Gay Russia News & Reports 2011 Jun-Aug

He is brash and provocative, even among would-be supporters. He has berated journalists for coverage he disagrees with. “He is a complicated person and does not have a mild personality,” said Anna Komarova, a transgender activist allied with Mr. Alekseyev. “But laid-back people choose other occupations.” Being a gay-rights activist in Russia is not for the timid. At this year’s Moscow Pride, held outside the Kremlin last month, the two dozen or so participants stood little chance against the phalanx of police officers deployed to stop them. Most were arrested seconds after unfurling a rainbow flag or a placard denouncing homophobia. Gangs of muscular men wearing surgical masks and yelling antigay slurs chased away the rest.

Participants suffered only minor cuts and bruises, and all were released the same day. Mr. Alekseyev, who spent this year’s protest coordinating from an apartment — his father was recently found to have cancer, he said, and he could not risk being jailed as a repeat offender — said previous years were bloodier. Few others in Russia have risked being as publicly outspoken — or just as out — as Mr. Alekseyev. He calls news conferences at fancy Moscow hotels, gives interviews to newspapers and has appeared on television with increasing regularity. He has, for better or for worse, become the face of a budding campaign for gay rights in Russia.

His efforts have attracted news media attention and forced politicians to discuss the issue. But it is a steep uphill battle; asked to weigh in, Vladimir V. Putin, Russia’s prime minister, said homosexuals deepen Russia’s demographic crisis. And Russia joined many African and Muslim-majority countries on Friday in voting against a United Nations resolution condemning discrimination against homosexuals that, nevertheless, passed. Mr. Alekseyev, who founded the group Gay Russia in 2005, believes that there can be no advance in rights until gay people are allowed to protest publicly. But in a country where the authorities view any sort of public protest with trepidation, his position has provoked hostility. “This is a very dangerous thing,” said Aleksandr Khinshtein, a member of Parliament, and Mr. Alekseyev’s principal opponent on the recent debate show. “Homosexuality can never be allowed to be considered normal. It’s a question of survival.”

Read article

June 13, 2011 – Human Rights First

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A Refracted Rainbow: Attacks and Bans on Gay Pride Parades (Updated)

by Fighting Discrimination Program
As we enter the “Pride Season,” with LGBTI events planned across the globe, we’ll update this page with news from gay pride marches threatened by private violent acts and state restrictions.

Split: Gay Pride Under Attack (c) Vojko Bašic/CROPIX
(6/23/11) In Saint Petersburg, Russia, city officials denied a permit for a Slavic Gay Pride event. Meanwhile, in Moscow, police detained more than a dozen people, mostly women, holding solo pickets and distributing leaflets in support of gay rights. The Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Kostyuchenko, who made headlines by coming out as lesbian in May, was among the detained activists.

(6/12/11) In Split, Croatia, thousands of ultranationalist supporters gathered to protest the town’s first gay pride on June 12. Counterdemonstrators quickly overpowered the police, throwing rocks, firecrackers, bottles, and trash at the marchers. While the police created a buffer zone to protect the marchers, the organizers felt this was not enough to prevent violence, which left five people injured. At least one hundred counterdemonstrators were detained in Split. Croatia’s President and Prime Minister condemned the violence in Split, which came only a day after the country received a final approval for its entry into the European Union in 2013. A further investigation into the attacks has begun. On June 18, a second Croatian pride parade was held in Zagreb. Over 2,000 people attended and no incidents of violence were reported.

(6/11/11) In Warsaw, Poland, the police worked to protect the pride demonstration on June 11. Counterdemonstrators tried to throw firecrackers and shouted antigay slurs, which did not stop the parade. Last year, the police similarly had to intervene to protect the marchers in the city that has a decade-long history with gay pride events (including two episodes when the parade was banned in 2004 and 2005, in violation of three articles of the European Convention on Human Rights).

(5/28/11) In Moscow, Russia, the authorities denied permission for a Moscow gay pride event for the sixth consecutive year in May. City officials cited numerous letters from public officials, religious organizations and private citizens urging the authorities to prohibit a demonstration. Similar bans were pronounced illegal by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in October 2010. On May 28, a small gay rights demonstration was attacked, leaving several injured, by a crowd of ultranationalist / Orthodox / neo-Nazi supporters. The attackers were not found; instead, the police detained thirty demonstrators who rallied for gay rights in Russia.

