Moscow has two major LGBT events in the coming months: a gay film festival this week, and then a Pride parade march planned for May 27.
Past gay pride events in Moscow have seen intense pushback from local authorities. The Russia Times reports that last year’s “gay pride effort was dispersed by police in Moscow” with 60 people detained, while violent arrests have happened repeatedly in years before that.
The gay film festival should go off without a hitch, though.
“On the eve of 2007 fest, the emergencies service closed down the venue we rented,” the organizer told RT. “But we managed to create a major base of support of the festival, and in 2009 it finally took place. Last year was one of our most successful.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Here’s to hoping the recently enacted gay ban in St. Petersburg, the most populous city in Russia after Moscow, doesn’t cast a specter upon this year’s gay-pride festivities. Unfortunately, the nation’s parliament is looking to St. Petersburg’s ban as a precedent for a national implementation of the law.
Hmmmmm
It’s ironic that Czar Peter the Great (which St. Petersburg was founded by) was a bigger Queen than Czarina Catherine the Great. The insular fear of the Russian people is astounding. When they are not murdering their own people by the millions or conducting pogroms against Jews or gays — well, they’re just not a happy lot.
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po·grom – noun.
An organized, often officially encouraged massacre or persecution of a minority group, especially one conducted against Jews or other disfavored minorities. A common Russian pass-time.
Curtis
I thought they had a ban on “gay propaganda”. Or is that just St. Petersburg?
Curtis
@Hmmmmm: You are just as prejudice as those you condemn.
Also, I don’t see how a czar that at the age of 12, subjected other boys his age to play war games, (in which many of them died), can be considered a ‘queen’.
Sean Howell
Russia needs continued support on moving gay rights but even more so around promoting openness toward sexuality in Russia. It is a critical time with the UN working on universal gay rights around the globe. Russia plays a critical role and is terrible to have them using their trump card against Gay Rights, when it is critical progress is made esp in African regions that make being gay a capital punishment. Thanks for your continued coverage of this. We are working on social media support for gay activists to help build a connected movement in Russia. Cheers!
Houston Bill
Unfortunately, the freedom of protest (eg. Gay Pride Moscow) will likely be banned, again. In full contravention of Article 31 of the Russian Constitution and multiple articles of the ECHR treaty.
We shall see if even private Gay film festivals will be allowed in St Petersburg.
Hmmmmm
@Curtis: It was a figure of speech, moron. Peter was gay. Also, if you are an apologist for the horrendous atrocities committed by the Russians against millions of Jews and dissents, as well as the twenty million plus murders committed by Stalin against his own people, then I am more than happy to “condemn” you and others of your ilk. And by the way, Stalin could not have gotten away with his crimes against humanity if it were not for the active participation of the Russian people. Just as the German people were responsible for Hitler’s rise to power and for turning a blind eye to his atrocities as well. …Or maybe you think that is being “prejudice” too?
What a goof!
Curtis
@Hmmmmm:
wow. your sweet.
claude
@Hmmmmm: Which part was the figure of speech? I bet you think Stalin was a Russian. He aint. Neither were Lenin, Trotsky, Beria, Sverdlov, Kaganovich, Dzerzhinsky, Tukhachevsky, etc. Were they at the top because they were Russian? This is very different than Germans electing a dictator. They were in power because they won a bloody civil war. You can go on about Jews, but the entire European Jewry would have been killed if it were not for the Soviets.
Houston Bill
@claude: Please go over to any Russian bbs forum to see how ‘wonderfully’ Russia treats its Jewish population.
Houston Bill
By the way Novosibersk just passed a bill banning Gay persons from freedom of speech, petition, protest, assembly, association, expression, and press. Yesterday.
claude
@Houston Bill: They cannot be too oppressed if they make up a majority of the oligarchs. The oligarchs treat the rest of the population horribly, on the other hand.