Gay Russia News & Reports 2004-05

Book: ‘Out of the Blue: Russia’s Hidden Gay Literature’
Edited by Kevin Moss, 1997

1 For Russians, A Queer Centerfold 1/04

2 Gay farm is world’s first, say activists 1/04

3 New Russian Gay Magazine: We’re Here, We’re Queer 1/04

4 Gay Showman Barred from Dagestan 4/04

5 Bill Aims to Ban Gay Deputies 6/04

6 Duma Rejects Anti-Gay Bill 6/04

7 Russian Gay Friendly Film: ‘You I Love’ 2004

8 Russian gay rights advocates try to get married 1/05

9 Majority of Russians oppose gay marriages 6/05

10 Gays To Sue “Homophobic” Moscow Mayor Luzhkov 7/05

11 Russian gay man wins landmark ruling9/05

12 Russian Orthodox Church Suspends Relations Over Gay Marriages 12/05

Moscow Times, Moscow, Russia ( http://www.themoscowtimes.com ) http://www.tmtmetropolis.ru/metropolis/stories/2004/01/09/101.html

9 January 2004

1
For Russians, A Queer Centerfold

by Anna Malpas
While gay men risked imprisonment a decade ago, now they dance at nightclubs in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and surf Russian-language sites. Yet unlike in the West, they can’t stop by the nearest kiosk to leaf through a rack of gay-oriented publications. That’s why Ed Mishin launched KVIR, or "queer," Russia’s only gay magazine. The glossy monthly for gay men may not yet be sold on street corners, but it can be found in clubs, saunas and bookshops from Moscow to Vladivostok, and has a circulation of 15,000. This New Year issue boasted a tanned model in a silver fox fur on its cover, and featured interviews with Russians in drag alongside shots of scantily clad models in Santa Claus hats.

The issue also offered more serious articles, from a review of a book on homosexuality to a calendar of historic dates connected to gay issues. Despite the magazine’s colorful format, however, the back cover and inside front cover do not carry advertising. According to Mishin, who formerly worked as a technology journalist, this is because local firms are reluctant to associate themselves with a gay publication. Even international businesses that advertise in Western gay magazines believe that advertising in KVIR could harm their image because they assume that Russians have a "totally different attitude to gays," as Mishin put it.

But in Mishin’s opinion, the difference between Russian and Western attitudes isn’t so much social as commercial. Just like Russians, he said, most people in the West have a "rather cautious and strained attitude" to gay people. However, while Russian businesses would not advertise in a gay magazine, Western advertisers are much more likely to do so because "they consider that the gay audience is more loyal and well-off." Indeed, the typical KVIR reader is between 30 and 35 years old and makes an above-average income, Mishin said.

A magazine survey shows that KVIR readers are also 20 percent more likely to have a car, apartment and credit card than the average Russian. Despite problems with advertisements, some companies have cottoned on to the magazine’s potential; recent editions carry ads for tours to India and Spain, hair removal and dental clinics, and a security firm that sells keyless "invisible locks." The editor elected to create an "information and entertainment magazine" after watching several erotic gay magazines spring up and close down in the 1990s because of low advertising revenue.

Nevertheless, the magazine’s arty shots of naked men, which Mishin calls "erotic only at a stretch," shock more than a few. Distributors generally pigeonhole the magazine as pornography, but are reluctant to sell it alongside heterosexual sex mags in city kiosks.

First published in August, the magazine has yet to make a profit, not to mention break even. But one-off donations at a fundraising event in November covered publication expenses for at least "two months," Mishin said. The publication grew out of Gay.ru, a web site about gay issues and events that Mishin founded in 1997, and is only part of Mishin’s efforts to improve gay life in Russia.

The editorial office is part of a small center called "Together" (or "Ya Plyus Ya" in Russian) near Patriarch’s Ponds, which includes a meeting room for regular discussion groups and psychological consultations for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Plans for next year include a free telephone help line and, more ambitiously, the opening of a gay community center, where Mishin envisions people coming to "have a coffee, see what new books have come out, watch a film, have an appointment with a psychologist and just meet people."