Why Pride Parades?
Gay pride parades offer an opportunity for many LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) individuals to exercise the right to freedom of expression. First organized in New York City in commemoration of the Stonewall riots, pride parades have come to symbolize the resistance to intolerance and bigotry that surround LGBTI people in their daily lives.

Some governments continue restricting peaceful demonstrations by denying permits to organizers of pride marches. While such restrictions are damaging and unacceptable, the authorities have a positive obligation to protect those who exercise their right to free assembly. Thus, LGBTI individuals’ legal right to organize pride events must not be either hindered by government officials or impeded by violent attacks of private individuals.

Despite significant improvements over the past decade, we continue to witness both restrictions and violent attacks on pride parades. Gay pride parades and events, particularly in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union have resulted in political diatribes attacking people of minority sexual orientations from political and other leaders, inadequate police protection, and acts of harassment and violence against the participants. Police is often the difference-maker when counterdemonstrations gather to protest against the pride marches.

June 2011 – UK Gay News

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Reflections on Moscow Gay Pride and Why I am Organising a Protest at the London Embassy

by Peter Gray
The Russian Constitution, as well as the European Convention on Human Rights, grants every Russian the right to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. On May 28, 2011, these rights were denied to the LGBT community in Moscow for the sixth year in a row. In total eighteen Russian activists were arrested and detained by police including Anna Komarova: a queer-gender activist. Prominent non-Russian human rights activists Dan Choi, Andy Thayer and Louis-Georges Tin were also arrested. All four British activists who attended, including Peter Tatchell, managed to avoid police attention. Mr. Tatchell, however, had to escape through narrow alleyways when he was recognised by Neo-Nazi thugs.

Many protesters sustained minor injuries from Neo-Nazi and Russian Orthodox Church anti-gay protesters. Elena Kostyuchenko, a Russian journalist and open lesbian, was hit in the face and hospitalized for more than 5 days. I was there on the street that day outside Moscow City Hall. I saw members of our own community attacked by small minded bigots and thugs because the police would not protect them. I watched with my own eyes as they were dragged off into riot vans and detained because the authorities would not grant them their most basic human rights. The Russian Authorities did not merely deny these rights for the sixth year running. This year they did so in direct violation of a decision of the European Court of Human Rights stating that the ban was illegal.

They have created an international incident and the Council of Europe must send a clear message to Russia that it will not be unilaterally overruled. As a member of the Council of Europe, the UK must stand up and be counted in the fight against these atrocities. On July 1 at 6pm we will stand together with our friends in Moscow against discrimination, violence and human rights abuse. We will assemble outside the Russian Embassy to the United Kingdom and rally support for a suspension of the Russian vote on the Council of Europe. We will display our outrage and disgust at their mistreatment of peaceful citizens. The Inside Out Project has provided several large portraits of activists whose rights were violated on May 28. With these we will show the Russian authorities and the British public just a fraction of the people who these crimes have been committed against. If you are on Facebook, please indicate your attendance on the event page.

We need everybody’s support to make our voice as loud as it can be. When I went to Moscow Pride this year, it was the first time I had been to a Pride event outside the UK. I could not stand silent on what I saw. This is the first time I have ever organised a demonstration of any kind never mind one on such a large scale. Whether you are a seasoned activist or somebody who has never spoken out before I hope this shows that anybody can make their voice heard. Join me on 1st July and let your voice be counted too. If you are unable to attend on July 1, the evening before Pride London parade, there is still something you can do. The Council of Europe is run by a Committee of Ministers, which is in turn advised by a large Parliamentary Assembly. Many UK MPs sit on this assembly. They need to know what has happened so that they can hold their Russian colleagues to account and ask the Committee of Ministers to suspend the Russian vote.

Please spare just a few moments to email them and tell them what you think. You can find a template letter already written out here on the Facebook group: Just copy and paste that into the field of a new email and then copy in the addresses of all the UK Parliamentary Assembly members. A full list of these has been compiled here for easy copy and paste.

After just one email received from me, Paul Flynn MP has pledged his support for this initiative. This will make a huge difference, and you can achieve this too.

To take on the issue from all angles, you can also sign a petition at allout.org. This directly targets President Medvedev of Russia, urging him to condemn the violence of the past six years and legalise Pride once and for all.

