Police in St. Petersburg, Russia, gave LGBT demonstrators a pleasant surprise: In contrast to previous years’ harassment, police on May 17 protected 300 LGBT people and allies at a rally celebrating the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. Continue reading
Russian official have blocked plans for Pride marches at nine locations, including one in Salekhard, at the Arctic Circle. Continue reading
QueerFest 2016, the 8th international LGBTI pride festival of Russia, has concluded on a high note, the festival announced in a press release. Songwriter and performer Sian Evans (of KOSHEEN) sang all-favorites, wished audiences to be themselves, to love and to stay strong, at the closing concert that gathered hundreds of spectators at the venue … Continue reading
The government of St. Petersburg has begun routinely denying freedom of assembly for Russian LGBT activists, the LGBT rights organization Coming Out reports. The situation has deteriorated sharply from previous years. The group states: Freedom of assembly in St. Petersburg: A game of cat and mouse Marsovo Polye (the Field of Mars) is supposed to … Continue reading
The Los Angeles Times reports: Activists turn tolerant St. Petersburg into homophobic city By Mansur Mirovalev Timur Bulatov calls himself a “homophobic wolf,” and last summer he found his prey. Dr. Dmitry Isaev led a commission of psychiatrists in St. Petersburg that approved hundreds of sex-change operations. To Bulatov, he was “a henchman of LGBT … Continue reading
This month in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Straight Alliance for LGBT Equality presented its booby-prize Golden Enema awards for outrageously anti-gay statements and action. Winners included two homophobic American preachers — Scott Lively and James David Manning — along with Russian officials, a Russian journalist and a Russian singer. This is the group’s announcement of … Continue reading
The organizers of QueerFest in St. Petersburg, Russia, say the 10-day event was a success, despite interference and threats of violence from police and anti-gay extremists. This is their account: Saturday, September 27, Russian “QueerFest” closed with a discussion on art and civil citizenship, and a final concert “St. Petersburg against Homophobia”, visited by 300 … Continue reading
A court in St. Petersburg, Russia, yesterday ruled that the Russian LGBT rights group Coming Out is a “foreign agent,” a category that limits its ability to communicate with Russian citizens and subjects it to extra government scrutiny. Coming Out issued the following statement immediately after the ruling: Today, July 21, 2014, Vasileostrovsky District Court … Continue reading
Police in Russia harassed or arrested several LGBT rights activists in connection with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17, the Russian LGBT Network reported. But most of the IDAHOT events in 16 Russian cities occurred without disruption. Many of the celebrations were organized as “Rainbow flashmobs” without a public announcement of … Continue reading
Russian police, who seemingly have a bug or an informant reporting on LGBT activists’ plans, arrested a total of 14 activists in St. Petersburg and Moscow during today’s opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics. AP reported from St. Petersburg: Russian police have arrested four gay rights activists protesting [Friday, Feb. 7] in St. Petersburg on … Continue reading
