Russian president Vladimir Putin may have sent president Obama a telegram earlier this week voicing his support and sympathy for the vicitims of the massacre in Orlando — calling the shooting “barbaric” — but it seems Russian citizens need to be more cautious with their own efforts to honor those same victims.
On Monday, a gay couple was detained for hours by Russian police for “unauthorized action” after attempting to leave flowers and a sign reading “Love Wins” outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
“We only wanted to express our condolences for the murder of these people and we had not at all planned any kind of political act,” Islam Abdullabeckov, who was arrested along with his boyfriend Felix Glyukman, told France 24.
Video of the couple’s arrest was posted online earlier this week, and SBS News posted a video of Glyukman telling his story.
As New York Magazine’s Beta Male blog notes, the distinction between showing support for the Orlando victims and a “political act” is key in Moskow. Distribution of “propaganda” promoting “non-traditional sexual relationships” to minors has been illegal in Russia since 2013, effectively banning any sort of demonstration advocating for LGBT rights in the country.
Dave Downunder
When I read stories like this it makes me so glad I live where I live. Our stupid backward government may not have legalised same sex marriage yet but I know that I am safe from persecution and free to speak my mind. Things may not be perfect but we are better off than many others in countries like Russia.
Stache
Fucking barbarians. How the fuck does that promote anything but non violence?
Now if they held signs praising the shooter no one would’ve said or done a damned thing.
What a fucked up country.
Kieran
Meanwhile, they’re chopping off the heads of people accused of being gay in US “ally” Saudi Arabia. At least Putin is trying to save Syria from the ISIS savages.
jdboston617
Thank you gentlemen! Thank you. Be strong. Stand together in any (safe) way you can. Freedom must be won for all of us.
Billy Budd
Russia is going back in time instead of evolving. In certain aspects they are still in the middle ages.
barkomatic
The U.S. Should offer asylum to victims of Russian homophobia. In fact, this should be policy for any victims of barbaric homophobic countries.
Kangol
@barkomatic: Just to clear, are you advocating that Saudi, Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi (now that Saddam is gone), Nigerian, Indian, Syrian, Honduran, Afghan, Senegalese, Gambian, Lithuanian, Qatari, Yemeni, Ugandan, Jamaican, Uzbek, North Korean, Sudanese, as well as Russian victims of homophobia should be afforded asylum? Those country are ALL homophobic doozies. Just wondering.
A positive note: over the last few years the African countries of Mozambique, Lesotho, Seychelles, and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as the Pacific Ocean nations of Palau and Nauru all decriminalized or struck down their anti-gay laws (most imposed as a result of colonialism), so there is positive movement in the world.
Alistair Wiseman
@Kangol:
Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced that the Obama Administration is on pace to issue more than a million green cards to majority-Muslim countries.
If the FBI and Homeland Security interviewed Omar Mateen and they knew about him and still let him go, then how are we supposed to believe that Muslims from extremely homophobic countries are going to be vetted properly and America will be safe?
redzebra1
Putin supports gay rights remember. He claimed ‘my government is not homophobic’ We can imagine him repeating that if confronted