Russian Gays Attacked on Coming Out Day in Moscow
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis

One of our Russian LGBT friends, Andrew Obolensky, emailed us recently with news about Russian Orthodox Christians harassing his advocacy group, The Rainbow Association, on October 10th. The good news is that no gays were seriously harmed and a lecture took place in spite of the harassment, but the bad news is anti-gay forces acted with impunity and no repercussions from the police.

He's requested that we share this information:

"This Friday a group of homophobes attacked the Sakharov Center in Moscow and beset it for more than 2 hours. Their goal was to disrupt the event organized by the local LGBT community, dedicated to the International Coming Out Day and attended by more than 50 people.

"On October 10, Sakharov Center, which promotes human rights for all Russians, was hosting an annual interactive meeting titled 'Be Open – And Your World Will Get Broader'.

"Soon after the beginning several dozens of aggressive religious homophobes headed by Dmitry Enteo, alias Dmitry Tsorionov, showed up. They brought the posters and Orthodox icons and started to scream hateful slogans, trying break into the building. They started to throw eggs at the participants who were on their way to the event, threatening physical violence. Meanwhile, the homophobes were giving interviews to the media claiming that the organizers of the meeting are molesting children at this meeting.

"After half an hour, a police squad arrived. They inquired, what are the goals of the event, who allowed this event to be held, and if this event violates the 'gay propaganda' law. The police did not allow anyone from leaving the building unless the participants who their documents in order to prove there was no minors present at the venue.

"This controversial behaviour of police was appreciated by the leader of the homophobic attackers Enteo who on his Twitter account welcomed the cooperation between the police and the Orthodox activists.

"The crucial thing is that despite the attack and the violations on the part of police (some media quoted police saying that the behaviour of the homophobes was peaceful'), the annual interactive meeting was a success. The organizers received very positive feedback from the participants. And thanks to the efforts of the staff of the Sakharov Center and the LGBT activists, homophobes did not make it inside of the building and nobody was hurt."

As you well know, Michael has long been active as a global organizer for gay human rights and while the troubles of our friends in Moscow in recent days aren't an issue in the District 8 Supervisor race, we feel it's important to give attention to this incident on Friday.

The #VotePetrelis team salutes the bravery of our LGBT friends who every day take steps that demand protection of their human rights and show the world that gay Russians are out, loud and proud!

 The attackers gathering outside the LGBT meeting.

 LGBT Russians and allies conducted their lecture inside the center as planned.

Remnants of eggs that hit a gay leader are visible on his head and jacket.

Moscow Gays Protest at Iranian Embassy for LGBT Rights

Our gay brothers and sisters in Moscow today staged their vigil for LGBT Iranians and have sent along this report and photos. For more info on the Gay Russian organization, click here. Thank you, LGBT Russians, for your solidarity action today!

Moscow LGBT activists protested today against persecution of Iranian gays

This is the second year that gays and lesbians rally in front of Iranian embassy in Moscow.

About two dozens of LGBT and political activists demonstrated in front of Iranian embassy in Moscow. They protested against execution and discrimination of gay people in Iran.

The rally was organized and supported by Russian leading gay rights advocacy group 'Project GayRussia.Ru' and joined by 'LGBT Rights', 'Free Radicals Libertarian Movement' and activists of 'Transnational Radical Party'.

Traditionnal Human Rights organizations ignored the protest and did not join.

Demonstrators held slogans in support of human and gay rights. They also unveiled rainbow flags.

Slogans of the rally were: “Iran! Maintain human rights!”, “Iran! Hands off gays!”, “No death penalty!”.

Last year LGBT and political activists also rallied on July 19 against execution of gay people in Iran while several extremists attempted to assault the demonstrators.

This year the situation in front of Iranian embassy was very calm. Just in the end of manifestation appeared a group of nationalists and religious believers. They were stopped by the police and dismissed.

One of Moscow Pride organizers and participant of the rally Nikolai Baev said that this year during the rally happened nothing dangerous for LGBT activists.

“It seems that even homophobic activists start to understand that gays and lesbians may rally and protest in Moscow absolutely free, and walk on streets with their flags and slogans”, said Baev. “This is also a clear result of our policy that we started with Gay Pride movement in Russia.”

