The homophobic news just keeps on pumping from Russia: Yesterday in the southwestern resort town of Sochi, home to the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics, the full text was released from an appeals court decision that last month upheld a ban on local gay rights groups from creating a Pride House, similar to those at Vancouver in 2010 and planned for the Summer Olympics this year in London.
The language of the court’s decision was shocking in its gay-hating bluntness: It said the Sochi Pride House’s goals “undermine public morals and are at odds with national policy on the family, motherhood and children.”
By putting forth “propaganda of nontraditional sexual orientation,” the Pervomai district court of Krasnodar further ruled, Pride House could have spawned a decrease in Russia’s already low birth rate, thereby “undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.”
And the court wasn’t finished. For good measure, it labeled the Pride House “extremist,” since — get this — its attempts to combat homophobia would “incite social and religious hatred.”
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The Pride House’s simple aim had been to provide athletes and spectators of the Sochi Winter Olympics with “an objective source of information on the LGBT movement in Russia and the world.”
The February 2014 games in Sochi will be the first Olympics in the Russian Federation. The 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics were the first and last in the now defunct Soviet Union.
In other rampant Russian homophobia happenings this week, a Russian Orthodox Church official hailed Saint Petersburg’s new “gay gag” bill on Monday, and called for similar legislation to be adopted nationwide “without delay.”
“The law passed in Saint Petersburg will help protect children from information manipulations by minorities promoting sodomy,” said Dimitri Pershin, the church’s representative on family and youth issues, in an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.
Photo by Christine Rondeau
John K.
Let the boycott begin
Mark Moscow
Orthodox church is the main source of homophobia. Goverment is OK with it, coz it can distract people from poverty by witch hunt, like in nazi Germany. By the way, soon Novosibirsk will pass “don’t say gay” bill.
How much more can u preserve homophobic religions? They r source of homophobia, and LGBT-christians and muslims are dumb collaborationists!
Farquart
Why is this country being rewarded for being a human rights abuser? The Olympics need to change or be dissolved.
FairyQing
A new wave of totalitarism and homophobia comes from Russian Orthodox Church, not for the first time, though.
Russian Orthodox Church is well known for it’s sexism and homophobia, regularly promoting hatred, based on gender identity and sexual orientation.
On February 21 Russian feminist punk-rock group called “Pussy Riot” did a not sanctioned protest action in Christ the Savior Cathedral, called “Virgin, drive away Putin”.
This action was inspired by the church-promoted “Don’t say gay” bill in St. Petersburg, mass falsifications in latest elections, inclusion of religion into school program, not-legal-at-all church intervention into russian federal duma work, and blockage of gender equality bill (Russian Orthox Chirch still advocates ideology of woman inferiority).
On March 5 court sanctioned arrest of Maria Alechina and Nadejda Tolokinnikova, who were charged for hooliganism and vandalism, committed by a criminal group. This accusations allow court to sentence Alechina and Tolokinnikova to up to 7 years of prison, although even the connection of Alechina and Tolokinnikova to “Pussy Riot” has no proof!
Alechina and Tolokinnikova are going to remain under arrest untill the end of investigation, till April 24.
Tolokinnikova and Alechina started a hunger-strike. Tolokonnikova said: “This is baseless, brazen lie. I protest, I continue the hunger-strike and I demand change of the preventive measure.” They do not admit the accusations of their connection with “Pussy Riot”.
Nadejda Tolokinnikova is a founder-member of art-group “Voina”(War), wich made protest actions against homophobia, censorship, nazism, sexism, fascism and totalitarism.
Tolokinnikova and Alechina may be also stripped of parental rights. Tolokonnikova has a 4 year old daughter-Gera, and Alechina has a 5 year old boy-Phillip.
Tolokinnikova and “Voina” participated in last Moscow gay pride, wich was traditionally restricted and supressed by police, in spite of European Court Of Human Rights verdict, that found the restriction illegal.
Anyway, the deeds of “Pussy Riot” where not hooliganism and vandalism either. Girls just prayed to virgin in their own way. They are just tired of totalitarian government and church, tired of sexism, nazism and homophobia.
March 8, traditionally celebrated in Russia as day of women emansipation, was day of protests this year! Russian people demand freedom for Tolokonnikova and Alechina, and stand with posters “We all are Pussy Riot!”.
Russia riots!
Russia will be free from tyrants and zealots!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALS92big4TY
Olga
I want to leave Russia!