Here comes Moscow Pride, and it’s going to be a doozy. Mark it on your calendars: Saturday, May 28, 12 noon. (That’s 4am New York time.)
For the last few years, the event has careened from bloody riots to a spy-novel subterfuge. The city repeatedly refused to permit Pride rallies and arrested participants.
And then, last year, there was a victory — or so we thought. The European Union ruled that the city was required to allow Pride to go on. But Moscow has again refused, claiming that it’s simply too dangerous.
So now, activists like Andy Thayer are doing what Moscow authorities are too scared to do: they’re holding their rally come hell or high water.
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Thayer’s in Moscow right now, prepping for the event. “The Russian authorities have the power to provide security for innumerable visiting heads of state, including President Obama, but not their own citizens when they avail themselves of a basic right guaranteed by the Russian Constitution,” he said.
So, what’s going to happen? It’s anyone’s guess, but revolutions are often messy. Follow Andy on Twitter for updates.
xani
^ you’re really stupid to say that. You know nothing about Russia and never been there. The idiots who’re trying to hold gay pride are asking for violence against gays. Russia had problems with basic things for most of the population: physical survival, and parades only can provoke anger–making people not even associated with pride parade fall victims. Russia is a box with explosives, with of angry neo-nazi mobs and very angry people in general, waiting to take it out on someone. It’s not Amerikkkkkkka where you can go to the cops and whine and cry and expect court protection. It’s Russia. Hope the idiots who try to hold a parade wake up. Especially “good” move on their part in the past was to bring a rights defender from the West (who got beaten up)–people are already angry as Western influence destroyed the economy, no need to cause more anger and alienation. Attempts to hold a parade can only anger authorities as well and result in raids on existing gay nights held in Moscow. It’s not San Francisco, and will NEVER be, more like some muslim place… I’m Russian and in general I find Moscow to be very unsafe city–for everyone, gays, foreigners, women, non-white people, everyone–when I come to visit Moscow from USA, I’m super careful and try not to be on the streets too much–because of general lawlessness, street crime, and poverty among population. In Russia, everyone who’s “different” is often hated, not just gays. For this country to start accepting gays, economic problems must be solved first; right now government-mafia is robbing the country left and right, and gay pride parade can only set a fuse to some who’re ready to explode and provoke day-to-day violence against gays and “different-looking” people who haven’t even partook in the pride.
Jeffree
Moscow’s mayor refused to allow the Pride to occur, but did grant a permit to the counter-protesters, supposedly comprised of a motley mix of Orthodox religionists, ultra-nationalists & neo-Nazi skinheads.
Where things may get violent is at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where LGBT marchers planned to lay flowers, symbolic of Russia’s battle against Fascism in WWII.
The British & French press feeds are coming in via GooogleNews & various twitterfeeds, including Andy Thayer. [I’m behind a couple hours due to work].
Jeffree
Dan Choi & Andy Thayer [& others] have been arrested but still in contact with the press as of 10ish minutes ago.