http://youtu.be/FznR4FfXHkY
Despite a staunchly anti-gay government, the anonymous singer known only by the title of his latest song Asal Choi (“Honey Tea”) has released another music video which Uzbekistan’s ‘security services’ have strongly recommended the nation’s pop music video sites pull immediately. The video shows what appears to be a mild cross-dressing crooner (at least by Western standards) atop a roof singing about his passion for a male office manager. While discussion of the song and the video were effectively shut off by Uzbek officials, comments have continued to post on YouTube ranging from appreciation for the singer’s sense of humor to disgust to threats of violence for “disgracing a nation.”
Uzbekistan, Central Asia’s most populous nation, is a deeply Muslim country where, despite support for human rights and the rule of law, is flagrantly homophobic. One opposition leader has called for the “civilized isolation of homosexuals and the other sick people from society.” But despite attempts at dehumanization of the LGBT community, artists and others have managed to carve a niche for themselves.
Asal Choi joins Azlar, a pioneer of sorts, in the nascent queer pop music scene. The young man, who also remains anonymous, released a series of videos last year whose popularity rose as the level of flamboyance in them rose. UzNews.com, which first reported the story, noted that, “Even though rumors of homosexuality among some famous Uzbek pop-singers have been circulating for a long time, none of the singers or musicians are openly gay.” Moreover, Uzbekistan is the only former Soviet Union country that punishes homosexual acts between men with prison (in this case, up to three years.)
But despite the oppressive environment, Uzbek youth are no different from their Western peers in access to social media and despite bans on violations of the social mores of Uzbekistan, exposure for Azlar and Asal Choi has never been easier.
