Elton John and David Furnish at Oscar party on Feb. 26, 2017 (Photo: Elton John AIDS Foundation)
BY RAFFI WARTANIAN
On February 26, a gay man became the world’s most prominent advocate for Armenian Genocide recognition. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Or was it?
For centuries, the tension of Armenian identity has simmered around reconciling liberal political ideologies with orthodox religious values. The Armenian revolutionary movement that began in the late 19th century appropriated European socialism to help Armenians justify the latest iteration of a centuries-long fight for liberation and independence. Within multicultural empires, the left-leaning ideology served well this oft-marginalized minority. A collective society taking ownership over a nation’s economic and political wellbeing pushed back against authoritarian strains growing among corrupt regimes, like the Ottomans, who ruled through hierarchy and segregation. Aligning with socialism gave Armenians of the 19th and early 20th century a “political silk road”
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