THEGAYUK

Tag: Russia News

Get the latest LGBT+ Russia news from THEGAYUK. Breaking news, features and interviews from the gay community in Russia.

  • TV’s Paul O’Grady to lead Russia protest in London

    TV star Paul O’Grady is to lead Russia Protest In London tonight.

    Tonight’s protest will be at Downing Street from 6PM

    Travel Stikes Threatens Success Of Protest

    Keep up-to-date with TheGayUK

    The protest has been organised by the international LGBT pressure group, All Out, and the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

    In London protesters are expected to gather near downing street from 6:00PM. the events have been created by mass petitioning site AllOut.org. Organisers are asking attendees to wear red.

    ‘Our protest is urging the British and Russian governments, and the International Olympic Committee, to uphold Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter, which prohibits discrimination. We are also calling on Olympic corporate sponsors – such as Coca Cola, McDonalds and Visa – to speak out against Russia’s anti-gay law and homophobic violence. So far, they have failed to do so,’
    noted protest co-organiser and speaker, Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

    For travel updates go to our Gay Protest Travel Update page

    TheGayUK will be Live Blogging from 6:00PM tonight

  • The real cost of sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics

    THEGAYUK asked readers about their thoughts on Olympic Corporate Sponsors – the results quite damaging for any brands who don’t speak out.

    With one of biggest mass organised world-wide protests being organised for today (5th Feb 2014) THEGAYUK unveils it’s readers’ survey about what gay people think about the brands that are sponsoring the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

    We asked a representative sample (162) of THEGAYUK readers their thoughts on the commercial supporters of this year’s Winter Olympics.

    A whopping 76% of the people who were questioned knew at least one of the Olympic Sponsors.

    When asked whether they’d boycott the brands involved 60% said that they would consider banning a brand from their house.

    Nearly half of those questioned had already boycotted a brand with a Russian connection (44%)

    75% agreed that sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympic games damaged a company’s LGBT friendly credentials.

    AT&T were the first brand that actively condemn the current situation that LGBT people face in Russia – and although it’s not an official overall Olympics’ sponsor, it does sponsor the US Olympic team.

  • Channel 4 Dispatches To Air ‘Gay Hunt’ Documentary Tonight

    Channel 4 Dispatches To Air ‘Gay Hunt’ Documentary Tonight

    Channel 4 will broadcast a special Dispatches programme tonight about the abuse gay people suffer in Russia.

    CREDIT: Channel 4
    CREDIT: Channel 4
    A shocking documentary by the Dispatches team will be aired tonight by Channel 4 called ‘Hunted’ the documentary draws focus to the cruelty that many LGBT Russians face in their day-to-day life.

    In Russia it is claimed that only 1% of gay people dare to live openly because of the homophobic attacks on the gay community.

    Last year there are a number of attacks and even murders attributed to homophobia suffered by gay people.

    The show is on at 10PM on Channel 4.

  • The world’s first protest beer against anti-gay Russia

    In a rather cool move BrewDog have unveiled the world’s first protest beer, by satirising Russia’s Anti-Gay Law.

    * Beer carries a picture of the Russian premier
    * 50% of the profits will be donated directly to charities that represent the opressed around the world.
    * BrewDog has sent the president a case of the limited edition beer

    The Scottish Craft Brewery, BrewDog has launched their new beer Hello My Name Is Vladimir – designed as a beer ‘not for gays’ which carries a picture of the Russian president on the front.

    The beer is the world’s first ‘protest beer’ – which aims to support the LGBT community by ‘undermining the potential of the Winter Olympics to deflect attention from Russia’s recent law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’.’

    James Watt, BrewDog co-founder commented:

    “We sincerely hope that when Vladimir Putin is tired from a busy day riding horses with his top off, grappling with burly men on the Judo mat or fishing in his Speedos, he reclines on a velvet chaise longue and has one of his handsome helpers wet his whistle with a glass of Hello My Name is Vladimir.”

    “As Hello My Name is Vladimir is clearly marked ‘not for gays’ we should bypass the legislation introduced by Putin outlawing supposed ‘homosexual propaganda’, so Vlad shouldn’t have an issue with it. He might even invite us to ride bareback with him in the Siberian mountains.”

    “It’s been our mission at BrewDog to upend the status quo in whatever form it occurs. Whether it’s the stranglehold the mega brewers have had on beer production in Europe over the last 50 years, or in the case of Russia, the sick legislation that discriminates against millions of its citizens. Our core beliefs of freedom, integrity and passion drive all our actions. Since we started in 2007, we’ve always striven to strike fear at the heart of the gatekeepers and establishment, the launch of Hello My Name is Vladimir is simply a continuation of that tradition.”

    BrewDog is trying to mount a global social media pressure on Putin whilst the Sochi Winter Olympics are on, using the hastag #NotForGays

    The beer will be available for £2.89 a bottle in all BrewDog bars and brewdog.com from 9:30AM today.

  • MUST WATCH | Russia’s Gay Hunting Season

    MUST WATCH | Russia’s Gay Hunting Season

    If you do nothing else this Wednesday, sit yourself down in front of Channel 4’s Dispatches documentary “Hunted”.

