Moscow gay rights rally broken up

[sierrajim]

WTF is up with this, I thought that most other Country's but the US were enlightened to the plight of GLBT people.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/05/27/russia.gayrights.ap/index.html

City authorities cited the potential for violence as the primary reason for banning the parade. But they also voiced disapproval of the very idea of gay rights.

Luzhkov, the mayor, said in a radio interview Friday that gay parades "may be acceptable for some kind of progressive, in some sense, countries in the West, but it is absolutely unacceptable for Moscow, for Russia."

"As long as I am mayor, we will not permit these parades to be conducted," he said.

[Rowdyboy]

1. Read a bit on eastern European attitudes.....they're backward (to be kind)

[me b zola]

3. I had no idea

"Saturday is the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Russia".

I had no idea that Russia was that culturally backwards. While their attempt at progress seems to have stalled, the US is racing backwards as if to prove to Russia that we can be just as authoritarian & intolerant of civil/human rights. :(

[Kagemusha]

2. You're late to the party. This is a bitter, long-running local dispute

and one very hardline anti-homosexual mayor is causing a lot of trouble there. To the point that the "potential for violence" (against marchers) is not solely an excuse; might really happen, no thanks to Mayor Luzhkov.

The thing is, I thought the talk was that there'd be a parade DESPITE the ban, which makes things interesting to say the least.

[smirkymonkey]

4. I didn't know that Luzhkov was a closet homosexual.

Seriously, why are Eastern Europeans so socially conservative? I have seen it in other former Eastern Bloc countries as well? You would think after years of oppression they would have no tolerance for such bullshit.