fund via sales is a matter of
collaboration, Eshelman says. Parks Project has worked out agreements
with around 30 specific park conservancies so far, and those
conservancies are the ones that decide which projects need the most
immediate attention. In Yosemite, it’s upkeep for the roughly 800
miles of volunteer-maintained trails. In the Everglades, it’s the
removal of invasive species that harm the gator population. For each
park, there’s a range of products that support the particular project,
and Parks Project has an official licensing agreement with the
National Parks Service to use parks imagery in their product designs.
“We noticed that the outdoor industry especially in the social media
community were bigger than ever but the engagement with stewardship
and land conservation was getting lost with the next generation. We
also felt like there was a serious lack of well-designed and
sustainable product in the National Parks and outdoor space. It was
either just too technical for us or geared towards an older
demographic,” said Parks Project cofounder Sevag Kazanci, who was born
in Istanbul and raised in Southern California where he spent his youth
skating, snowboarding, hiking and camping. Kazanci worked in the
action sports industry for six years at O’Neill and Volcom, before
transitioning to TOMS Shoes, where he heads up all apparel and
accessories.
“TOMS Shoes is a company that I believe helped inspire a movement of
using business to do good. We decided to launch Parks Project to
connect the two worlds—to use well designed and quality made products
to activate the next generation of stewards. Every product we sell
helps fund a project in a park and Parks Project has contributed more
than $100,000 to park conservancies and logged more than 1,000
volunteer hours in parks,” said Kazanci.
While around 50 percent of Parks Project’s sales come directly from
their website, they’re also launching a new deal with REI this month
to boost exposure and drive more revenue to the projects. And Eshelman
says that he’s hoping to increase the presence of Parks Project wares
in the national parks themselves. Especially as tourism to the parks
continues to rise, Eshelman wants to offer visitors high-quality goods
to commemorate their visit, and a way to give back while doing so.
Ultimately, while Parks Project generates funds for neglected
maintenance projects, Eshelman wants to see enthusiasm for buying
parks-themed products translate into on-the-ground service. Parks
Project has begun to host service days in various parks across the
country, in partnership with the same parks conservancies that receive
funding from sales. “There are people out there that want to help and
don’t know how to,” Eshelman says. He sees Parks Project products as a
link between the conservancies and people that have an interest in the
parks, but don’t know how to channel it. Each purchase comes with
information about the specific conservancy the item is helping, and
with tips for how to volunteer.
“We don’t want people to just treat this as buying a shirt for a park
they’ve been to,” Eshelman says. “We want people to get involved in
what the parks are.” So much of the national parks maintenance,
Eshelman says, is carried out by volunteers, and for the public lands
to continue to persevere through poor national policies, climate
change, and tourism, we need a new generation of people who are
engaged with doing the work to protect them.
This article appeared in Fast Company on July 13, 2018.
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6- Commentary: Homophobia In Armenia: A National Crisis
By Vic Gerami
Last week, I visited Armenia for the first time as an adult, to attend
my nephew’s baptism. I decided to take the opportunity to write a
travel article on tourism in Armenia.
I want to help promote our magical homeland to non-Armenian masses. My
trip was a life-altering experience, seeing Mer Hayrenik, its raw
beauty including the warm and hospitable people and re-connect with my
roots. My timing was perfect as the nation was still rejoicing and
celebrating Armenia’s White Revolution in May 2018, when the people
peacefully drove-out the old regime and elected Nikol Pashinyan as the
new Prime Minister.
There was high hope amongst the citizens that Pashinyan would lead the
nation to a better future. Unfortunately, despite shared optimism for
Armenia’s outlook regarding economy, justice system, administration
and standard of living, Armenia’s LGBT community is not hopeful about
their fate and future. In fact, it was heartbreaking to witness the
despair among queer Armenians for their living situation and general
role in society.