June 20, 2011 – UK Gay News

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St Petersburg Bans Slavic Gay Pride Parade but OKs Anti- Gay Rally

St Petersburg,(GayRussia) – City authorities in St. Petersburg have again banned a planned Gay Pride Parade. But they gave the go-ahead for an anti-gay rally in the city which was staged at the weekend. Organisers of the rally demanded that the authorities put an end to what they called “sexual perversion”. The rally, organised by the national People’s Cathedral movement, part of the Russian Orthodox Church, and the right-wing conservative coalition Parents Standing, was staged a week before the scheduled Slavic Gay Pride

During the rally on Saturday, participants stood in front of a coffin which was wrapped with a rainbow flag. At the end of the rally – after the speakers had made their speeches, the coffin was destroyed and thrown into a trash. “This is a symbolic destruction and burial of the movements of perverts,” commented one of the participants.

In addition, the organisers asked for the resignation of Vladimir Korovin, the head of the Moscow district of St. Petersburg, for allowing a gay rally staged on May 17, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. This was the second LGBT themed public action to be ever authorised in the city. The organisers further called on the Regional Parliament of St. Petersburg to ask the State Duma to initiate a ban of “the propaganda of sexual perversion for its anti-family orientation, a danger for public morality and a threat for the country’s demographics”.

Slavic Gay Pride in St. Petersburg is scheduled for June 25. To date, the city hall has still not agreed on any application submitted by the organisers, despite a ruling at the end of last year against the Russian Federation by the European Court of Human Rights over the bans of Gay Prides in Moscow. The ruling became final in April. This ruling was ignored by the Russian government and Moscow City Hall last month when 18 Moscow Pride participants were arrested after extremist thugs attacked those trying to stage the event.

Two Russian participants were severely beaten by extremists – one of them was journalist Elena Kostyuchenko who writes for the opposition daily Novaya Gazeta. She had publicly “come out” hours before the attempt at staging the Pride and was hospitalised for five days. Organisers of St. Petersburg Gay Pride march said the city authorities rejected two of their applications to stage the city’s second attempt to stage a Pride.

Yuri Gavrikov, head of local gay rights group Equality and Pride chief organiser, told GayRussia that almost two weeks ago his organisation had filed three applications with the city’s administration. “We already received two denials,” he said, adding that the authorities had suggested that the Pride be staged in an industrial zone. “Is this a joke,” he fumed. “Why not offer us an island off the St Petersburg shore?”

This year St. Petersburg is organising the third Slavic Gay Pride. Previously, attempts have been made to stage the event in Moscow (2009) and Minsk (2010). “We asked the authorities for a suitable alternative, not on the city’s main street but not in an industrial zone, kilometres away from the centre,” Mr Gavrikov said. Organisers are expected to take the matter to court this week. “We will march in the streets of St. Petersburg on June 25 regardless of whether we are permitted to or not,” Mr Gavrikov added. “The [Russian] Constitution makes it clear: the street belongs to everyone, gays included.

Last October, three courts in St Petersburg gave a decision against the City for banning last year’s first Gay Pride March attempt in the city. On that occasion, five participants were arrested for holding an unsanctioned gay pride march near the Hermitage museum. Following the court decision, the city authorised its first ever gay rights rally on November 20, though the event was stopped by the police before the end of the allocated time due to the presence of anti-gay groups attempting to surround the gay rights activists.

No Russian city ever authorised a Gay Pride march. Over the years, Gay Pride has became a symbol of gay rights campaign in Russia after a poll released this month found that 53% of Russians have heard about the attempt to host Gay Pride in the capital. Though 61% said they still oppose such action, this number decreased from 82% a year before.

June 23, 2011 – UK Gay News

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Controversy Over Gay Rights In Moscow City Hall?

GayRussia Commentary

Moscow,(GayRussia) – The deputy mayor of Moscow, Andrey Sharonov, has promised to change the homophobic image of the city in the eyes of foreigners – and he appears in direct contradiction with the Mayor. Last week, in an interview with Reuters, the Mayor of the Russian capital made it clear that he will follow the line set by his predecessor, Yuri Luzhkov, and keep banning gay pride marches. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin justified his position over the issue of morality: “These are issues of morality. If the attitude of the society is sharply negative to such things then we can not support such marches”. But only two days later, Andrey Sharonov, the deputy Mayor in charge of the Economic Policy expressed a different opinion.

In an interview with Russian TV channel RBC, Mr Sharonov said on June 18 that “the lack of tolerance in the European understanding, including national and sexual minorities, is not confined to Moscow, but the whole country. In order to make the country more attractive to investors, of course, we will think how to change this image,” he promised. This acknowledgment was made in connection with the plan to create an international financial centre in the Russian capital. The deputy Mayor insisted that such program involves “matters relating to the image”.