While gay activities in Moscow are largely confined to nightlife, Mishin is determined to widen the boundaries. "According to our surveys," he said, "[only] around 7 percent of our readership goes to clubs. The other 93 percent don’t go. For most people it’s not interesting." What Russians need, Mishin believes, is a new gay role model. For many, gayness is synonymous with figures like Boris Moiseyev, a pop singer who favors makeup and evening gowns. Mishin sees his role as persuading Russians – and not just gays – that homosexuality is not always accompanied by show business or transvestitism.

"When people find out not that someone like Boris Moiseyev is gay, but that a friend or an uncle is gay … then most people start to change their attitude to gay people right away," he said. "When people come to our support group, they often say in the feedback session that the most important thing that they got out of the group was the realization that it’s possible to be gay and normal," Mishin went on. "They say, ‘I saw normal people, and it just astounded me.’"

Gay.com UK
http://uk.gay.com/headlines/5725

28 January 2004

2
Gay farm is world’s first, say activists

A self-sustaining commune for gay activists is being planned in Russia, in what is being hailed as the world’s first gay-only farm. Russian newspaper Gazetta reports that the farm will be a communal base for gay men and women, will breed cattle, and produce dairy and vegetable products. According to Valery Klimov although the size of the farm, or the amount of workers needed, has yet to be decided, it is hoped it will be "up and running from January next year in the Sverdlovsk region of the country".

"Only people of non-traditional sexual orientation will work on the farm," he added. This is not the first time Russia has embraced the PR opportunities in gay ventures. Last year, a gay couple became the first to marry in the country’s Orthodox church, saying they were keen to conduct the ceremony so as to raise awareness of discrimination against lesbians and gays. However, the move caused outrage, with religious authorities voting to burn down the Church where the ceremony was conducted.

St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg Russia, ( http://www.sptimesrussia.com ) http://www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/937/features/a_11448.htm

January 23, 2004

3
New Mag: We’re Here, We’re Queer

by Anna Malpas, Staff Writer
While gay men risked imprisonment a decade ago, now they dance at nightclubs in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and surf Russian-language websites. Yet unlike in the West, they can’t stop by the nearest kiosk to leaf through a rack of gay-oriented publications. That’s why Ed Mishin launched KVIR, or "queer," Russia’s only gay magazine. The glossy monthly for gay men may not yet be sold on street corners, but it can be found in clubs, saunas and bookshops from Moscow to Vladivostok, and has a circulation of 15,000.

This New Year issue boasted a tanned model in a silver fox fur on its cover, and featured interviews with Russians in drag alongside shots of scantily clad models in Santa Claus hats. The issue also offered more serious articles, from a review of a book on homosexuality to a calendar of historic dates connected to gay issues. Despite the magazine’s colorful format, however, the back cover and inside front cover do not carry advertising. According to Mishin, who formerly worked as a technology journalist, this is because local firms are reluctant to associate themselves with a gay publication.

Even international businesses that advertise in Western gay magazines believe that advertising in KVIR could harm their image because they assume that Russians have a "totally different attitude to gays," as Mishin put it. But in Mishin’s opinion, the difference between Russian and western attitudes isn’t so much social as commercial. Just like Russians, he said, most people in the West have a "rather cautious and strained attitude" to gay people. However, while Russian businesses would not advertise in a gay magazine, Western advertisers are much more likely to do so because "they consider that the gay audience is more loyal and well-off." Indeed, the typical KVIR reader is between 30 and 35 years old and makes an above-average income, Mishin said.

A magazine survey shows that KVIR readers are also 20 percent more likely to have a car, apartment and credit card than the average Russian. Despite problems with advertisements, some companies have cottoned on to the magazine’s potential; recent editions carry ads for tours to India and Spain, hair removal and dental clinics, and a security firm that sells keyless "invisible locks." The editor elected to create an "information and entertainment magazine" after watching several erotic gay magazines spring up and close down in the 1990s because of low advertising revenue. Nevertheless, the magazine’s arty shots of naked men, which Mishin calls "erotic only at a stretch," shock more than a few.

Distributors generally pigeonhole the magazine as pornography, but are reluctant to sell it alongside heterosexual sex mags in city kiosks. First published in August, the magazine has yet to make a profit, not to mention break even. But one-off donations at a fundraising event in November covered publication expenses for at least "two months," Mishin said. The publication grew out of Gay.ru, a web site about gay issues and events that Mishin founded in 1997, and is only part of Mishin’s efforts to improve gay life in Russia. The editorial office is part of a small center called "Together" (or "Ya Plyus Ya" in Russian) near Patriarch’s Ponds in Moscow, which includes a meeting room for regular discussion groups and psychological consultations for gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Plans for next year include a free telephone help line and, more ambitiously, the opening of a gay community center, where Mishin envisions people coming to "have a coffee, see what new books have come out, watch a film, have an appointment with a psychologist and just meet people."