I spoke at length to dozens of LGBT Armenians; they were businessmen,
artists, blue-collar workers, an architect, an activist and a very
famous entertainer. Sadly, despite confidence in their new leader, all
were pessimistic about their own future.
None expressed hope that the situation would get better regarding hate
crimes against LGBT— harassment, gay-bashing, abuse, homophobia and
transphobia.
According to several studies, a conservative estimate of ten percent
of the world’s population is LGBT, and Armenia is no exception. Make
no mistake about it as the only difference between Armenia and the
western world is that its queer community is largely in the closet due
to institutionalized and widespread homophobia.
There have been several high-profile gay-bashings and assaults in
Armenia recently. In February, a trans woman was beaten and set on
fire in her own apartment. In May, while in Armenia on a humanitarian
mission, Elton John, was subjected to homophobic slurs and hurled with
eggs. On Friday August 3, the day I left Armenia, a group of thirty
villagers broke into a house and attacked nine LGBT Armenians in
Syunik region. One of the attackers, Hakob Arshakyan, is the former
Mayor of the village. All devastating incidents, like many others,
were reported in mainstream international media. To make matters
worse, Gevorg Petrosyan, an Armenian parliament member with the
Prosperous Armenia Party, made the following statement, “I don’t know
who will incriminate me and to what extent, but we should have already
driven out (I’m stating this lightly) homosexuals, religious
minorities, and their protectors from our Holy land with joint
efforts.”
LGBT Armenians live are terrified for their safety, well-being, job
security, loss of family and friends, should their sexual orientation
be known publicly. Despite their love for Armenia, all expressed a
desire to migrate to freer and more progressive countries.
I strongly believe that it should be up to the people of every nation
and community to decide their own fate. But there are always
exceptions. In this case, with the exception of a few activists, LGBT
Armenians’ extreme and justified fear for safety and retaliation
warrants that their fellow Armenians speak out on their behalf. For
over a century since the Armenian Genocide, Diasporas Armenians have
played a key role in all aspects of Armenia and Armenian life. In
fact, Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, visited Los
Angeles while I was in Armenia. This is due to the immense importance
of diaspora Armenians’ cooperation with their motherland.
And I would implore Nikol Pashinyan to take action against systematic
homophobia in Armenia and send a message that we are all equal,
whether native-born or diasporan, straight and cisgender or LGBT,
living in Armenia or abroad, rich or poor, connected or otherwise. Our
people have been massacred, slaughtered and prosecuted for centuries
in the hands of our enemies, so why are we doing it to ourselves now?
Some may say that Mr. Pashinyan has far more important priorities to
tackle before combating homophobia, including national security,
corruption, economy, unemployment, under-employment and immigration.
Queer Armenians are confidently looking forward to his upcoming State
of the Nation address and roll-out of his agenda, but their optimism
is not extended to the LGBT community. But why not? The destiny of
Armenia and its people can be adversely affected by the future of its
queer community. Armenia’s national security and economy are at risk
if more people migrate elsewhere. People’s faith in a functioning
justice system will be impacted if families see that hate-crimes
against their family members are ignored and gone unpunished. The
country’s development will slow if some of its most talented,
innovative and educated citizens continue to flee to Western Europe or
the United States. LGBT tourists will stay away from Armenia for fear
of their safety. This would result in the loss of hundreds of millions
of dollars in potential annual revenue. Armenia’s reputation in the
international community will be further tarnished if anti-LGBT human
rights violations continue to escalate. Armenia will continue to rank
as one of the most hostile countries against LGBT in international
surveys and studies, even below some of its neighbors. Some of
Armenia’s hostile neighbors, whose human-rights record is not much
better, will use this as a weapon to discredit and paint the country
in a negative light. Following May’s White Revolution, the world was
awed to witness how a nation practiced non-violent resistance against
an oppressive regime and demand change. Armenia received a great deal
of positive press and global attention. But the international
headlines about the recent gay-bashings have overshadowed this and
brought a lot of negative attention to Hayastan.