According to Mr. Sharonov, these measures “should make the city more attractive and more friendly for those who will come to Moscow” for a short or a long period. Moscow is also engaged in a privatisation round in which the city aims to raise at least 20 billion roubles (approximately $670 million) for its budget before year end. There is no mystery that the current administration is trying to attract foreign investments in the city.

Days earlier, the Mayor expressed a different opinion on this question and insisted that making the city a financial centre would not be achieved without setting clear limits. “I think it is not because they allow gay parades there (in the West) that they have international financial centres. I don’t think that this is a criteria for an international financial centre. If this is a criteria then Moscow will unlikely become this criteria,” the Mayor told Reuters on June 16.

Commenting on the two apparently conflicting remarks, Moscow Pride chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev said this week that until Moscow allow gay rights rallies and gay organisations to register it will remain a homophobic city. “And this bad publicity it gets from us every year is deserved,” he suggested. “The images that the media relay every year of us being arrested and beaten simply highlight what is the policy of the government towards LGBT people,” he added.

June 23, 2011 – Rainbow News/Gay.Ru
Russian to English translation

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Human Rights Activists and Gay Activists Announced a Campaign of "March of Equality"

The group of gay and human rights activists joined in Moscow to start a campaign called "March of Equality." June 23, 2011 they will announce the goals and objectives of its shares at a special press conference. It will bring together six gay and human rights activists, whose names were mentioned in the past few days in various human rights of the shares.

Among them – the journalist Elena Kostyuchenko, a gay activist Artem Kalinin (formerly – leader of the "other view" from Syktyvkar), feminist Julia Malygin (also known as the photographer), Valery Sozaev represents the Russian LGBT Network and others. June 23 at 19 hours 30 minutes on Pushkin Square, the activists plan to hold a single rally against violence against LGBT people, for equal rights. About "The march of equality," announced on the website of the Social-Democratic Group "Left Socialist Action". Activists list the facts of violence against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. They require an objective investigation of facts of homophobic violence.

"… The Russian courts consistently ignore the hate motive for the crimes against LGBT people. The sentences are a result of unduly soft: they were on trial for" disorderly conduct "and" beatings motivated by hostile personal relations. "But the mayhem – this is not hooliganism! Homophobia in nothing" personal ": the persecution of LGBT people – this is politics" – the statement says activist "Equality March".

Separately, activists draw attention to the case of Roman Lisunova suspected in the attack on Helen Kostyuchenko involved in the gay action in Moscow in late May 2011. "… We demand that the prosecution has been reworded Lisunova: an attacker to Helen Kostyuchenko should be tried for the crime of hate – homophobia. In addition, the beating of an activist – not a personal initiative Lisunova. … It is a crime committed by a group of prior agreement. And it is – the organization of mass disorders in a public place. And we demand that the rioters answered before the court, taking into account all the aggravating circumstances! "

23 June 2011 – LGBT Asylum News

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A day in the life of homophobic Russia

by Paul Canning
Earlier today a group of brave Russians organised a small peaceful demonstration against homophobic violence in Moscow’s Pushkin Square (named for the gay-friendly famous poet). They wore pink triangles – "a sign that marked the prisoners of concentration camps, were sentenced to destruction of their homosexuality" – distributed leaflets against violence against LGBT people and held signs. 25 people were detained by police without explanation despite obeying the rules by standing at a distance of more than three meters from each other which meant they did not need authorisation from Moscow City Council. Viscous ‘death to gays’ anti-gay protests are routinely approved by the same authorities. Today the planned Slavic Gay Pride march in St. Petersburg was banned by city authorities.

June 21, 2011 – REOR
Russian to English translation

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Report: "The Right to critical evaluation of homosexuality and legal restrictions imposed on homosexuality"

Russian experts sent to the Delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Council of Europe report on "The Right to a critical evaluation of homosexuality and the legal restrictions imposed on homosexuality." Document prepared by the doctor of jurisprudence, MN Kuznetsov, IV and Ponkeen NA Mikhaleva. Earlier, on 17 May this year, Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Jagland in a statement announced that the June 23, 2011 will be presenting the report the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, on the topic "Discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Europe "with the analysis of socio-legal situation in respect of sexual minorities in CE member countries.

In addition, he stressed that on the basis of this report, the Council of Europe will develop in the second half of the year program of assistance to European countries under the title "The fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

In order to facilitate an objective and comprehensive discussion on the topic of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity Representation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Council of Europe welcomes public discussion of the aforementioned report by Russian experts. The office will also be interested in discussing the report of Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe after the public appearance of the text.