While gay activities in Russia are largely confined to nightlife, Mishin is determined to widen the boundaries. "According to our surveys," he said, "[only] around 7 percent of our readership goes to clubs. The other 93 percent don’t go. For most people it’s not interesting." What Russians need, Mishin believes, is a new gay role model. For many, gayness is synonymous with figures like Boris Moiseyev, a camp pop singer. Mishin sees his role as persuading Russians – and not just gays – that homosexuality is not always accompanied by show business or transvestitism. "When people find out not that someone like Boris Moiseyev is gay, but that a friend or an uncle is gay … then most people start to change their attitude to gay people right away," he said.

"When people come to our support group, they often say in the feedback session that the most important thing that they got out of the group was the realization that it’s possible to be gay and normal," Mishin went on. "They say, ‘I saw normal people, and it just astounded me.’"

MosNews (Russia),
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/04/16/moiseyev.shtml

16 April 2004

4
Gay Showman Barred from Dagestan

"I know that mostly women go to see his shows," Tagayev added, "and that must mean that they are the same as he is."
He told the newspaper, however, that the media shouldn’t get involved in such spiritual issues. Spiritual issues, he said, "should be kept under a big blanket".

Moscow Times, Moscow, Russia, ( http://www.themoscowtimes.com/ )
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/06/11/012.html

June 10, 2004

"The bill is aimed at forming some regulations," said Volkov’s spokesman, Yury Svichainy. However, he acknowledged that it was highly unlikely that the bill would make it all the way to the reading Friday. A number of deputies have slammed the bill as unconstitutional, saying it fails to uphold the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Duma’s Committee on Constitutional Law and Government Building has recommended that the Duma throw out the bill. The bill was submitted to the Duma last year, Svichainy said.

Moscow Times, Moscow, Russia, ( http://www.themoscowtimes.com/ )
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/06/15/018.html

June 15, 2004

6
Duma Rejects Anti-Gay Bill

The bill was sponsored in parliament by Alexander Volkov, a Duma deputy from Kursk. Even before Friday a number of deputies had slammed the legislation as unconstitutional, saying it failed to uphold the right of citizens to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The bill, which was submitted last year, is dead after the Duma refused to consider it in a first reading Friday.

Kinoeye
(http://www.kinoeye.org/04/04/horton04.php)
New perspectives on European film

But Uloomji’s family are less than amused, and a struggle starts for control of the boy’s life.

Different views of the body
Ia liubliu tebia gets off to a slick start with artful graphics, imaginative editing and atmospheric sound design. But as is so often the case with films that employ a post-New Wave tricksy-ness in the post-production, the pace slackens off quickly to a more conventional narrative, design and editing style, leaving the opening segment to look like a glossily attractive but somewhat misrepresentative lure.

The same can also be said of the film’s treatment of homosexuality, which, while bright and positive and certainly open, reflects and perhaps even reinforces Russian society’s unease about sex in general and being gay specifically.

If one were to be generous to the film, it could be said that Stolpovskaia and Troitsky lay out the colonial attitudes (as in the news report at the beginning in which Vera announces that gastarbeiter are responsible for 11 percent of Moscow’s crime) in order that they can be exposed as false. But Uloomji is a cardboard cut-out, undergoing no character development (as Vera and Timofei do) and seems more of an accessory to their sexuality rather than a man with a sexual identity of his own, all the more odd since Damir Badmaev, the actor who plays Uloomji, gets top billing in the credits.

The film, whose cinematography repeatedly stresses the monumental quality of Moscow, Man of the centre with a boy from the margins gives its voice to two members of the Russian cultural elite while marginalising the ordinary cultural, ethnic and sexual outsider. Indeed, Uloomji and John ultimately find acceptance only by being integrated into Russian culture, as if outsiders can never be understood simply on their terms.

