Russia says no to Gay Pride

[Pix]

For anyone wondering what's going on with our siblings in Russia:

[Only registered members can see links. ]

Gay activists tried to stage two demonstrations in Moscow on Sunday to demand the right to hold a gay pride parade in the Russian capital, but they were blocked first by Orthodox Christian opponents and then by police, who detained a total of about 40 people from both sides.

The gay activists first gathered outside the city council building, where a few scuffles occurred as their opponents tried to disrupt the demonstration, decrying homosexuality as a sin. After police broke up that protest, another group tried to stage a second protest at city hall, but once again police moved in and detained participants, including prominent gay rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev.

The majority of those detained were gay activists, but some of the Christian demonstrators also were pushed into police buses. Police said about 40 people were detained in all.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but anti-gay sentiment remains strong.

Activists have long petitioned the Moscow government for permission to stage such a parade, but have always been denied. Former Mayor Yuri Luzhkov described gay parades as "satanic," while current Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said he disapproves of gay gatherings because they could offend the religious beliefs of many Russians

"It's as if they thought that if all left-handed people held a parade, then afterward everyone would become left-handed," Kaptur said. "This is wrong."

Among the opponents of gay rights was Dmitry Tsarionov, who spoke to the crowd in front of a sign that said "Moscow is not Sodom."

"I will not allow perverts to bring the wrath of God onto our city," he said. "I want our children to live in a country where a sin that so awfully distorts human nature is not preached in schools."

This month, Alexeyev became the first person convicted under a new law in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, which makes it a crime to spread "gay propaganda" among minors. Alexeyev was charged after he picketed St. Petersburg's city hall with a placard that said "homosexuality is not a perversion." He was fined 5,000 rubles (about $170).

The Russian parliament is considering extending the measure nationwide, which gay activists say would make it even easier to ban their public demonstrations

I guess it's too much to ask that Christians emphasize the Golden Rule of Christ rather than the other parts of the Bible. And I'd think Russia's government had much bigger problems than this, and apparently they're not worried about their public image (Muslim nations might like their stance, but Russia only rarely gets along with those nations anyway).

Hopefully Nikolai Alexeyev was only arrested this time without the usual beatings the cops normally give him. If they spared him this time then maybe they see beating him just isn't going to crush his spirit so there's no point, or heck, maybe after arresting him so many times they're even getting to like him.

(I mean no disrespect, I learned in my youth to deal with bad times with graveyard humor, that is to say learning to laugh about horrible things rather than crying over them.)

ETA: You know what I don't get? If Russia is so against homosexuality then why is the military hazing that often includes man-on-man sexual abuse tolerated? I understand that's not homosexuality but I'd think those who hate gays would consider such sex abuse as such. Russia has also had more than one soldier so abused get hold of military weapons and blow away his tormentors, btw, so I'd think that would only add to the resolve of the leadership to stop it from happening. (And men are required to spend time serving in the military, btw.)

[Genersis]

Again?
Ugh.
This happens every year...or should i say at least once a year?

Military hazing rituals are considered a humiliating, dehumanising tradition. I don't think they really care what happens at them, AS it's a tradition.
Some things seem to get a free pass from scrutiny when it's a tradition.
Isn't college hazing a thing in the US? Or have i just watched way too much TV.

[TomStatic]

I really want to go Visit Russia
but i won't untill they are treated better

[gilhooly]

Given how much worse gay kids are treated in Minnesesota we are in no position to comment on Russia. Michele Bachmann's home district recently had 9 gay suicidess. Oner 250 kids see shrinks because they are afraid they might be "queer." The world is becoming more homophobic. We need a big increase in homophobia to get people ready to attack Iran, North Korea or anyone else. Military sticks on Wall St. are slumping. A lot more people need to die. That is how they plan to jump start the economy. Fear is the greatest motivator when dealing with stupid voters.

How come not one Republican or Democrat has a solution to anything. We are required to elect or reelect assholes chosen by the media. The world is no longer brainwashed. It is brain dead. Good luck from an old pagan observer, free will is very, very dead.!!!!