    CREDIT: Channel 4
    CREDIT: Channel 4

    This deeply disturbing programme, directed by Ben Steele and reported by Liz MacKean, shows us a bleak picture of a Russia, where gay people are literally hunted down like animals, subjected to humiliating and painful abuse.

    Though homosexuality has been legal in Russia for twenty years, it has never been accepted. The recent Russian law banning propaganda of non-traditional sexual attitudes to minors, has only served to make worse anti-gay feeling, which is so deeply entrenched in Russian society, it is hard to know how to challenge it. Strengthened by the views of the powerful Russian Orthodox Church and those in power, vigilante groups carry out their crimes in full view, knowing that the police will do nothing to intervene.

    This brilliant film offers no easy solutions, but in talking to the leaders of these groups it exposes the problem at the very heart of Russia, “ the worst place to be gay in Europe”, where homophobia is normal and a contrary view, even if you are straight, is likely to get you in trouble.

    Not to be missed, “Hunted” airs at 10pm on Channel 4.

    http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/videos/all/hunted

  • OPINION | Gays Welcome Just Stay Away From Our Children

    In a vastly seemingly uneducated statement, and one that shows a complete lack of understanding, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin welcomes the gays to Russia, as long as we away from children.

    With all due respect Mr Putin, it’s a bit of an oxymoronic statement, to be honest. You’re welcome to come to our country – yet you’re basically calling the entire gay community child abusers, by lumping homosexuality and paedophilia in the same sentence – a sure fire way to induce a completely opposite response from welcoming on the streets of Russia.

    If all else fails trot out the ‘gays will harm/recruit/abuse our children’ (delete as appropriate) line. One that is highly offensive and shows a true lack of understanding of the facts.

    Despite the statistics show that heterosexuals are the most likely culprits of child abuse, Putin shows his true colours (a very grey rainbow) that he is incredibly uneducated on the matter of homosexuality and child abuse for that matter.

    Eventually, propaganda or no, gay children will turn into gay teens and will, yes eventually turn into gay adults. For you see Vladimir our sexuality is not a choice, but your misrepresentation of us is. No amount of persuasion by a gay adult will change a person’s mind about their sexuality, just as years of heterosexual propaganda does not effect the feelings of a gay person. It doesn’t matter how many times we gays see ‘traditional relationships’ in our day-to-day lives, we still turn out the way that we are. Which shows that sexual identity propaganda doesn’t work – and anyway how do you propagandise a child?

    A Homosexualist: Hello child – be gay!

    Child: No!

    A Homosexualist: Oh go on…

    Child: No!

    A Homosexualist: Can you spell Propaganda?

    Child: Can I have alphabeti spaghetti for tea?

    So gay people won’t be subjected to harassment at the Sochi Olympics next month, as long as we stay away from children – to be honest Putin’s statement doesn’t fill me with a warm fuzzy welcoming feeling. In fact it feels as though his welcoming statement is inciting wrongful judgement on gay people.

    “We do not have a ban on non-traditional sexual relationships,” said Putin in comments reported by Russian agencies. “We have a ban on the propaganda of homosexuality and paedophilia. I want to underline this. Propaganda among children. These are absolutely different things – a ban on something or a ban on the propaganda of that thing.”

    Sorry sir, but you have already harassed the overwhelming majority of us homosexuals who aren’t interested in children – or even talking about homosexuality to children. To me, that’s just warped and if you’re the person who jumps straight to that conclusion, perhaps that says more about you – than it does of me.

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Petition Goes Live Calling For The Sacking Of Ivan Okhlobystin After Homophobic Rant

    A Russian actor who stars in the Russian version of Scrubs and The Snow Queen called for “faggots” to be stripped of their human rights and burnt alive.

    A Petition has gone live calling for the sacking of Russian actor Ivan Okhlobysti after he said that he would strip all LGBT people of their human rights and burn them in an oven.

    ‘I’d put them all alive in the oven…it’s a living danger to my children,’ Okhlobystin said, according to RIA Novosti.

    Okhlobystin voices the main character in the movie The Snow Queen, due for a US DVD release on January 28, 2014. Vertical Entertainment is the US DVD distributor of the film.

    In an open letter to Wizart Animation, the makers of The Snow Queen, Derek William creator of the petition said:
    ‘Such inflammatory rhetoric should alarm anyone with a conscience and awareness of recent history, because it is redolent of the rise of the Far Right in Nazi Germany that led to the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews perished, alongside another 6 million of other minorities, including homosexuals.

    ‘Okhlobystin’s call to massacre homosexuals by a genocide of immolation has absolutely no place in the free world, and he is not a fit and proper person to be involved with the public face of children’s entertainment.

    ‘I call upon you to dissociate yourselves and your company publicly and in no uncertain terms from this outrageous rhetoric, and to end your dealings with Mr Okhlobystin forthwith, stating this as the reason.’

     

  • Russian Embassy turns down gay gift in London

    It’s probably not the most surprising thing to learn, but the Russian Embassy in London turned down these fabulous dolls.

