Russian gay rights campaigners are toasting Moscow’s homophobic mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, after he ordered the banning and violent suppression of last Saturday’s Slavic gay pride parade in the Russian capital – just hours before the Eurovision song contest was staged in the city.
“Luzhkov has done more than anyone to publicise gay rights in Russia,” beamed Nikolai Alekseev, the gay parade organiser, as we chatted on Sunday afternoon following his release from nearly 24 hours of police detention:
By stopping the gay parade he has provoked massive media coverage of our fight against homophobia. The Russian media has been full of reports about gay issues for the last week. This has hugely increased public awareness and understanding of gay people.
Slowly, we are eroding homophobic attitudes. Through this media visibility, we are helping to normalise queer existence. After our successive gay protests in Moscow since 2006, people are less shocked about homosexuality. We have a long way to go, but gradually we are winning hearts and minds, especially among younger Russians.
We ought to give Luzhkov an award. His violation of our right to protest has given us a remarkable platform, with day-after-day of publicity about lesbian gay human rights. It is the equivalent of about 200m roubles (£4m pounds) in free advertising.
AfteSee Thank you Mayor Luzhkov
guardian.co.uk –
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Andy Thayer, from the Gay Liberation Network in Chicago, in Red Square last night.Photo courtesy Glay Liberation Network.
By Andy Thayer in Moscow
MOSCOW, May 14, 2009 (Gay Liberation Network) – After 14 hours of flights, last night I found myself in Eastern Europe for the first time in my life, warmly greeted by lesbian and gay activists who, despite state repression, are organizing their fourth annual pride event in this city. This year’s event is dubbed ‘Slavic Pride’, denoting the significant participation of activists from around the region.
The previous three years’ events have gone forward despite bans from the authorities and violence from neo-fascists in Russian orthodox and skinhead garb. This year the authorities not only banned the Pride event, but for good measure, approved the anti-gays’ application to hold their own event this past Tuesday.
That same day, our Moscow friends countered with their own unsanctioned action at the Department of Registration of Acts of Civil Status – an attempt by two lesbian activists to get a marriage license.
Leading Slavic Pride activist Nikolai Alekseev said the action was inspired in part by a February civil disobedience action at a marriage license bureau in Chicago. The Moscow action received widespread international press coverage, including from the New York Times.
As I shadowed Alekseev around the city last night, press coverage if anything seemed to build, with Nikolai’s two cell phones ringing incessantly and meetings with Finish and Slovenian journalists held near midnight just outside of Red Square.
Slavic Pride is slated for this Saturday, amidst the big ‘Eurovision Fest’ being hosted this year by Moscow. For those not familiar with what Eurovision is, think American Idol times ten, with a profusion of media coverage and street banners that puts Chicago’s 2016 Olympics bid hype to shame.
While our specific plans for Saturday are necessarily secret at this time, the aim is to cause maximum embarrassment to the government if they attempt to arrest us or allow the neo-fascists to attack.
In response to Moscow activists’ application for a permit this year, police chief Vladmir Pronin told the Russian news agency Interfax that gay pride parades in the capital are “unacceptable – gay pride parades shouldn’t be allowed”.
“No one will dare to do it, such ‘braveheart’ will be torn to shreds,” he added. “The West can say we’re bad guys, but our people will see it is right. Our country is patriarchal, that’s [sic] sums it up… I positively agree with the Church, with the Patriarch, politicians, especially with [Mayor] Luzhkov, who are convinced that man and woman should love each other. It is established by God and nature.”
However, Moscow Pride organizers have vowed to move forward with this year’s Pride event despite the police chief’s threats.
“Mr. Pronin already showed his incompetency last year when his services were unable to prevent us unveiling a banner directed against the Mayor, right opposite his office,” said Alekseev.
The main pride event successfully took place nearby at the monument to the famous Russian gay composer, Peter Tchkaivosky, while the authorities and neo-fascists were hoodwinked in to thinking that it would take place outside of homophobic Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s office.
Today at the start of a gay rights conference at an undisclosed location east of the city, I was joined by British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and LGBT activists from around Russia and Belorussia Minsk, Rostof, Sochi, Ufa, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Ekaterinbourg, Volgodonsk, Ryazan and of course Moscow.
As we gathered on a coach to go to the conference, Moscow activist Nikolai Baev explained how a group of young activists from Ryazan, about 200 miles south of the capital, got involved in organizing this year’s Slavic Pride:
“There is a very discriminatory law in the Ryazan region which prohibits so-called propaganda about homosexuality20and among minors. The law passed in 2006 and we had pickets that said that homosexuality is absolutely normal and we are proud of our situation. We picketed in front of schools in Ryazan and we were detained because it was illegal.”
Two people were found guilty and fined 1500 roubles (about $45 US) each. Alekseev came to Ryazan to help in the campaign and in the appeal of their cases to the Constitutional Court of Russia.
