by Raffi Wartanian

I first met Lousine Shamamian like many others do: through her stand up comedy. Invariably, I found myself watching her web series Lousine: Lesbian Matchmaker To The Straights and felt an immediate sense of intrigue and admiration.

Comedy performance is not for the faint of heart. It requires tremendous honesty, devotion, and courage. Lousine’s self-deprecating and earnest approach to her identity as a lesbian immigrant of Armenian descent simultaneously revolted against the shackles of community judgement and celebrated the art of self-acceptance.

Seeking to capture an “everyday hero” a year later, I reached out to Lousine. I wanted to understand why she created her art, what made her unique, and the nature of the obstacles she faced.

What resulted was a bittersweet meditation on self, sexuality, and individuation against the tension between conservative Armenian community norms and New York City’s tradition of progressivism and tolerance.