25 June 2011 – PinkNews

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Updated: Russian police arrest 14 gay rights campaigners in St Petersburg

by James Park
Updated: 14:46 BST

Russian police have arrested and charged up to 14 LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) activists who were attempting to hold a demonstration in St Petersburg. An AP photographer reports that police arrested several others who were accused of attacking the LGBT campaigners. Eye witnesses report that a number of individuals attacked the LGBT protestors while attempting to seize their banners. Nikolai Alexeyev, the founder of the GayRussia website is among those who have been arrested by police and is posting messages onto Twitter from the police station. A recent tweet reports that there are “14 lgbt activists in police station. Two were beaten, Alexey Kiselev by police inside station and Alexander Sheremetyev by homophobe [sic].”

Mr Alexeyev reports that the gay rights activists will likely be taken to court but said “We will not surrender!” He has tweeted that he has been charged with “illegal public protest and disobedience to police orders,” and adds: “Will be taken to court today!” If found guilty Mr Alexeyev and his fellow activists risk up to 15 days in prison. Last month, police in Moscow arrested and detained a number of prominent gay rights activists including the openly gay US solider Dan Choi as homophobic violence broke out during the banned Moscow Pride march near to the Kremlin.

A large group of gay rights activists including the British human rights campaigner Peter Tatchel waved rainbow flags and carried signs reading “Russia is not Iran” were attacked by ultra-Orthodox campaigners who gathered to disturb the march, banned for the sixth year by the Moscow authorities. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia’s ban of Moscow Pride in 2006, 2007 and 2008 breached the European Convention on Human Rights, of which Russia is a singatory due to its membership of the Council of Europe. The court forced Russia to pay damages to the organisers. Last month, it was reported that Moscow City Council had given approval for a gay pride march to be held legally for the first time. However, this was quickly reversed and yesterday, police warned gay rights activists that they would break up the pride march.

——————————-

25 June 2011 – PinkNews

9a
Updated: Russian police arrest 14 gay rights campaigners in St Petersburg

by James Park
Legislators for the Russian city of St Petersburg are considering new laws designed to prohibit gay “propaganda”. The draft law introduces fines for what it terms the “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism, to minors” and “propaganda of paedophilia”. Fines range from a minimum of 1,000 roubles (£20) for an individual to 50,000 (£1,000) for a business.

Polina Savchenko, General manager of LGBT organization Coming Out, Russia told LGBT Asylum News: “By combining homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality into one law with sexual crimes against minors, members of the Legislative Assembly indulge in gross manipulations of public opinion. Their goal – to pass an anti-democratic law, directed at severely limiting human rights in St. Petersburg.

“In the name of ‘public interest’, members of the Legislative Assembly decided to ignore the Federal law, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention for Human Rights, Council of Europe Recommendations and other decrees by international organizations, of which Russia is a member. However, no public discussions were held. It is also obvious that adoption of this law violates interests and rights of minors. Russia leads the world in the number of teenage suicides, and ignoring the issues of sexual orientation and gender identity can lead to tragic consequences.”

“This bill is absurd, both in terms of legal logic, and in terms of plain common sense. So what is the real goal? It is clear that adoption of this law would impose significant limitations on the activities of LGBT organizations. Organizers of public events cannot restrict access of minors to any open area; people under 18 can be there just by chance. Consequently, it makes any public campaigns aimed at reducing xenophobia and hate crime prevention impossible.”

Two other local legislatures introduced similar laws this year. According to a 2005 poll, 43.5% of Russians supported the re-criminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting adults. In June of this year, Russian police arrested 14 gay rights campaigners in St Petersburg. The city is Russia’s second largest, and its former capital.

June 26, 2011 – UK Gay News

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Blogging From Slavic Gay Pride in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg,(Gay Russia/UK Gay News) – Yesterday saw the second attempt by LGBT activists in St. Petersburg to host an annual Gay Pride March. Last year’s attempt was banned by the city hall. Despite the ban, two dozen LGBT activists defied the ban and walked in front of the famous Hermitage Museum. The police arrested five participants last year.

The same scenario happened today as Slavic Pride was banned and organisers said they will not cancel their plans. As was announced yesterday during a press-conference, the banned Pride started at 2pm at the statue of Peter the Great in the centre of the city. 20 people showed up for the event and 14 were arrested.

