Born This Way: Gay in Armenia

Author: Merri Mkrtchyan

16.04.18

Enrolling in the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinematography was Vrezh Varzhapetyan’s first step toward his dream of becoming a film director. But the experience has not been easy. Varzhapetyan is openly gay and many of those who learned about his sexual orientation initially prevented him from making friends and finding the inspiration he sought. After he suffered a knife attack, the Institute became for him a place of struggle and anxiety. Now 22 and about to graduate, Varzhapetyan considers these difficulties an inseparable part of his memories.