Armenia cannot afford to ignore this matter any longer, hoping that it
would simply go away. We cannot afford to ignore this as everyone in
Armenia and abroad watches, including the international media and
human-rights organizations.
With the risk of sounding as if I am comparing LGBTs to animals, I
quote Mahatma Gandhi when he said, “The greatness of a nation can be
judged by the way its animals are treated.” In the 21st century, this
bar has been raised to include the treatment of the LGBT community.
The most advanced and civilized societies have civil rights, including
marriage-equality for their LGBT citizens, yet Armenia is still in the
middle-ages on this matter.
The LGBT rights movement is simply this: The Right to be Average,
period. LGBT Armenians do not wish for better or special treatment.
They only want a life in a country where they can live a free, honest
and authentic life, without fear of prosecution, violence or hate due
to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Vic Gerami is journalist, media contributor and the Editor & Publisher
of The Blunt Post. He is a contributor for Los Angeles Blade, WeHo
Times, GoWeHo, Asbarez, Desert Daily Guide and OUT Traveler.
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7 – Armenia Fund Philanthropist Antranik Baghdassarian:
A vision of long-term sustainability
A longtime and major benefactor of Armenia Fund USA, Antranik
Baghdassarian of Los Angeles has had a lead role in the reconstruction
of Talish, a village in Artsakh that suffered heavy damage during the
Four-day War. Located mere minutes from the border with Azerbaijan,
Talish was the first Armenian community to be attacked by the Azeri
invaders in the early hours of April 1, 2016. By the time the
hostilities had ended, Talish remained firmly in Armenian hands, but
lay in ruins. Many fighters and civilians had lost their lives, and
most public structures, homes, businesses, and infrastructures were
partially or completely destroyed. As significantly, the entire
population was displaced, and Talish had turned into a ghost town. Yet
no sooner had the war ended than Los Angeles-based Armenia Fund
urgently focused its attention on rebuilding the community, resolved
to help it literally rise from the ashes. To this end, Armenia Fund
launched the Talish Revival Project, a large-scale reconstruction
program made possible by the extraordinary generosity of Antranik
Baghdassarian, with additional support from the government of Artsakh.
On May 20, 2018, with a jubilant ceremony in Talish attended by
residents, dignitaries including Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan,
Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, and representatives of Armenia Fund’s
global partners, as well as Antranik Baghdassarian and Sossi Babelian,
Armenia Fund unveiled a number of newly completed projects across the
village. In the short span since the war, the Fund had rebuilt the
community center, the event hall, and 18 homes. As importantly, it had
rebuilt a 45-kilometer potable-water network and constructed a new,
22-kilometer sewer system. “These projects seek not only to improve
living standards, but also, fundamentally, to help develop a country
where the lives of citizens are anchored in values such as mutual
respect, hard work, modesty, patriotism, and kindness,” President
Sahakyan said in his remarks.
“I couldn’t imagine that my donation would result in such large-scale
reconstruction, and that there would be money left to continue our
work. When I was a child my father used to tell me that I must learn
how to use money properly and how to spend it wisely. My money is
being used wisely here,” said Antranik Baghdassarian.
Today, as residents of Talish are gradually returning to their
birthplace, Armenia Fund continues to implement various projects in
the community. These include the reconstruction of the school and the
kindergarten, the complete renovation of the main road, and the
reconstruction of 17 more homes. One key goal is to eventually rebuild
a total of close to 70 homes, in order to accommodate the entire
population of Talish. “As a nation, we are known for not taking action
unless the knife reaches the bone. That worries me,” Baghdassarian
said. “I am convinced that if we join forces and strengthen our
Homeland, we’ll have nothing to worry about. All we need is to trust
and have faith in one another.”
This article was sponsored by Armenia Fund, Inc., Western U.S.