This year, St. Petersburg Pride is hosting the third Slavic Gay Pride. Slavic Gay Pride is a union of Russian-Belarusian-Ukrainian Pride organisers. Previous Slavic Gay Pride in Moscow (2009) and Minsk (2010) were banned and participants were arrested.

This is a blog, from GayRussia, of the happenings yesterday in St. Petersburg and the aftermath today, with the most recent first. Times are local time in St. Petersburg (three hours ahead of UK time, eight hours ahead of New York).

The Blog
Sunday June 26

16:20: All 14 arrested have now been released. They spent 24 hours in detention. This blog is now closed. Wrap-up article is Here.

June 26, 2011 – UK Gay News

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Slavic Gay Pride in St. Petersburg: The 14 Arrested Have All Been Released After 24 hours in Detention

STt. Petersburg,(Gay Russia/UK Gay News) – After Moscow and Minsk, St. Petersburg was the third city to yesterday host the Slavic Gay Pride – a union of LGBT activist from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Previous marches in 2009 and 2010 were banned and participants were arrested by to police. But yesterday’s Gay Pride rally which was also the second one in St. Petersburg – a previous attempt last year was banned and lead to five participants being arrest. A group of 20 LGBT activists from Russia and Belarus showed up for the action. The organisers warned in advance that because the event was banned, it could lead to police arrests and also to attack from skinheads. Fourteen activists were arrested. They were, unusually, detained for more than 24 hours and spent the night into custody.

They were released this afternoon after a judge fined them between 500 to 1,000 Russian roubles (10.50 – 21 euros). But they will have to attend a second court hearing in July to answer charges for “disobeying police orders”, though video footage taken by the media shows no evidence of disobedience. “They charged us with this article in order to keep us in custody for 24 hours,” suggested Nikolai Alekseev, who was arrested for the seventh time while staging gay rights protests in Russia.

The unsanctioned gay rally lasted only a couple of minutes. The signal was given when a boat covered with a rainbow flag passed on the Neva river in front of the Statue to Peter the Great which was the meeting point announced at a press conference a day before. At 2pm, the activists came out around the Statue and started to unveil banners and flags shooting slogans “No to homophobia” and “Equal Rights”. A poster carried by transgender activist Anna Komarova read “Trans Rights are Human Rights”, another one playing over the rumours that the city governor is alcoholic said “Alcoholism is a disease, homosexuality is not”. Another group was protesting nearby on the stairs to the Constitutional Court.

“We had two minutes before to be arrested and just before an homophobe ran into us, starting to attack us,” said Mr. Alekseev after the event, and while he was detained in a police van. A week ago, an anti-gay demonstration was authorised by the city authorities and participants said they would break up any attempt to hold a gay rally in the city. But not more than a dozen anti-gay protesters showed up to tried to disrupt yesterday’s action. Alexander Sheremetyev, one of the organisers of the Pride, was injured after being attacked.

He was taken to the hospital under police escort and brought back into custody. His attacker was arrested but released shortly after. Another participant reported that he was beaten while in custody at the police station. To date, Russia has never sanctioned a gay pride march. However, St. Petersburg authorised the city’s first sanctioned gay rights protest last November, a month after three courts said that the ban of last year’s Gay Pride ban in the city was unlawful. “We won in court last October and this year our Pride is still banned and I am arrested and fined for taking part in it,” Yuri Gavrikov, the parade chief organizer and director of the local LGBT group Equality, told UK Gay News/GayRussia.

This year’s ‘bashing’ at Moscow Gay Pride on May 28 and yesterday in St. Petersburg took place after a decision of the European Court of Human Rights found that Russia breached the European Convention of Human Rights banning Moscow Gay Pride. Last week, a group of 39 Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe co-signed a resolution expressing “grave concern at the manifest failure of the Russian Federation to carry out its obligation to respect the European Convention on Human Rights and the damage this is causing to the standing of the Council of Europe”.

The European Parliament, the Council of Europe General Secretary, the US State Department and also the French government have all expressed their public concerns after the problems experienced at Moscow Pride last month. “This situation is absurd,” commented Mr. Alekseev who was among those arrested in St. Petersburg. “Article 31 of the Russian Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly and we are arrested just in front of the Constitutional Court,” he added. A poll from released earlier this month found that 61% of Russian oppose the conduct of Gay Pride Marches in Russia. A year ago, 82% said that they disapproved.

