List of LGBTQ Armenians
This is a list of LGBT Armenians, which includes Armenians, who are part of the LGBT disambiguation and have either stated publicly or been outed as homosexual, transgender, lesbian, bisexual or queer. Those of partial Armenian descent are also included.
Activists
- Mamikon Hovsepyan – former executive director of Pink Armenia and former Armenia liaison for GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society[1]
- Lilit Martirosyan – co-founder of Right Side NGO, transgender[2]
Art
Actors
- Raoul Aslan – Austrian actor, gay
- Chaz Bono – American writer, musician and actor, transgender
- Alexandra Hedison – American actress, lesbian
- Narbe Vartan – actor, transgender
Comedians
- James Adomian – American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist, gay[3]
Dancers
- Bob Avian – choreographer, theatrical producer and director, gay[4]
- Arthur Gourounlian – Armenian-born professional dancer and television personality, gay
Drag
- Anoush Ellah – drag queen
- Tabboo! – drag queen and multimedia artist[5]
- VERA! – drag king and competitor on season 2 of King of Drag, non-binary and transgender[6]
Fashion
- Ray Aghayan – American fashion designer and costume designer for the United States film industry, gay
Filmmakers
- Alek Keshishian – film and commercial director[7]
Models
- Lauren Chan - Armenian/Chinese plus size model, lesbian. [8]
Musicians
- Eve Beglarian – contemporary American composer, performer and audio producer of Armenian descent, lesbian[9]
- Armen Ra – Iranian-Armenian artist, self-taught thereminist, gay[10]
Painters
Sculptors
Businesspeople
- Francis Kurkdjian – perfumer, gay[13]
Chefs
Politics
- Ike Hajinazarian – former Regional Communications Director at the White House (2021), gay[14][15]
- Jeff Marootian – former Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (2022–2025), gay[16][17]
- Jirair Ratevosian – former acting chief of staff to the United States Global AIDS Coordinator (2022–2023), gay[18]
- Amy Shuklian – District 3 member of Tulare County, California's Board of Supervisors (2016–present), and former city council member in Visalia, California (2007–2016), lesbian[19]
- Alek Bartrosouf – Member of the city council in Glendale, California (2026-present)[20][21]
Pornography
- Adam Ramzi – American porn star, gay[22]
Religion
- Sarmad Kashani – Armenian sufi mystic[23]
Sports
- Mel Daluzyan – weightlifter, transgender
Writers
Literary and creative
- Nancy Agabian – American writer, bisexual[24]
- Christopher Atamian – literary critic, writer, translator, art curator and filmmaker, gay[25]
- Armen Davoudian – poet, gay[26]
- George Stambolian – key figure in the early gay literary movement, gay[27]
- Hrag Vartanian – writer, art critic, and curator, gay[28]
Journalism
- Lillian Avedian – former Assistant Editor for The Armenian Weekly and current writer for Nashville Banner,[29] lesbian[30]
- Vic Gerami – journalist, gay[31]
- Karèn Shainyan – Russian journalist, LGBT activist, and YouTuber, gay[32]
See also
References
- ↑ "GALAS Celebrated 20th Anniversary and Awarded Mamikon Hovsepyan". 8 June 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ↑ "About Us". Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (June 10, 2021). "Comedian James Adomian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ "Tony award-winning Broadway choreographer Bob Avian dies aged 83". the Guardian. January 22, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ Mellyn, Sean (July 1, 2013). "Tabboo!: The Art of Stephen Tashjian by Sean Mellyn - BOMB Magazine". bombmagazine.org. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ↑ Joel Nolfi (August 11, 2026). "King of Drag season 2 cast revealed: Meet the maverick drag kings blazing a pop culture trail". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
- ↑ Joshua Rotter (June 28, 2016). "Madonna's Ex-Dancers Dare to be Truthful in Strike a Pose". SF Weekly. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ↑ "Canadian model Lauren Chan 'hard launched' her new girlfriend Hayley Kosan: 'Couple goals'". ca.style.yahoo.com. 2024-01-02. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (November 17, 2020). "Book of Days by Eve Beglarian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ Sam Hockley-Smith (March 23, 2020). "The Ethereal Beauty Of The Century-Old Theremin, Embodied". NPR. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ Christopher Atamian (July 21, 2025). "Armenian Pop Art Icon Arman Grigoryan Passes Away". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ↑ Christopher Atamian. "Michael Aram Wolohojian". Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ Thomas Dunckley (August 5, 2019). ""I Have a Disruptive Attitude" – An Interview with Francis Kurkdjian". The Candy Perfume Boy. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Jeff Marootian and Ike Hajinazarian Named to Biden Administration Staff". MassisPost. January 16, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ "LGBTQ Appointments in the Biden - Harris Administration". Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ "Jeff Marootian and Ike Hajinazarian Named to Biden Administration Staff". MassisPost. January 16, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ "LGBTQ Appointments in the Biden - Harris Administration". Retrieved April 14, 2025.
- ↑ Tim Murphy (May 13, 2024). "HIV as the Common Denominator". POZ. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ↑ "Amy Shuklian". Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Julie Butcher (June 25, 2026). "Police Chief Voted In". Crescenta Valley Weekly. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ "New Council Sworn In". Crescenta Valley Weekly. July 2, 2026. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
- ↑ Ryan Shea (August 2, 2018). "Instinct Exclusive with The Handsome & Multi-Talented Adam Ramzi". Instinct. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ Mugloo, Saqib (2023-07-10). "Rediscovering India's lost queer icons: a tour of Old Delhi's secret history". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-20.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (September 6, 2020). "Me as Her Again by Nancy Agabian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (September 28, 2020). "A Poet in Washington Heights by Christopher Atamian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ Mark William Norby (April 9, 2024). "Armen Davoudian's 'The Palace of Forty Pillars' – gay Iranian poet's collection emits new light". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (September 13, 2020). "In My Father's Car by George Stambolian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ J.P. Der Boghossian (November 17, 2020). "Hyperallergic founded by Veken Gueyikian and Hrag Vartanian". The Queer Armenian Library. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ "Lillian Avedian". Retrieved July 21, 2025.
- ↑ Lillian Avedian (June 21, 2023). "My Armenianness is queer". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Armenian-American LGBTQ community finds catharsis in The Promise". Los Angeles Blade. May 20, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ↑ Nemtsova, Anna (May 23, 2020). "Karèn Shainyan Wants to Inspire LGBTQ Russians to Come Out—With Some Celebrity Help". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 14, 2025 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
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