Gay couple posts tragic photos before jumping to death in Armenia: ‘Happy End’ – New York Post
A star-crossed young gay couple jumped to their deaths from a bridge in Armenia after sharing a kiss in a final photo, according to a local LGBTQ group.
The organization Pink Armenia reported that the two men, identified only as Arsen and Tigran, leaped from the 301-foot Davitashen Bridge in the capital of Yerevan last week.
Before committing suicide together on Oct. 20, the duo put a tragic post on Instagram, writing, “Happy End. We made the decision together to share photos and take the next steps.”
The couple posted pictures of themselves enjoying facials together, sharing a kiss and showing off what appear to be their wedding rings.
One of the youths was said to have been 16 or 17 years old, while the other was a few years older.
Local reports claimed that Tigran and Arsen’s parents did not approve of their relationship and they had received threats before their deaths.
“The young men still had many years of life ahead of them, but because of intolerance towards them, they took such a tragic step,” Pink Armenia wrote. “LGBT people are very familiar with the feeling of isolation and misunderstanding of family and society.
“This tragic incident proves once again that LGBT people in Armenia are not safe and not protected by society or the state.”
Armenia’s gay rights organization also claimed that after the couple’s Instagram post went viral, people have flooded their page with vile homophobic comments.
Homosexuality was only decriminalized in Armenia in 2003, but many members of the LGBTQ community in the former Soviet country still opt to keep their same-sex relationships secret due to widespread intolerance.
Armenia ranks 47th out of 49 countries of Europe and Central Asia for LGBTQ rights, just ahead of Turkey and Azerbaijan, according the international organization ILGA-Europe that measures hostility toward gay people.