A kissing campaign for LGBT rights in Chechnya has attracted support from all over the world.
Hundreds of gay couples have uploaded photos of themselves kissing and geo-tag themselves as being at the Kremlin in Moscow.
Brazilian social justice project [SSEX BBOX] – an abbreviation of ‘Sexuality Outside The Box’ – started the movement on Instagram under the hashtag #kiss4lgbtqrights.
The group, which “seeks to offer multiple perspectives on sexuality and gender,” was provoked into action by the gay purge in Chechnya, which has seen more than 100 men detained, tortured and killed.
At least four people have died during the horrifying crackdown on gay men, who the region’s government has repeatedly said do not count as real Chechens.
[SSEX BBOX] started the campaign because it wanted to create “the biggest kiss in the world” to speak out “against the silencing of the LGBTQIA population in Russia.”
The statement continued: “In Brazil, despite the enormous violence against the LGBTQIA population, we can fight for our rights.
“But our community in Russia can not and therefore needs our help.”
Eight people were arrested earlier this year in Brazil after a video of men savagely beating a trans woman to death after she begged for her life went viral.
Although Brazil legalised same-sex marriage in 2013 and hosts the world’s largest Pride celebration, LGBT attacks are upsettingly common.
A survey earlier this year found that one LGBT person was killed every 25 hours in Brazil throughout 2016.
[SSEX BBOX] observed that “in Russia, LGBTQIAs are being shut up by the Putin government.
“The LGBTQIA Parade has been banned by law for 100 years! And freedom of expression is increasingly restricted.
“Therefore, we will make the biggest digital kiss in the world at the place where public protests of LGBTQIA get people throw in jail: the Moscow Kremlin.”
by Josh Jackman
Source – PinkNews