Addendum…..GayRussia has a Facebook page of 12 photos secretly taken on Saturday night inside the police cell that ‘housed’ nine of the 14 detained. This was after the police had taken away all their possessions … well, all but a hidden camera! The photos can be viewed Here

June 28, 2011 – Gay.Ru Rainbow News
Russian to English translation

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Gennady Roshchupkin Publishes Book on How Gays Learn to Live With HIV

International HIV/AIDS in Ukraine presented a new book for young gay and bisexual men, having learned that they have HIV. Its author – well-known activist Gennady Roshchupkin, he was 18 years old living with HIV. Name Gennady Roshchupkina among homosexuals has been known since 1991. September 9th 20 years ago a patient of the Moscow Hospital for Infectious Diseases on a hunger strike, demanding the abolition of Article 121 and the creation of a government program to combat AIDS. His campaign culminated in a relative success: in the hospital have improved nutrition and care. And now for the past 20 years, Gennady Roshchupkin – an active participant in programs to prevent HIV infection and the initiator of many projects. In recent years he has lived and worked in neighboring Ukraine.

"Here, I suggest you talk about what happened to you, and how to make the most important thing of what constitutes the life of any person, including HIV-positive – to be independent, active, and to decide what to do, do you interesting deed, to love and be loved "- appeals to you and Gennady Roshchupkin tells about himself:" It took me over 10 years to learn to live with HIV, it is to live, not survive, to use time and energy for his own pleasure, not "to fight the disease for the rest of life." You can not lose so many years, and just use the fact that I found and recognized. Maybe our conversation with you will not always pleasant. Yes. But my task is not to entertain you, but to share with you my experience. I sincerely hope that you find yourself here for something useful, and it will help you to be confident and happy. "

The book is free, you can download it from here.

July 23, 2011 – Scoop

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Pride Vs Prejudice: All Quite On the Eastern Front?

by Alexander Lowë
Berlin, Rome, Paris, London, New York, San Francisco… Gay pride parades continue their glorious march across the globe this year with one very noticeable exception – Russia. What happened to gay pride in the biggest country on Earth? First gay pride parades started in commemoration of Stonewall riots anniversary but over the years they have lost most of the political relevance transforming themselves into celebration of diversity, acceptance and tolerance, a kind of gay carnival and love parade.

This is not the case in Eastern Europe, where gay parades when they do take place are under the siege of protestors and breakdown of violence and abuse is normal occurrence. Gay Prides there are still real battles for the human rights in the war against homophobia, prejudices and orthodoxy.

In Russia though all attempts to organize Gay Pride events have been consequently banned altogether, and even the idea of having gay parade in itself seems to be too radical for increasingly conformist society. While illusive gay parade in Moscow would still have its original true political agenda giving repressed minority rare opportunity to speak out for its rights, it is however the glitter and explicit frivolity of commercialised western Gay Parades that stirs controversy in Russia and gives an excuse for the authorities to ban Pride Parades as ‘amoral acts’. The gap between deeply closeted life of the minority that hardly dears to speak its name in Russia and freedom gay people enjoy in the west became so vast that even most experienced and culturally educated Russian may get real shock witnessing Pride for the first time. Sharing his impressions from Berlin’s gay parade earlier this year, journalist from Russian state News Agency Nikolay Troitsky posted on his blog the following “It crossed my mind to get a powerful bomb that would target exclusively faggots, … sincerely, if only all these filthy perverts have been eradicated, Earth would be a much better place’. He later on added “I do hope and believe that no such scum will ever happen in Russia.’ Well, his wish so far has been coming true. Against last year’s European Court’s ruling, Moscow authorities has once again banned Gay Pride this year, for the 6 year in a row. Same happens in second largest city in Russia St. Petersburg. Notoriously, anti-gay demonstrations are being allowed, even on the International Day Against Homophobia when gay meeting is, surprise-surprise, banned.

Contrary to the worldwide tendency of increased acceptance of homosexual behaviour, recorded by the 10 years long study of the University of Chicago covering over 40 countries, public acceptance of homosexuality in Russia has further decreased. In fact, only about 8% of Russians believe that being gay ‘is not wrong at all’. What could be the reasons behind falling tolerance to gay minority in Russia? In my opinion, increased role of religious institutions, criminalization of Russian society and growing nationalism are to blame.