Then, Sergey Yenin, 19, explained how he became involved in gay rights organizing in Belorussia :
“I felt myself to be gay from my early childhood, he explained.
“Last year I came to Minsk and there I got acquainted with some gay activists and I thought it would be great if I fought for my gay rights. There are a lot of people who don’t fight for their rights, who don’t participate in such activist movements, and they just consume our achievements.
“For example, we fought for our gay club, our one gay club in Minsk. It was in danger of being closed [by the government], but it still exists, due to us.”
I asked Sergey if he had participated in Minsk Pride events before.
“Yes, of course. The most outstanding Pride parade took place in 2001. But I didn’t participate because I was only 11 then. There were over 300 people participating in this event and 300 watching. This was fabulous This was an historical moment in Belorussia.
“The last one took place in October of 2008. It was named Queer Walk and it took place on the 11th of October 2008, the international day of coming out, and we organized a pride parade. It was a rather private, intimate event, there were fifty participants because we cannot organize such a public event because of our government.
“If we applied for an event, we would be denied.
“There is an action that takes place [each year] called Chernobyl Way, and all of the opposition parties take place there, and our LGBT group participated last year and this year. Last year we raised the rainbow flag and there were a lot of bad comments about it, there were a lot of thre ats [of violence]. There were such political parties as Right Alliance, and they threaten us all of the time. This year we didn’t20raise our rainbow flag because the organizer of the Belorussian National Front, the main opposition party, they coordinated a call to us, do not raise your rainbow flag, not because we have anything against you, because our fight for clean air, free of radiation will turn into a fight for gay rights.”
I asked Sergey why he personally joined the 15 others for the ten hour train ride from Belorussia to join this Saturday’s Slavic Pride: “I [only] made the conclusion [to come] on May 12 because I was really very frightened about myself and my friends. I know that there is some information that Pride is going to be canceled, and more than this, that Pride participants are going to be beaten.
“Because this is my fight really.If I don’t go to the pride parade, who will go there? My reasons to come was to support my friends – and of course to support gay rights.”
SEE ALSO
Tatchell To Attend Moscow Gay Pride. Despite threats to bash and arrest the marchers, British gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will attend this Saturday’s Moscow Gay Pride parade – this year renamed Slavic Gay Pride to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality struggles in all Slavic countries, Russian and non-Russian. (UK Gay News, May 11, 2009)
Gay Marriage Campaign Starts in Russia. Two women will apply for a marriage license in Moscow on May 12, it emerged this afternoon. The announcement was made today during a press conference for Slavic Pride which is planned for later this month in Moscow. (UK Gay News, May 5, 2009)
Gay U.S. representatives Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, and Jared Polis of Colorado along with 48 other congressional members sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag asking that the 2010 Census count same-sex married couples rather than altering their status.
Last year, the Bush administration — citing the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions — announced that lawfully married same-sex couples who marked “married” on their census forms would have their status changed to “unmarried partners” in the final count. Now, congressional members are calling on Orszag to reverse course.
“We are deeply concerned about the implications of this policy for same-sex couples and for the integrity of the Census as a whole and firmly believe the [Census] Bureau’s primary objective should be to collect data and report it, not collect data and alter it,” the members said in their letter. See US Lawmakers Say Census Should Count Married Gay Couples
Advocate.com * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
It’s shocking, just shocking, that semi-nude photos of Miss California Carrie Prejean have emerged, right?
Not exactly.
The media have been watching Prejean’s every move ever since, on the Miss USA contest, she essentially came out against gay marriage.
That set off liberal critics — and attracted conservative supporters to Prejean.
This week, Prejean is in hot water because she supposedly breached her beauty contest contract by keeping the semi-nude photos a secret.
So she might lose her crown and her status as runnerup in the Miss USA contest.
Admittedly, it can’t be too shocking that a beauty contestant had some semi-nude photos in her past — photos that Prejean said were taken for a possible career with Victoria’s Secret.
The money quote from Prejean:
I am a Christian, and I am a model. Models pose for pictures, including lingerie and swimwear photos.
Prejean claims the release of the photos are an attack on her pro-Christianity beliefs.
That’s probably true, in part. But the larger reason is that Prejean is famous right now, and she’s going to get attention for this kind of activity — like it or not.
See Say it ain’t so, Carrie Prejean
Kansas City Star
Jolie Justus, Missouri’s first openly gay senator, took her seat on the Senate floor as a married woman for the first time Monday.
But Justus’ marriage isn’t recognized in Missouri because of a 2004 constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters and legislators alike that mandates a marriage is between one man and one woman.
“Missouri is not ready for same-sex marriage,” Justus said Monday, though she also said she was “overwhelmed” with congratulations upon returning to work.