A right-wing reading of Ia liubliu tebia might conclude that homosexuality, as presented in the film, is the preserve of decadent elites—senators and media types—who facilitate their pleasure through voiceless ordinary people, such as homeless immigrants and sailors. While a more left-wing reading would undoubtedly not be so harsh, these diverging views in sexual matters and the worrying treatment of ethnic issues create an ambiguity about the film that leads one to ask if it is not a conservative wolf dressed up in liberal clothing. All of which dampens Ia liubliu tebia’s ability to be the blast of fresh air Russian cinema could do with.

About the author
Andrew James Horton is Editor-in-Chief of Kinoeye and was the founding Culture Editor of Central Europe Review.

Footnotes
1. Catalogue for the 10th Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Philadelphia Film Society, 2004), p 97.
2. Vasily Pichul’s Malenkaia Vera (Little Vera, 1988). The film, with its honest portrayal of the hardships of Soviet life and frank treatment of sexuality, became staggeringly popular.
3. Kevin Moss, for example, outlines how references to homosexuality in Soviet-era literature had to be coded in Aesopian language in a similar way to that which politically charged statements were. He also looks at how direct reference to lesbianism is avoided through grammatical ambiguity in Karoly Makk’s film Egymásra nézve (Another Way, Hungary, 1982). "The Underground Closet: Political and Sexual Dissidence in East European Culture" in Ellen E Berry (ed) Genders 22: Postcommunism and the Body Politic (1995), p 229-52. Reprinted on the author’s website (accessed 21 July 2004).
4. See the subchapter "Sexing-up the Post-communist Woman" in Dina Iordanova, Cinema of the Other Europe: The Industry and Artistry of East Central European Film (London: Wallflower Press, 2003), pp 140-42.
5. The tendency is described in numerous previous Kinoeye reviews. For a broad outline of the trope, see Andrew J Horton, "Gentlemen Prefer Passive and Pubescent", The New Presence, May 1999. Republished as "Passive and Pubescent", Central Europe Review, 29 November 1999.
 
Kinoeye seeks to rectify the marginalisation of many parts of European film history by providing a forum in which the heritage of the rich and diverse world of cinema from the continent can be evaluated in its relationship to the domestic culture and its regional impact, as well as its contribution to the mainstream of world cinema history.

Transitions Online, Czech Republic,
http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIs sue=99&NrSection=1&NrArticle=13372

January 24, 2005

8
A Same-Sex Marriage of Convenience-Russian gay rights advocates try to get married but fail to attract much notice

by Sergei Borisov
Ulyanovsk, Russia – For possibly only the third time in a decade, the Russian marriage officials this week faced an application for a same-sex wedding. The application by two gay rights advocates on 18 January was a rarity, and also something of an oddity. This was no would-be union of two men in love, but "purely a political initiative" by two men with no emotional relationship–aimed, they said, at "drawing public attention to the status of sexual minorities in Russia" and bringing a constitutional challenge to Russia’s Family Code.

Indeed, one of the would-be spouses says he is not gay and is expecting a child shortly with his common-law wife. Edvard Murzin’s partner, Olga, told Moskovskiy Komsomolets she had nothing against his entering into "marriage" with a man. "She knows that I am a champion of human rights," Murzin added. Murzin, who is a member of parliament in Bashkortostan, has already tried unsuccessfully to change the Family Code in Bashkortostan and in the State Duma to replace the definition of marriage as a "union between a man and a woman" to "a union between two citizens."

The Supreme Court, where he filed a complaint against the Duma’s rejection of his motion, suggested he should instead appeal to the Constitutional Court.

For that, he needed to make a precedent, prompting him to submit an application with Edvard Mishin, editor of the gay magazine Kvir (Queer-pictured right) and the gay.ru website. Mishin had already tried to organize a test case by advertising on his website for a fiance. Having failed to get a response, Mishin decided to try to get married to Murzin instead. "I ask myself who, if we do not do so, will defend the interests of such people?" Murzin told journalists on 18 January. "Some 5 to 10 percent of Russians are homosexual," MosNews quoted Murzin as saying. "In addition to being neglected by nature, they also suffer from their rights being infringed upon.

There are all sorts of examples of them being harassed at work, being dismissed, being refused promotion." Murzin went further, arguing that his and Mishin’s application for marriage was an effort to help not so much homosexuals "as society itself." In the registry office the couple had to write their application out on a blank sheet, as the standard blanks included the "discriminatory" pronouns "she" and "he." Their application was swiftly rejected.

