Russian Gays Cancel Protest During Obama Visit

MOSCOW - Russian gay activists said on Monday they had called off, due to safety concerns, a demonstration outside the U.S. embassy planned for Tuesday during U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow.
Moscow city officials last week banned the protest in favor of same-sex marriages. Activists, though, said they would protest anyway, running the risk of clashes with police.
But Monday Nikolai Alexeyev, one of their leaders, said they had canceled the protest.
"In the context of another unlawful ban by the authorities on a public event as well as the special measures taken in the Russian capital during the visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, we have decided to cancel the event due to concerns over the safety of our members," he said in a statement.
Obama flew into Moscow for talks at the Kremlin Monday and will leave early Wednesday.
City authorities said last week they had refused a request by gay activists to protest because they said another group had already booked the area in front of the U.S. embassy and that most Muscovites were against the demonstration.
Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993 but tolerance is not widespread and Moscow's authorities often ban pro-gay protests.
from Reuters

This Is What's Hot In Russia...

MOSCOW - When he flexes Russia's diplomatic and military muscle, Vladimir Putin always makes headlines.
But few could have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that erupted after the president stripped off his shirt for the cameras while vacationing in the Siberian mountains last week.
The resulting images, prominently enshrined on the presidential Web site, inspired admiration, criticism and some racing pulses among his admirers.
The Russian media still can't get enough.
The tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda on Wednesday published a huge color photo of the bare-chested president under the headline: "Be Like Putin." Its excuse? A guide showing exactly what exercises were required to build up a torso like the Russian leader's.
Kremlin watchers have been trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures send, given that the 54-year-old Putin has insisted he plans to step down at the end of his second term next year, as required by the constitution.
One radio talk show host speculated the photos were meant to enhance Putin's personal appeal to voters - a strong signal that he doesn't plan to relinquish power. When the commentator, Yevgeniya Albats, went on to suggest the half-naked photo shoot was unbecoming for a Russian leader, female listeners peppered her with e-mails expressing admiration for Putin's physique.
Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that women who visited its Web site posted comments on Putin's "vigorous torso" and said they "were screaming with delight and showering (him) with compliments."
Russian gay chat rooms and blogs were particularly intrigued by the photos: Some claimed that Putin, by stripping to his waist, was somehow pleading for more tolerance of homosexuality in Russia - where gays and lesbians are for the most part forced to remain closeted.
One satirical photo circulating on the Internet jokingly compared Putin's mountain adventure with Prince Albert II of Monaco to the movie "Brokeback Mountain," a love story about two cowboys who conceal a homosexual affair.
The Russian president, who is married with two daughters, has long cultivated an image of machismo and manliness. Well-known as a downhill skier and black belt in judo, Putin has appeared on national television driving a truck, operating a train, sailing on a submarine and copiloting a fighter jet.
These exploits have been widely publicized, thanks to the Kremlin's control of major Russian media.
In contrast to his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, notorious for drunken antics, Putin has established an image as serious, energetic, sober and sharp-witted. In a country that worships its Olympic and other world-class athletes, he has also taken care to stay physically fit.
In interviews, he speaks avidly about judo and athletics.
"Sport has helped me form my own personal point of view on the world, on people and my approach to them," he said in an interview posted on the Kremlin Web site.
Some say it's all part of the Putin mystique.
"He's cool. That's been the image throughout the presidency, cool," said Sergei Markov, Kremlin-connected head of the Moscow-based Institute for Political Research.
But Putin's outdoor outing last week took this manly public persona to a new level.
The prince and the president spent several days on vacation in the mountainous southern Siberian region of Tuva. Dressed in fatigues, fingerless gloves, a bush hat and chic sunglasses, Russia's most powerful man was shown on TV broadcasts in scenic footage riding horses, rafting down a river, fishing for grayling and off-roading in a sport utility vehicle.
Amid the outdoor posturing, the image-handlers were careful to make sure Putin was shown staying on top of major events - a lesson he learned after he was criticized for failing to immediately interrupt his vacation after the submarine Kursk sank in August 2000.
Putin's Siberian holiday coincided with the bombing of a passenger train near St. Petersburg. This time, TV footage showed him reportedly issuing orders to top ministers by cell phone from his vacation retreat.
Stanislav Belkovsky, head of the National Strategy Institute think tank, said the pictures from Tuva were nothing more than an effort to reassure Russians that Putin knows how to relax - and was preparing for retirement.
Yevgeny Volk, who heads the Heritage Foundation's Moscow office, said the political elite increasingly views Putin as a lame duck leader and that the photos only strengthen the impression that he should no longer be taken seriously.
from The Associated Press