There is a law on my home which states im ment to pay money to the church well... I havent and wont i refuse point blank and if they want ill go to court or they can call this an ACT OF GOD as hey apparently i was created by him... maybe one day russia will behave itself for once

[pellaz]

Originally Posted by Pix

... I'd think Russia's government had much bigger problems than this, and apparently they're not worried about their public image ...

I think most of this junk is the government attempting to distract the media and citizens form a desperate economy and the government's inability to deal with it. Individuals would not normally care.

[princealbertofb]

I just signed a petition for Ukraine... against gay bullying by neo nazi types... I thought it was supposed to ''get better''???

[myapple]

How unfortunate Ijust don't understand why people are so cruel toward homosexuals. They act like it's the biggest and worst sin ever, when it's not. Killers and people with a thousand of tattoos get a pat on the back, while homosexuals are shunned.

[Karel]

Hello

Russia cares a whole lot about its image, but this incident doesn't go against the one it tries to project in the slightest. They just use the occasion to send a message that being gay isn't acceptable there. Oh, the individuals do care, often much more than the government. They might care about it more about than the fact that they'll have barely anything to eat next week.

The reason for discrimination of homosexuals isn't usually religious at all. Religion and moral reasons are only used to "rationalize" the hate that's based on old stereotypes about gay lifestyles and mentality. A lot of people assume that all homosexuals are pedophiles, for example. It's also very difficult to change these stereotypes to a more positive views, because homosexuality is one of the nations favorite slander targets. And what's more fun than random slander?

Believe it or not, the situation is slowly(with emphasis on slowly) starting to get better, though Russia probably still half a century behind western Europe, Northern Americas and some other more progressive regions.
Yes, making a new law anti-pride law)of course it's more carefully worded) sounds awfully bad, but up until now they didn't feel the need to have one, because everything seemed to be under control anyhow.

Abuse in the military is often considered as part of discipline and thus not such a bad thing to do, weird as that might sound. And there is also less of that than there used to be.

Unfortunately it's practically impossible to apply any international pressure to change Russian attitudes as it might have the opposite effect instead, not unlike in the classical reversal jokes. - "In Mozilla Firefox, you keep tabs in browser. In Soviet Russia, browser keep tabs on YOU!"
Only it's not really a joke.

Just the perspective of someone who has lived in a country bordering Russia for quite some time.

[Genersis]

Originally Posted by myapple

How unfortunate Ijust don't understand why people are so cruel toward homosexuals. They act like it's the biggest and worst sin ever, when it's not. Killers and people with a thousand of tattoos get a pat on the back, while homosexuals are shunned.

Yeah, but you see murderers aren't trying to change things; like religiously associated institutions.

[Sarcasm]They're not even trying to force their views on every one else to be accepted by asking for the same rights as opposite sex couples.[/Sarcasm]

[Rainbowmum]

Can they get anymore hypocritical and backwards ?

[Dj1990]

Slavs are just evil, semi retarded people....most of the time.
And it should be okay for me to say that since I am Serbian.
Serbians think the same way as Russians....there is no logic to it...it's just retardation.
You can see it by the economies too...looks like retards run the countries.
Czech Rep, Slovenia and northern Croatia are somewhat of an exception......because of their
Germanic influence.

[Pix]

I've met some Russians I've liked before and my first serious girlfriend was Russian American (and I found her great grandmother from Russia very inspirational though I never dared tell her I was gay, or that I was having sex with her great granddaughter, because she was so devoutly Russian Orthodox).

Nevertheless, I wouldn't live in Russia in large part because of how socially conservative it is and how self-righteous many Russians seem to be. But having grown up in the East Texas Bible Belt (also known as "Behind the Pine Curtain") I don't feel I have room to talk and I'll give any Russians I meet a chance to prove themselves an enlightened human being if they'll do the same for me.

It's ironic that many of our Republicans hate Russians but my impression is that all too many Russians would vote Republican, even the Tea Party kind, if they immigrated here (assuming they could look past what Republicans tend to say about them and their heritage).