ABSTRACT

The chapter argues that ‘LGBTQ’ is viewed as incompatible with and ‘external’ to Armenianness in the conservative and official discourse, rooted in the view that LGBTQ individuals are a threat to the Armenian nation and the values of family. The chapter shows how national anxiety around homosexuality are a result of the complex interaction between constructions of gender normativity, the deeply engraved memory of the Armenian Genocide, and the recent war with Azerbaijan in Karabakh. In such a context, Armenian gender binary serves to strengthen the nation’s ability to fight against the ‘Turk’ through reproduction and militarisation. The discursive constructions of national identity are narrated through LGBTQ activists’ own voices and perceptions.