Luzhkov opens first Russian gay community centre in Moscow with German MP Beck!

Oh what joy and harmony! After years of struggling with with gay pride in Russia, the mayor of Moscow Luzhkov finally agreed to open the first Wowereit Gay Centre (a reminiscence to his Berlin counterpart in Berlin).

(Helpful Moscow policemen have to protect German politician Volker Beck from cheering, exhilarated Moscow gay fans who came to meet and greet the guests from Europe; Courtesy of DPA)

Well, ... yes in an ideal world this might have been possible. But not in Russia, not these days. Not on the 27th of May 2007, when gay activists from all over Russia and Europe gathered a second time this year to make their voices heard. Big respect should be paid for the politicians attending this march, especially Volker Beck (Green party Germany, MP), Sophie in't Veld (MP European Parliament), Vladimir Luxuria (MP Italy), Marco Cappato (MP European Parliament), Peter Tatchell (UK gay activist) and Nikolai Alekseev (Gay Pride activist from Russia).

Shortly before the new clashes, even Alexey Mitrofanov (Russian State Duma Deputy) argued to allow the march, because it could mean that:
"...we will loose all Strasbourg cases on this issue and then we will be surprised that sone persons or deputies will not get entry visas to the European countries".

Homophobic attitudes in Russia are not really new. Already in summer 2001, when the mayor's office was flooded with requests to allow a gay parade in the city the office stated that:
"...the government will not allow holding this march in Moscow on the Day of the City or on any other day, because such demonstrations outrage the majority of the capital's population, are in effect propaganda of dissipation and force upon society unacceptable norms of behavior.''
Luzhkov is in good company. When the Levada Centre asked Russians in April 2005:"

"Do you think homosexual relations between consenting adults should or should not be prosecuted in Russia?", 43,5% said they should be prosecuted (37,9% not, 18,6 don't know). But there is a glimmer of hope as a majority of Russians (42,8%) support a legal ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 36,1% of Russians do not think this is needed.

Gay rights are hard to achieve. Many western countries had similar difficulties in accepting gay communities. The Russian officials seem to be a few decades behind in achnowledging reality. Our advice: Attend the Christpopher Street Day (CSD) in June in Berlin. It is NOT satanic and definitelly a big economic cash generator. Maybe this is an argument for money man Luzhkov?


(Maybe a bit to chilly to do in Moscow yet (Scenes from Christopher Street Day in Berlin 2006; Courtesy "franky_of_berlin" flickr.com)