However the rally was authorized by Moscow authorities only after activists did not mention about “gay rights” in their application.

YouTube: SF Gays v. Russians, Stoli Dump & Solidarity Video

A video of the San Francisco protest at the Russian consulate, featuring a discussion between activists and a consular official and a dumping of Stoli into the gutter, is posted on YouTube.

There's a big debt of gratitude owed Ken Hodnett and Paul Barwick, two activists with video cameras who participated in the action this week, who've now collaborated to produce this video. Give the video a look and listen to Mihail from the consulate, while San Francisco activists stage an act of full public solidarity with LGBT Russians.

Thanks Ken, Paul and everyone who made the protests happen in Manhattan and here.

BAR: American Queers to Russian Gays: Drop Dead

I wrote this column before the June 5 actions at the NY and SF Russian consulates and launch of the Stoli boycott. It appears in the June7 Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco's venerable and most widely-read weekly. The BAR also provides some coverage and a photo of the SF action.

Our other gay weekly, the Bay Times, this week offers up the usual trenchant analysis by Ann Rostow on the Stoli boycott. And lastly, the SF Chronicle's Blogwatch notices our Stoli dump and consulate visit.

My BAR column:

For the second year running, bloody violence, police indifference, and official government violations of basic universal human rights treaties were the order of the day on May 27 in Moscow, as gays tried to petition Russian authorities for equality.

And like last year, when Russian gays attempted to stage their first Pride March and met a similar fate – both were well-covered by the mainstream and gay press and bloggers – average American queers collectively yawned loudly, after maybe a moment of bemoaning the violence, then kept silent and enjoyed the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Not only that, but our well-paid professional lobbyists remained silent. They issued no statements of solidarity prior to May 27, nor were they ready to quickly issue condemnations the day the gay blood spilled on the streets of Moscow, never mind organizing vigils at Russian government buildings on American soil.

Particularly galling was the four-day lag on the part of the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission to distribute a perfunctory statement deploring what happened in Moscow. What possible excuse can IGLHRC have for not being ready either with a statement, or miraculously, an action, over the aborted Russian gay Pride March? Waiting four days in the Internet age is like waiting four months for this sort of thing.

More than eight weeks before the second attempted Moscow gay Pride event, I e-mailed and spoke to people in San Francisco, where we have a large Russian Consulate, asking them to participate in a protest I wanted to stage at the consulate in the week leading up to May 27. My thinking was that enough gays were aware of last year's troubles and a consulate action prior to this year's attempted Pride would send a message to Kremlin leaders: protect the human rights of gays at the Moscow march.

The negative feedback, so common when I try to organize such things, was swift and pronounced. People generally let me know how they disapprove of my activism and political stridency. A few said they were heading out of town early to get a jump on the holiday weekend, but I wasn't convinced that was the real reason for their declining to join a protest for gay Russians. With the deep lack of even minimal community support, along with my own needs, finding part time work to pay my bills and combating a nasty opportunistic stomach infection, I abandoned my plans.

Foolishly, I spent April and May anxiously awaiting word that IGLHRC, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, or the Human Rights Campaign were mobilizing vigils at Russian government outposts, or at least simple e-mail and phone campaigns, before or after May 27, and as we all know, they never did.

Not one of the generously-compensated professional advocates at those well-funded nonprofits made a peep asking American gays to stand in solidarity with our Russian brothers and sisters.

As annoying is that the gay political community didn't, and hasn't for too long a time, demanded street actions and pressure campaigns from those advocacy groups over global gay matters.

Am I the only American queer who thinks international gay issues require more than the quiet insider approach as the only way to improve respect for the human rights protections of our family, regardless of borders? Why is it our professionals see no value in mobilizing actions of any sort, beyond their staffs? Or worse, as is the case with the needlessly arrogant and pompous gatekeeper head of Human Rights Watch's gay unit, deceitfully work to undermine the efforts of unpaid activists who do organize for gays around the planet?

I fully accept that many gays won't heed a call from me to hit the pavement in front of foreign consulates, or attend a candlelight vigil in the Castro, or make a call to an embassy in Washington.

So I'm not the candidate to lead these things.

