Russia loves gay people (not)

LookingFor

So at least that's one place I'm taking off my list to visit any time soon..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8053181.stm

Police in Russia have broken up a protest by gay rights activists in Moscow, staged to coincide with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Some 30 campaigners had gathered near a university in defiance of a ban on their march and many were dragged away by police when they shouted slogans.

British gay rights activist, Peter Tatchell, was among those detained.

A counter-demonstration by nationalist and religious groups was allowed to go ahead elsewhere in the Russian capital.

The Eurovision Song Contest traditionally has a large gay following and activists in Russia had seen its staging in Moscow as a great opportunity to highlight what they say is deep prejudice, says the BBC's Moscow correspondent, Richard Galpin.

There have been many attacks on members of the gay community - they also say they risk being sacked by their employers and shunned by their families.

The Moscow mayor Yuri Luzkhov has described gay parades as "satanic".

I'd no idea things were so bad in Russia. I know some gay Russians and they're always quite proud about their nationality to say the least, but I think I've a better understanding now of why they're so reluctant to actually live in the country.

swiss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q__0ONp0ojc

Marshy

Thats quite shocking alright. Would make me think twice about going to Russia.

Aoifums

I knew Russia was homophobic, didn't know it was that bad.

On the plus side, the two Russians I know aren't in the slighest bit homophobic. Hopefully the next generation of Russians won't be so bad.

jady88

Russia is fast becoming a dictatorship we'd be lucky if the next generation of Russians didn't hate anything that wasn't russian.

Bougeoir

I know it's easy to point a finger and say "Russia is homophobic and I'd never go there" and I understand what you mean but I used to live in Russia and I never suffered any homophobia tbh. I mean I'm really colourful, flamboyantly gay. I didn't live in Moscow but a small city in the north of St. Petersburg called Petrozavodsk and it is a very student town and there are so many lesbians there and for such a small city, it actually had some gay bars! I then moved to the bigger St. Petersburg which is a lovely beautiful city. This sorta of crap appals me and saddens me as half-Russian because there are many many young Russians of my generation who are more open-minded and not homophobic. The religious and far-right are a total disgrace to Russia. The police and government are so corrupt and also attack other non-Slavic Russians like from the Asian and Transcaucasian parts. I think St. Petersburg though isn't half as bad as Moscow, I don't like Moscow at all it is a very close-minded city. In St. Petersburg, it is more European-like and very diverse and multi-cultural!