Russian Gays Lose Case Against Moscow Mayor

MOSCOW - A Russian court on Friday threw out a lawsuit by two gay rights activists against Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov for publicly branding Gay Pride parades a "satanic act."
"The court has not found reasons to rule in favor of the suit," a spokesman for Moscow's Tverskoi district court said.
Luzhkov, who has run Moscow since 1992, has vowed to stop any attempt by homosexuals to march through Russia's capital this year.
The two gay rights activists, who organize such parades, filed a suit against Luzhkov in February demanding he retract his remark and pay them a symbolic 1,000 rubles ($39) each for moral damage.
"It was a joke of a process with violations of all the legal procedures of a civil case," one of the complainants, Nikolai Alexeyev, told Reuters after the court ruling.
He said the judge had not examined their arguments, made no comment on the tone of Luzhkov's remark and was overly casual.
"I have never seen anything like this in my life: the judge came out of her room and announced the decision not from the judge's seat but from the doorway.
"All she lacked was a muffin and a cup of tea."
Alexeyev quoted Luzhkov's spokeswoman in court as saying the mayor had violated no laws but simply exercised his right to free speech.
Last year Moscow authorities banned gay activists from holding a parade. When the march went ahead despite the ban, the activists were detained by police, abused by militant Christians and attacked by neo-Nazis.
In January Alexeyev, who was one of the parade's organizers, filed a suit at the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights against Russia for banning the march, demanding 20$26,340 compensation.
Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993. Tolerance is slowly rising, with a handful of gay clubs opening in large cities since the Soviet Union collapsed. But the country has no high-profile homosexual politicians or business leaders.
Alexeyev said he would appeal against Friday's ruling.
from MSNBC