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8- Mer Hooys Celebrates Sixth Year With Art Exhibition, Gala
Fundraising Concert
LOS ANGELES—Mer Hooys, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit corporation, is
celebrating six successful years of providing hope to young girls from
severely disadvantaged backgrounds in Armenia through the Nakashian
Children’s Support Center in Yerevan. Fifteen girls have graduated
from the program and most are attending Yerevan State University,
pursuing an education in psychology, medicine, business, computer
science, food science, graphic arts, and the arts.
More than 70 percent of the girls from the first class have been
reunited with a family member, after receiving family counseling from
Mer Hooys staff for a year. Three graduates are married into loving
families and have started their own families, while pursuing higher
education. Two of the graduates live in the Nakashian Children’s
Support Center’s graduate transitional living apartment, designed to
help those who have no suitable family to live independently while
pursuing a college education, with modest support from Mer Hooys.
Mer Hooys president, Hon. Adrienne L. Krikorian, reports that eighteen
girls ages 9-15 are currently living at the Nakashian Children’s
Support Center. “Our girls are creating life goals, developing social
and life skills, receiving psychological counseling and educational
support,” said Judge Krikorian. “They are also working on healthy
family relationships. Several of the girls are sisters and all come
from very disadvantaged lifestyles, some abandoned by their parent or
parents at a young age.”
Mer Hooys’ highly trained staff—consisting of three social workers, a
psychologist, a pedagogue, and several mentors with graduate degrees
in education, music, psychology and the arts—support the girls on a
daily basis. In addition to attending public school during the school
year, the girls pursue creative arts in music, dance, gymnastics, and
crafts at the Center, and actively participate in community events and
public service activities. They receive lessons at the Center in
language, music, religion, and computer science, as well as skills to
eventually live independently.
Recently, Mer Hooys adopted a dog named Lucky from Dogs of Gyumri. The
girls are learning to care responsibly for Lucky, and Lucky in turn
provides the girls with unconditional love, something many of them
have never experienced in their young lives. “Adding Lucky to the Mer
Hooys family has given the girls great joy and the experience of
responsibility, which they take very seriously,” said Judge Krikorian.
In celebration of the sixth year of saving at-risk girls in Armenia,
Mer Hooys will host an Art Exhibit and Concert this fall in Los
Angeles, featuring Pianist Dr. Michael Krikorian, son of Ben and
Clarice Krikorian of Fresno.
For more information about Mer Hooys, visit www.mer-hooys.org and the
Mer Hooys Facebook page.
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9- Armand Dorian Named USC Verdugo Hills Chief Medical Officer
USC Verdugo Hills Hospital has appointed Dr. Armand Dorian its new
chief medical officer, a role that calls for overseeing the
institution’s medical operations and optimizing efficiencies while
upholding the highest standards of safety and patient care. Dorian
also serves as clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at
USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
“It is a distinct honor for me to serve USC-VHH in this capacity,”
said Dorian. “I am to foster a culture of excellence by implementing
values of trust, honor, and integrity, and providing beyond
exceptional, patient-centric care.”
Dorian brings to the job nearly two decades of medical experience as a
board-certified emergency physician, leader and administrator. In
April 2017, he was appointed the hospital’s associate chief medical
officer for business development, leading the physician medical staff
and program development. Previously he was director of development and
vice chair of the emergency department.
He is a member of both the USC-VHH Foundation and community boards,
and a member of the Medical Executive Committee and Medical Leaders
Committee.
“Dr. Dorian has cared for people in our community for many years and
is well-suited for this new role,” said Keith Hobbs, chief executive
officer of USC-VHH. “I look forward to partnering with him to improve
patient care for the community we serve.”
Dorian earned his medical degree from the University of Hawaii and
completed his residency in the Department of Emergency Medicine at
UCLA Ronald Reagan/Olive View. He is a fellow of the American College
of Emergency Physicians and completed a master’s degree in medical
management at the USC Marshall School of Business.
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