Eurovision 2012: Azerbaijan's gays not welcome at home

[Gerald]

Officials in Azerbaijan insist gay visitors are welcome to the 2012 Eurovision song contest when the event, which has an enthusiastic gay following, is hosted in the capital, Baku.

However, such assurances jar with those who have had first-hand experience of how homosexuals are treated in Azeri society.

"My brother has vowed to kill me, and then kill himself," says Babi Badalov, a radical gay Azeri artist who has recently been granted political asylum in France.

"The day I was 'outed', my sister screamed at me on the phone and told me to stay out of Azerbaijan. I don't think I will ever be able to speak to any of them again."

Mr Badalov grew up in a remote area of Azerbaijan and moved to Baku when he was 15.

There he lived in fear, hiding his sexuality from everyone, including his best friends.

'Worse than prostitution'

"We knew he was gay," says his friend Tora Aghabayova, also an artist.

Babi talks about his work and life in Azerbaijan

"But he never talked about it, so we didn't mention it either. When he got married everyone was surprised. He was trying hard to conform, he was under a lot of pressure.

"In the end, he chose to stay true to himself, so he had to leave. Like a cherry with a stone inside, if you press it too hard, the stone will fly out."

After years of trying to hide his sexual orientation, Mr Badalov tried to claim political asylum in the UK in 2008.

But his application failed on the grounds that homosexuality was not illegal in Azerbaijan.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14913247


Note: 15 September 2011 Last updated at 08:02 GMT