Russian stars urge gay acceptance

[IndianaGreen]

Source: BBC News

Russian stars urge gay acceptance

A group of well-known Russian singers and writers has called for an end to discrimination against gay people.

They met after a local official tried to close Moscow's longest-running gay club, Dusha i Telo, where many of the artists have performed.

Activist Nikolai Alekseyev, who called the meeting, said it was the first time celebrities had come together publicly to denounce homophobia.

Requests to hold a gay pride march in Moscow have been rejected for years.

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzkhov has previously described such parades as "satanic".

Russia pop star Lolita, speaking after the event entitled Russian stars against discrimination of the gay community, said gay discrimination was in breach of the constitution which permits people to live their lives freely.

She also said gay discrimination was a problem nationwide, not just in Moscow.


Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8305125.stm

[robo50]

1. Can we invite these folks over here to help us out? Seems like

Maine and California need a visit from a few Russian stars.

[Captain Hilts]

2. I was living in Moscow the day Russian legalized male homosexuality.

There was no similar law prohibiting women from being gay.

1993.

[thereismore]

3. Yes, being a gay man was actually a criminal act back then. nt

[TheWraith]

4. That's the case in a surprising number of countries.

There are still a bunch of countries around the world where male homosexuality is illegal, but female homosexuality isn't. Mostly in Africa, but also a few other places like Fiji, Jamaica, Grenada. Also a few surprising places: it's legal to be a lesbian in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

[Captain Hilts]

5. I guess no one minds 'girl on girl' action. nt