Justus and her partner, Shonda Garrison, were among 17 couples that traveled on a bus over the weekend to get married in Iowa, the state that most recently legalized same-sex marriages.
“I’ve been fighting, as everybody knows, for equality for years now, and it would mean a lot to them to have us on the bus,” said Justus, D-Jackson County. “And to my partner and me personally, it meant a lot for us to be on the bus, too, because we wanted to have that moment with those 16 other couples, and I’m glad that we did.”
Some senators who voted for the 2004 amendment banning same-sex marriage declined to comment on the recent nuptials. Sen. Gary Nodler, R-Joplin, said: “I’m not going to respond to it.”
Columbia Missourian * Tags = gay men gay news lesbian news transgender bisexual
Tony Ferraiolo will never forget his first day back at work after surgery. The 46-year-old supervisor’s knees trembled as he entered the windowless headquarters of Madison Co., a switch and sensor manufacturer in Branford, Conn.
Under the curious gaze of his colleagues, Ferraiolo crossed the plant floor and settled into his office. A few minutes later, Madison owner and president Steve Schickler walked in and sat down. “So you’re a ‘he’ now, right?” Schickler asked. Ferraiolo nodded. “Good enough,” Schickler said briskly. “I’ll let the managers know.”
For Schickler, 50, there was no question about what would happen next. Ferraiolo would continue to supervise more than half of the plant’s 50 employees. Life would go on as before, with one small difference: Ferraiolo would no longer use the ladies’ room.
Schickler describes his decision to support the transgender employee formerly known as Ann Ferraiolo through the transition as a no-brainer.
“If you start limiting your choices in staff based on this kind of thing, you’re cutting yourself off from a lot of good people,” he says. “We could have lost a valuable manufacturing supervisor – it was as simple as that.” See When a staffer switches genders @ CNN
A PLAN to “celebrate diversity” at a high-profile Church of Ireland service has been scrapped after the Loyal Orders withdrew over the involvement of a pro-gay lobby group.The symbolic service, held during the Church’s annual General Synod in Armagh, to be attended by the Roman Catholic Cardinal, Sean Brady, would have been the spiritual focal point of what is effectively the denomination’s parliament.
Belfast Newsletter
As Obama passes his first 100 days in office, I find myself sad that we liberals have less and less to complain about. Guantanamo Bay is closing, good health care policy is in the works, and I no longer have nightmares about McCain invading my living room on top of an elephant as if he were a Carthaginian emperor.
Nonetheless, liberals in 2009 still have more things to complain about than Holden Caulfield would, holding a broken Miley Cyrus record.
One such complaint is homosexuality in America. This week’s “gay controversy” surrounded Miss California and her Twitter-quarrel with Perez Hilton. I could take an opinion on this. But I won’t. Why? Because important American figures don’t wear tiaras.
Moving on, a controversy occurred at the Tribeca Film Festival. A documentary titled “Outrage,” which outs allegedly closeted right-wing politicians, previewed this past weekend in lower Manhattan.
To begin with, I should be upset there’s a movie dedicated to this. To out someone is a bit of a faux pas, and this movie probably doesn’t help the queer cause. At the same time, it kind of makes the director of the film, Kirby Dick, look like the same four-letter word that is also his last name. On the other hand, gossiping about and laughing at the follies of Republican congressmen is definitely quite fun.
Dick’s film draws on a compilation of substantiated rumors to expose conservative Republicans. The more obvious of these individuals includes former Rep. Mark Foley, who was indicted for sexual relationships he had with 16-year-old male pages, and Larry Craig, who was caught cruising a men’s bathroom at a Minnesota airport.
See Gay politicians’ hypocrisy uncovered in movie ‘Outrage’ Daily Illini
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International [advocacy websites] and 60 other groups on Friday urged the Burundian government [joint statement text; press release] to repeal a new law criminalizing homosexuality [JURIST news archive] in the country. The law was promulgated by President Pierre Nkurunziza [BBC profile] on April 22, and subjects those found guilty of engaging in a homosexual relationship to a fine or up to two years in prison, or both. The groups said that the law violates the Burundi Constitution, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [texts] and would harm anti-AIDS efforts in the country:
We consider the law to violate the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination protected by Burundi’s Constitution and enshrined in its international treaty commitments, notably the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We deeply regret that the Burundian government has made a decision that writes human rights violations into law.
We regret that the law will hamper Burundi’s attempts to fight AIDS, by further marginalizing an at-risk population.
We respectfully remind the Government of Burundi that according to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, arrests on the basis of sexual orientation are, by definition, human rights violations. We will carefully monitor any arrests made on the basis of this law.
The law was passed [JURIST report] by the country’s National Assembly in November despite being rejected by the Burundi Senate the previous February. See Burundi urged to repeal law criminalizing homosexuality
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