Murzin and Mishin will now take their test case to the Constitutional Court in an attempt to force it to make a ruling. If that fails, they are expected to appeal and could ultimately turn to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

‘Vice’ And The Law
Their chances of winning a ruling in their favor in Russia look slim. Some politicians have already warned that making same-sex marriages legal would undermine society. "It is one thing for society simply to understand [same-sex marriages] . and another thing for society to permit it to be an equal part of itself," Duma deputy Aleksandr Chuyev told the BBC’s Russian service on 19 January. He warned that society would begin to collapse after a ruling in favor of same-sex marriages. "If the state moves in this direction, it will be a delayed-action mine," Chuyev said.

Over the past year, the Duma has shot down several bills targeting gays. One attempted to ban homosexuals (along with pedophiles and alcoholics) from taking up seats in the Duma. Another aimed to make gay sex illegal. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993. In 1917, the Bolsheviks nullified laws banning sex between men and, although Stalin’s rise to power curbed the revolutionaries’ cultural liberalism, homosexuality remained legal until 1934. For nearly 60 years after that, however, homosexuals faced up to five years in prison for sodomy.

The first attempt to win legal rights for homosexual marriage came in 1994, when the writer and poet Yaroslav Mogutin tried to marry his partner. Last year a gay couple was married in a church wedding in Nizhniy Novgorod. The Russian Orthodox priest was subsequently defrocked and the marriage annulled. The Russian Orthodox Church has made clear its opposition to Murzin’s and Mishin’s initiative. The archbishop of Ufa, Bashkortostan’s capital, denounced Murzin as "a devil’s advocate" propagating "spiritual vices."

A Publicity Stunt Without Publicity
" Russia is unlikely to be among the first countries to allow same-sex marriages," Pyotr Shelishch, a member of the Russian parliament, told the radio station Ekho Moskvy on 19 January, a view most people would share. Murzin’s and Mishin’s trip to the registry office was "rather a certain way to sway public opinion." If it was a publicity stunt, its success has been limited.

Around 50 journalists gathered near the registry office but coverage was, ultimately, very limited or perhaps not as serious as the initiators would have wanted. Natalia Shaten, a reporter with Ekho Moskvy, told gay.ru that her report would be "somewhat ironic," though she believed the problem is serious. Alexei Kadashev of Ren TV criticized that approach. "We are not the country where you should trifle with it or mock it," he told gay.ru. "There is no place for irony."

Hate crimes, which have been on the rise in Russia in recent years, also involve gays. Gay rights campaigners report a number of murders each year. In the opinion of gay.ru, fear was the reason only two gays came to the registry office to support Murzin and Mishin. For the Russian population, this attempt at same-sex marriage went essentially unnoticed, almost completely eclipsed by the widespread unrest caused by the loss of free benefits for the elderly and disabled and rising utility prices.

Only the Moscow media diverted its attention from the problems of pensioners to the problems of homosexuals for a while. The case, though, may have won Mishin’s gay.ru some unwelcome attention. It reported that its editorial offices were visited on 19 January by several police officers who informed Mishin that the premises were "not being used in accordance with their purpose." He was told to move out of the offices within a week. The website and the magazine are "urgently looking for substitute premises," gay.ru reported.

From: Svyatoslav (Slava) Sementsov" <sementsov@server.by>

1 June 2005

9
Majority of Russians oppose gay marriages and a gay President but support ban on sexual orientation discrimination

From 15-18 April 2005, 1600 Russian people were interviewed.

Question #1:
If before the elections of the President of Russia, the candidate you like announced his homosexuality, you will most likely
1. still vote for this candidate 13,8%
2. will vote for another candidate 42,8%
3. will vote against all candidates or will not go for the elections at all 21%
4. never take part in the elections and do not plan to take part 5,3%
5. don’t know 17,1%

For the majority of Russians the sexual orientation of the presidential candidate is still a crucial thing. Only less than 14% of Russians will still vote for their preferred candidate if he is a homosexual. Sexual orientation of the presidential candidate is more important for Russians than his political manifesto and program. This sharply contrasts with the similar poll conducted in France where, for the absolute majority of French (73%), the most important issue of a candidate is not his sexuality (poll conducted by SOFRES for Tetu on 20 February 2002).

