Nastoyashchee Vremya: Мы их с гарантией лечим (психиатр TJ о ЛГБТ)

The article, published on 19 October 2018 on Nastoyashchee Vremya / Current Time (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) by correspondent Anushervon Aripov (Анушервон Арипов), is titled “‘We cure them with a guarantee’: what Tajikistan’s chief psychiatrist proposes to do with LGBT”. The article reports that the chief psychiatrist of Tajikistan states in a video interview that homosexuality is “a complete deviation”, “should not exist”, and that “we can help” by first exploring the cause and then “curing with a guarantee”. The article reports that despite the World Health Organization removing homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases in 1990, Tajik psychiatrists still regard homosexuality as a pathology that can be treated, and that this pressure pushes gay people in Tajikistan to avoid social institutions and state structures and to leave for more tolerant countries. The article cites Global Fund to Fight AIDS data for 2015 indicating an LGBT population figure in Tajikistan. The article reports on the account of a gay man identified only as Firuz (Фируз), who agreed to meet on condition that his face not be shown on television and his name be changed. The article reports his account that he hides his orientation from his parents because he is certain they will not accept him, that he or his acquaintances who have come out to relatives experienced sharply negative reactions including family members turning away, and that he hopes to leave Tajikistan. The article quotes Firuz saying that disclosure of gay, transgender or bisexual status leads to immediate labelling as a “sinner”, mockery, severing of ties and expulsion from the home. The article reports his account of stigma and discrimination in medical settings, including at the AIDS centre and with dermatovenerologists and urologists, where gay patients conceal their orientation. The article reports vox-pop responses on the streets of Dushanbe expressing views that homosexuality is a mental illness or contrary to nature, and that gay people and their relatives are condemned in traditional Tajik society. Sources cited: the on-camera statement by the chief psychiatrist of Tajikistan; Global Fund to Fight AIDS 2015 data; interview with “Firuz”; and Dushanbe street interviews.