    The dolls which have been signed by Stephen Fry, Graham Norton and Sir Elton John were offered to the Russian Embassy by Alistair Stewart and Chris Price of the Kaleidoscope Trust.

    Alistair remarked: ‘The British coppers were very friendly and helped us find our way to the second gate. Sadly the Russian official at the gate refused to accept the gift, or let us take it inside. We showed him the dolls but he wasn’t keen. The gay community in Russia is currently facing the most punitive treatment at the hands of the authorities. This was our way to show our pride and stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBT community in Russia.’

    Undeterred, Stewart and Price have decided to deliver the dolls via recorded delivery for Mr Putin’s express attention.

    Bravo!

    One of the sets has already gone on eBay, the remaining dolls are being auctioned online at www.torussiawithlove.co.uk between until 22nd of December to raise money for The Kaleidoscope Trust and their work with the Russian gay community.

  • Two Fingers Up At Russian Homophobia

    Creative agency Mother and The Kaleidoscope Trust are sticking two fingers up at homophobia in Russia this Christmas.

    (more…)

  • ALLOUT: Coca Cola ‘Refused To Speak Out Against Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws’

    Despite a petition that was signed by over 125,000 supporters asking the world’s biggest drinks manufacturer to speak out, Coca-Cola has failed to pass comment about Russia’s anti-gay laws.

    In an email from the petitioning site AllOut.org, organisers said:

    ‘Coca-Cola’s statement completely ignored people facing discrimination and abuse in Russia. Instead, they tried to rely on their history of supporting equality in countries like the US. That’s not enough – you can’t support lesbian, gay, bi and trans people when it’s convenient and stay silent when they need you the most.

    ‘In the time it took for Coca-Cola to issue their weak statement, the violence in Russia escalated. Anti-gay thugs broke into a meeting of organisers, beat people with baseball bats, and even shot one man in the eye. Over the weekend, another group even fired guns at a gay club in Moscow.’

    Coca-Cola is one of the Sochi Winter Olympic main sponsors, along with ATOS, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Visa.
    In research conducted by TheGayUK, we asked readers if a company’s sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympics threatened a company’s LGBT friendly image, to which 94.5% of respondents said that they agreed.
    In a letter to the Human Rights Campaign, Edward E. Potter, the director of Global Workplace Rights at Coca-Cola said:

    ‘We have a longstanding commitment to the LGBT community. It is reflected in our statement that is available on our public website. We will continue to demonstrate our support of the LGBT community and, more broadly, promote our values for diversity through our policies and actions.

    ‘In the spirit of the Olympic Charter, as I indicated in my June letter, we believe the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken seriously the human rights concerns you have raised and followed up on them with a strong sense of urgency. As part of our long-term partnership with the IOC, we continually engage with them on various issues, including those that you have raised, that relate specifically to the Olympic Games.’

    Read the letter to HRC

    AllOut are now asking supporters to help create a campaign that will target Coca-Cola around the world. To find out more click here.

  • UK Government does not support Sochi boycott

    Foreign Office rules out Government supported boycott of the Russian Winter Olympics in Sochi.

    In an email received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by petitioners who asked the Government, to make a political statement to the Russian Government about their anti-gay laws, by officially boycotting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, has said it ‘does not support a boycott.’

    Over 13,000 people have signed the petition that was created by Sean Robertson earlier in the year.

    In June President Putin signed into law, a bill that could see anyone discussing homosexual relationships to anyone under the age of 18 sentenced to a prison term or fined.

    In September the Russian Government moved one step closer to introducing a bill that would remove children from gay parents.

    The statement from the FCO reads:

    As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

    ‘The Government wants to see an open and inclusive games at the 2014 Russian Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, but we do not support a boycott. The Prime Minister believes we have a better chance of influencing Russia by engaging and challenging prejudices than by boycotting.

    ‘We share concerns about changes to the law in Russia prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. In effect, the law could prevent the LGBT community in Russia from fully enjoying the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Prime Minister set out these concerns with President Putin in a meeting in St Petersburg on 6 September, making clear the strength of feeling in the UK and that it was in Russia’s interests to tackle discrimination.

    ‘British officials at all levels have been lobbying on the LGBT law since the first regional “homosexual propaganda” law was tabled. As well as raising the subject in bilateral meetings, we have actively supported LGBT issues in Russia for some years, including through involvement in the annual Queerfest in St Petersburg and funding for the Side-by-Side LGBT film festival held across Russia.

    ‘More broadly, we regularly make clear to Russia that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people, as part of our overall engagement on human rights with the Russian authorities, including at the 2013 UK-Russia Human Rights dialogue in May and in the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe’s regular discussions with their Russian counterparts.

    ‘We have updated our travel advice for Russia to inform British Nationals of the new LGBT law. We review this advice regularly and will update further as necessary. We are committed to providing a modern and efficient consular service for visitors to Sochi.

    ‘Human rights will continue to be a central part of the UK-Russia relationship and we will continue to raise our concerns and encourage Russia to tackle discrimination and homophobia.

    ‘This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold’

    The petition is still open and the deadline is 15th January 2014. If you wish to sign it click here.