Question #2
The Netherlands, Belgium and Canada allowed same-sex couples to marry. You would be for or against that in Russia?
1. definitely for 3,6%
2. rather for 10,7%
3. rather against 28,8%
4. definitely against 44,6%
5. don’t know 12,3%

The absolute majority (73,4%) of Russians are against the legalization of same-sex marriages. Only 14,3% give their support for the idea. This vividly shows that the issue of gay marriages is not on the agenda of the Russian society and that the recent attempt to register a sham gay marriage in Moscow was in sharp dissonance with the Russian society.

Question #3
Would you be for or against a law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and incitement toward hatred against gays and lesbians?
1. definitely for 14,2%
2. rather for 28,6%
3. rather against 22,5%
4. definitely against 13,6%
5. don’t know 21,1%

Majority of Russians (42,8%) support a legal ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 36,1% of Russians do not think this is needed. This is the first poll that shows Russian society support for rights of homosexuals. This shows that the Russian society is not as homophobic and intolerant as is deemed. Russians are ready to support a bill on equality for gay people. The issue of ant-idiscrimination legislation also proves to be the most urgent line of action for gay activists in Russia as this is the sphere where the real progress can be reached by lobbying the state institutions.

Question #4
Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be prosecuted in Russia?
1. should be prosecuted 43,5%
2. should not be prosecuted 37,9%
3. don’t know 18,6%

The majority of Russians support reintroduction of criminal prosecution for consensual homosexuality. Though the numbers of those undecided are very high. Such course of legal action–against gays–is not possible in Russia due to membership in the Council of Europe.

The results of the poll can be republished provided Levada Centre is mentioned and the link is given to www.GayRussia.ru

Vstrecha (The Meeting), Office in Gomel
Registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, certificate â„–01292 on 10 November 2004.
Vstrecha (The Meeting) is the oldest and the biggest organization working for LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) in Belarus. The full name is Republic Youth Society Association "Vstrecha� (“The Meeting�). Vstrecha (The Meeting) is non-government, non-political and non-profit organization. It has 7 offices in all regional cities and one town, the head office is in Minsk.
Vstrecha (The Meeting) is a full member of ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) since 2003.
Vstrecha (The Meeting)
p.o. box â„– 298
246050 Gomel
BELARUS
tel.: +375 297 39 08 82

MosNews.Com

July 30, 2005

10
Gays To Sue “Homophobic” Moscow Mayor Luzhkov for Banning Gay Pride

Moscow authorities will never allow a Gay Pride march to take place in Russia’s capital, Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov announced on Friday. He noted, that no formal request to conduct such an event had been received by the City Hall so far, but when a request is duly filed, it will be rejected outright, “to protect the feelings of Muscovites, who would definitely oppose such an event”, in Luzhkov’s words. “ Moscow Mayor has once again revealed his true homophobic self”, — reads GayRussia.Ru website’s comment to the Mayor’s promise.

Russian gays attempted to hold a pride march in Moscow in 2001 in Moscow but officials refused to grant a permit saying it would be contrary to people’s religious feelings, Lenta.Ru news agency reports. In 2005, though, gay pride event organizers scored a number of victories in several former communist satellite states. In Riga, capital of Latvia, the local court lifted a ban over Gay Pride celebrations, imposed by the city council in the beginning of July. In Warsaw more than 2500 gays took part in a march, despite municipal ban. “Such events had already taken place in Tallinn, Riga, Bucharest, Sofia and Bratislava”, — Lenta.Ru quotes Nikolay Alexeyev as saying.

PlanetOut Network

September 23, 2005

11
Russian gay man wins landmark ruling

The man, identified as "Mr. VP," had applied to the Russian State Railways for a job as a guard but was deemed to be unfit for the job because of his "mental disorder," a diagnosis he received in 1992 during his time in the military.
The St. Petersburg court ruled as unlawful the practice of using military data to restrict human rights and that the diagnosis of Mr. VP of "perverse psychopathy" was based exclusively on his homosexual orientation. Additionally, the court restated that homosexuality is not a mental disorder.

mosnews.com
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/12/27/churchgayban.shtml

The members of the Synod believe that the Church of Sweden’s decision contradicts the Biblical concept of family and marriage “and the testimonies of the Holy Writing leave us no doubt that homosexuality is considered a sin and ’confusion’,” the statement says.