Being Gay Is Faddish In Today’s Russia

Homosexuals were rare species in Russia some 10 years ago. Homosexual males met one another in secrecy, they might be sent to prison because sodomy was a punishable practice under the penal code effective at the time. But things have changed dramatically. These days it is faddish to be a gay in Russia. The “lavender invasion” has reached the scale of an epidemic. Nowadays Russia’s gays launch they own web sites, open cafes and clubs.
Family man with a “boyfriend” on the side
I did not have to talk Sergei and Pavel into coming for an interview. I just asked them, and they agreed on the spot. Sergei is 21 and Pavel is 23. Both of them look like real lady killers. They are tall and full of muscles. They are stylishly dressed too. There is nothing feminine about them.
“Why aren’t you interested in dating girls? Both of you look so handsome,” I could not help asking them the question.
“Have you ever dreamed of having sex with a woman?” Sergei fired back without missing a beat.
“No, I haven’t. I’m into men.”
“We’re into men too. A man can always understand another man as best as he can,” says Sergei.
Sergei is a resident of the city of Novosibirsk. He moved to Krasnoyarsk to live with Pavel. They have been together for three months now. They share an apartment with Pavel’s parents. Pavel says he used to date with a TV journalist in Krasnoyarsk. According to Pavel, the journalist was courting him in style.
“Homosexuals are like heterosexuals when it comes to dating, falling in love or falling apart,” says Pavel. “Well, we can come to blows sometimes during an argument, that’s the only difference. We mind our business, we never impose our ways on anybody,” added he.
According to Pavel and Sergei, 10% of all males in Krasnoyarsk are gay. The local gay community comprises not only men involved in fashion industry or show biz. Some gay parties in the city are often attended by officials of the Krasnoyarsk regional government, deputies of the local parliament, well-known journalists, businessmen, and even deans of the city’s universities. It would be pretty hard for a commoner to estimate the scale of a “lavender epidemic.” Just a handful of gays live like married pairs. Some of them have wives and children who apparently know nothing about the other side of life of their husbands and daddies.
Boys got beaten up and girls were raped
The majority of homosexuals prefer to keep their sexual orientation undercover. One of the officials of the Krasnoyarsk regional government is rumored to be frequently flying to Moscow to hang out at gay parties out there because he does not want to be “sighted” at the local gay scene.
Krasnoyarsk gays and lesbians used to hang out at Neon, one of the city’s clandestine gay clubs. The partygoers would invariably get a pretty sour welcome from local youths after the party.
“Locals would confront us near the club’s exit late at night. The thugs would beat up the boys and rape the girls,” said Ivan.
“I remember the night when the authorities shut down the club. It’s just a panic. The party was in full swing when a group of camouflaged and masked men with submachine guns came running into the center of the dance floor. Everybody thought it was part of the show and began to clap hands. Fun was cut short when those ‘strippers’ told us to lie face down and keep hands above our heads. Then they started knocking glasses off the tables, they smashed the tables too. By the way, they videotaped the havoc and all the patrons of the club that night. Apparently, they wanted to make a database of those who have nontraditional sexual orientation. What a bunch of idiots,” concluded Ivan.
“The authorities in Novosibirsk show more tolerance toward gays,” says Sergei. “There’re two members-only gay clubs in the city. There’s also a square in the center where we usually hang out. The police don’t bother us; they don’t shut down the clubs. Well, there were several incidents when the gays were taken into custody and spent some time in a holding cell. But all the cases were investigated and the homophobic cops were brought to justice. I believe the situation is different in Novosibirsk because a lot more gays are among the high-ranking officials out there than over here,” adds Sergei.
However, the homosexuals in Krasnoyarsk can still enjoy themselves despite all the persecutions. There is a web site to help those who are on the make. According to Ivan, the city’s numerous escort agencies have plenty of “call boys” to choose from. The male prostitutes are said to belong to the widest age group imaginable. In terms of call boys, Krasnoyarsk is on a par with Moscow, said Ivan.
Being gay is faddish
The number of those who practice same-sex relationships has grown dramatically over the last several years in Russia, Krasnoyarsk inclusive. Needless to say, no official statistics are available. Members of the local gay community put it like this: “We’re all over Krasnoyarsk.”
Propaganda of homosexuality via the media is one of the reasons behind the current popularity of “men’s love.” By and large, it is pretty trendy to be a gay these days.
Pavel is strongly opposed to such a statement. He says that he started showing interest in men when he turned 13. He calls his homosexuality a “natural thing.” I asked him what sort of thing or person influenced him into trying it out for the first time. “You know, I was watching a series called Faculty on MTV. Two of the characters ended up being gay. So I decided to give it a try too,” said he. At 23 years of age, he has slept with more than a dozen men. He never had sex with a woman.
“Homosexuality is not a disease, it has to do some peculiarities of a person’s upbringing,” said Dr. Irina Upatova, a psychotherapist. “A child forms his behavioral stereotypes before reaching the age of 7. Growing up in a single-parent family, without a father or father figure, a child may later feel the need to experience this kind of love. Sometimes men become homosexuals after being raped. No doubts about it, the Russian media actively sparks enthusiasm for homosexual relationships. You may rest assured that a pubescent boy will try it out if he’s being told all the time that gay love is fun. And he’s likely to favor men over women if his first sexual experience with a woman is a failure. Having said that, I believe that treating homosexuality is pointless if it’s not related to some kind a mental deviation, and an individual feels comfortable about the way his sex life is arranged. On the other hand, the media should take a more careful approach and stop popularizing the lifestyle,” said Dr. Upatova.
Russian government officials at all levels are now holding a lively debate about steps that should be taken to encourage population growth in this country. Meanwhile, some of them at times practice homosexual relationships instead of taking action to curb the spread of the lifestyle. Besides, in Krasnoyarsk some “pretty grown-up guys” look for the green boys and seduce them on purpose, according to accounts by some of the gays in that city.
Where does the future hold for a nation where being abnormal is faddish? How on earth will the Russian women conceive in some 20 years if 10% of today’s males are gay and the number keeps growing? “I feel sorry for you girls. There’s only 6 men for 10 women in this country. One out of those six is a gay, another one is a drug addict, two more are alcoholics, and the last but one is a waste of space, an impotent. I guess you can figure out the rest,” said Pavel before bidding his good-byes.
Reference information courtesy of Argumenty i Fakty
Under the Soviet criminal code, sodomy had been a crime since 1934. In accordance with Article 121 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, men found guilty of committing acts of sodomy were to be sentenced to 5 years in prison. In 1993, the Russian Supreme Soviet repealed the article to meet the requirements for the admission of Russia to the Council of Europe. In 2002, the State Duma faction called People’s Deputy came up with a motion to reintroduce criminal prosecution for sodomy. Yet the motion was rejected by a majority of 294 votes against 54 votes.
Russians reportedly show the least amount of tolerance toward the following social groups: HIV-patients, transsexuals, gays.
from Pravda