And we're sadly not about to see the dainty dames and gents at IGLHRC, HRW, Amnesty, NGLTF and HRC get their polished loafers or nails dirty walking picket lines or corralling us to form e-mail-writing teams to bombard consular officials demanding respect of the human rights of gay people in their countries.

But what I refuse to accept is that nonprofits should not be doing such advocacy, as part of a multi-pronged approach. Please don't tell me we need to start another organization to engage in street activism or stage speak outs, when we already have enough groups with lots of staffers who could do such work.

I'm upset with American queers who by and large are woefully apathetic about international gay issues and our brothers and sisters beyond our borders, while also refusing to demand from nonprofits more methods and a variety of pressures on foreign governments.

Our community-wide ignorance and lethargy on global gay issues send a deafening message: "We don't care. Drop dead."

We must do more for the brave gays of Moscow and our family members all across the globe.

SF Supervisor Introduces LGBT Russian Resolution Condeming Pride March Violence

At today's San Francisco Board of Supervisors' meeting Supervisor Tom Ammiano introduced the following resolution, which will be voted on next week and it is expected to easily pass.

Like the anti-gay violence in Moscow two years in a row as LGBT Russians attempt to stage public Gay Pride events, this is also the second year the Supervisors have taken a stand of solidarity with our brothers and sisters across Russia and called on the country's leaders to respect their human rights protections.

For this, I express bottomless gratitude to the Supervisors, many of whom I'm usually critical of or battling with over local politics, for putting time and city government resources into commenting on foreign affairs and especially on human rights abuses and treaties, not just for queers, but for many communities and individuals.

Would that there were other city councils sometimes following the lead of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, offering hope and attention to people in many parts of the worlds who struggle for peace and justice.

A message from me to LGBT Russians and gays around the world: Though we are few when we protest at consulates, and offer resolutions with no legal weight, we have not forgotten or abandoned you. You honor us by allowing us to be your partners in building international gay solidarity.

By the way, have I missed the condemnations and calls to arms from IGLHRC, Human Rights Watch, NGLTF, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Campaigns about all this trouble in Russia?

Here's the text of the Board of Supervisors' resolution:

Resolution condemning the government sanctioned violence at the Russian LGBT community’s May 27^th demonstration in Moscow, and urging the Kremlin and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzkhov to work toward fostering a culture of tolerance toward the LGBT community in Russian society.

WHEREAS, It is the duty of all governments, democratically elected or otherwise, to ensure that human and civil rights, such as the freedom of assembly and expression, of all citizens are protected; and

WHEREAS, When a government employs discriminatory or homophobic rhetoric, it is taken as implicit permission by hate groups to perpetrate violence; and

WHEREAS, This fact was evidenced by Moscow Mayor Luzkhov’s portrayal of homosexuals as “sexual deviants”, and the Russian authorities’ refusal to intervene to stop vicious attacks on peaceful gay pride celebrants by neo-fascist youth in May, 2006, and their involvement in the vicious beatings and arrests of peaceful demonstrators last week; and

WHEREAS, This Board of Supervisors passed a Resolution last year nearly identical to this, on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors in File No. 060813, which is hereby declared to be a part of this resolution as if set forth fully herein; and,

WHEREAS, The Russian government’s contempt for the local and international LGBT community, and the rule of law, was made clear when the Moscow police stood by as a gay member of the German Parliament was assaulted in 2006, and a member of the Italian Parliament jailed on May 27 of this year, along with less prominent members of the Russian LGBT community; and

WHERAS, The Russian authorities chose to add insult to injury by arresting the LGBT demonstrators for assembling unlawfully after permitting neo-fascist groups to beat and kick them for an extended length of time; and

WHEREAS, The Kremlin would do well to remember that over 27 million Russians died defending Eurasia against fascism, and it is a fallacy to imagine that an alliance, informal or otherwise, between the Russian state and reconstituted fascist groups is a partnership beneficial to the Russian people; now, therefore, be it

RESOLved, That the Board of Supervisors condemns the government sanctioned violence and chaos which took place during Moscow’s first Gay Pride march in 2006, as well as at the Russian LGBT community’s May 27^th demonstration in Moscow, and urges the Kremlin and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzkhov to work toward fostering a culture of tolerance in relation to the LGBT community in Russian society.