Historicists agree that ancient Russia was one of the most tolerant countries in relation to the same sex attraction. It was in fact pro-western reformist tsar Peter the Great who introduced first anti-homosexual laws (initially in the military only) after he came back to Russia from his extensive OE in England and Holland. However, similarly to many newly independent colonies like India and African countries, Russia is eager to see homosexuality as western export while actually it was only its oppression that has been introduced from overseas. Still, in Russia as well as in most Eastern European countries, people are quick to turn their frustration in troubled economies and raising social problems against the West and various freedoms associated with it; they are often more than happy to give back some freedoms for the former stability, eager to rediscover ‘true national morals’ to support them through difficult transitional times and determined to defend their ‘unique lifestyle’ from decadent West.

Homosexuality became associated with the West and globalization more than anything else. If in other countries agitated anti-globalists would turn to crash MacDonald’s and foreign banks, Eastern Europeans are likely to target gays as the most recognizable symbol of earlier reforms, openness and internationalization.

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August 2011 – Parniplus.ru

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The Positive Side of Life with HIV

The Body website regularly publishes a variety of materials on HIV / AIDS. Much attention is paid to the personal stories of people living with HIV. Recently appeared on the website material, signed "Anonymous." Talking about HIV is often associated with negative and heavy emotions. Rare to hear about the positive side of life with HIV. So I want to offer another point of view and talk about the benefits of HIV-positive status. Since more than two years ago I was diagnosed in my life have been many changes for the better. Let it sounds crazy, I think that living with HIV – it’s luck.

The advantage of number 1. Clarity
Ever since I was diagnosed with HIV every day somebody comes to me all the more in-depth understanding of many things. Who I am. What I want in this life. For me the main thing. Who for me the most important. How do I see a friend. How do I see a partner. What I want to achieve. What I dream about. What is my present. What I want to see their future. Things become much clearer. Suddenly makes sense of the cliche that every day we must live as if it was your last. If I’m really still just one day, I want to live it with a sense of meaningfulness, with serenity and with passion. Now, little things in life and different nonsense is no longer drives me crazy. A sense of inner peace – is like a breath of fresh air.

Advantage number 2. Understanding what is worth fighting for
A surprising feature of living with HIV in the fact that at each stage to face with something new. As soon as I begin to feel that all problems are solved, HIV attacks the least expected. All of a sudden have to solve a new puzzle – a much more intricate than the previous ones. And the solution is, in life that something is changing. Every time I stand on my feet firmly taking root more deeply and understand better what is worth fighting for. I was lucky that at my side trustworthy people. They create a protected space around me where I can learn and develop themselves. Thank you for that.

Advantage number 3. Spirituality
Over the past two years, I often turn to a Higher Power. The inevitability of death no longer scares me. I have a chronic disease – it is a fact. Sooner or later, despite all precautions, my body will die and return to earth – is also a fact. Understanding these two things makes me thrill me: what is the life of one person in the grand scheme of the universe? Modesty is sobering. Across the Universe is my life – just a brief moment. I do not know all the answers, but I’m not worried. I know how to be humble.

Advantage number 4. Ideal filter
Thank you, HIV, because you’re a perfect filter. Thanks to you, I refuse to put the soul in people who do not like and do not appreciate me. Thanks to you, I was fortunate to meet amazing people, for whom heroism – the daily work. Thanks to you I know that I have a right to know, the right to speak out loud, right to respect, to love, passionate sex, the right to have as many children as I see fit. Thanks to you, I continue to develop real, human relationships with family and friends. Thanks to you I got the support. Thanks to you my idea of success has become more realistic. Thanks to you I spend less time and effort on shit that throws life. Thanks to you I know that nothing will stop me.

Based on materials from The Body

August 12, 2011 – Gay.Ru – Rainbow News
Russian to English translation

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Activists Opposed to Homophobia Use Chalk on the Pavement of the Russian Capital

"Use chalk against homophobia," offer activists of the youth movements of capital. They call for the coloring in the streets of Moscow with anti-homophobia slogans : "Russia without Homophobia", "No homophobia," etc. On the eve of the capital’s boulevards came word of protest against hatred towards homosexuals. The action was attended by representatives of the Moscow Youth "Yabloko" and the members of the Left Socialist Action. Reports about the campaign were published in the "Live Journal". Initiative is already supported in the community of the capital’s "Rainbow Association."

In Svoebrazny they picketed against homophobia and made a rally in support of one of the leaders of the "Left Front" in the Solovetsky stone on Lubyanka Square. Recall that in late June 2011 activists of the campaign "Equality March" was decorated with graffiti center of Moscow – "Homophobia kills" and "No to homophobia, for seksprosvet". It was a planned action – the result of the interaction of several groups at once young activists.