Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Gay Matchmakg and Culture

Contents:

• RABOW RAGE: KYRGYZ RAIL AGAST LGBT COMMUNY AFTER CENTRAL ASIA'S 'FIRST' GAY-PRI MARCH
• 'ALL OF WILL BE VICTIMS AT SOME POT': WHY BISHKEK'S ONLY GAY CLUB CLOSED
• GAY LIFE KYRGYZSTAN
• KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN: GAY MATCHMAKG AND CULTURE
• KYRGYZSTAN’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW IS EVEN WORSE THAN RSIA’S
• ANTI-GAY BILL SPIR ATTACKS KYRGYZSTAN
• KYRGYZ ANTI-GAY PROPAGANDA LAW MOV FORWARD
• GAYS FEAR NEW LAW WILL DRIVE THEM OUT OF KYRGYZSTAN
• GLOBALGAYZ: THE BOOK
• ANTI-GAY CRASHERS CHARGED WH HOOLIGANISM KYRGYZSTAN
• RSIAN-STYLE "GAY PROPAGANDA" BAN ADVANC IN KYRGYZSTAN'S PARLIAMENT
• GAY DIFFERENT LANGUAG
• KYRGYZSTAN CONSIRS 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BAN
• US AND RSIA FIGHT PROXY WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS KYRGYZSTAN
• KYRGYZSTAN ADVANC 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BILL HARSHER THAN RSIA'S
• KYRGYZSTAN'S 'HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA' LAW PROPOSAL SPARKS GAY COMMUNY FEARS
• KYRGYZ MPS PASS 'ANTI-GAY' LAW FIRST READG, IGNORE U.S. CRICISM

RABOW RAGE: KYRGYZ RAIL AGAST LGBT COMMUNY AFTER CENTRAL ASIA'S 'FIRST' GAY-PRI MARCH

"The men who do not want to have children and the girls who do not want to pour not only be cursed, they mt be beaten, " Kyrgyz parliament puty Jyldyz Mabekova wrote on Facebook of the lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) supporters who took part the march the Kyrgyz pal, wh several of them rryg rabow flags. Wh s dited gay clubs and largely different populatn, the pal once served as a relatively safe haven for Kyrgyzstan’s LGBT 2014, the ernment lnched a seri of legal reforms that marked a dramatic shift away om the wtern valu that had earned Bishkek a reputatn as Central Asia’s most socially liberal Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, homosexual nduct is crimalised, rryg a maximum prison sentence of two and three years rpectively.

Turkmen people taed and charged wh sodomy are forced to unrgo examatns wh the purported objective of fdg “proof” of homosexual suatn is not much better Kazakhstan, where many LGBT people choose to nceal their sexual orientatn or genr inty for fear of reprisal.

'ALL OF WILL BE VICTIMS AT SOME POT': WHY BISHKEK'S ONLY GAY CLUB CLOSED

Equaly Caravan is a llaborative project between seven NGOs that serve at-risk social groups, members of which are often margalized and silenced wh Kyrgyz society: people wh disabili, gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr people, reverg dg ers, sex workers, people livg wh HIV/AIDS and others. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Rsia is not known for beg a safe haven for the LGBT munyRsia is a notorly difficult place to be gay or transgenr, but 's bee a surprisg refuge for LGBT people Kyrgyzstan, who say life is far harr at home, wr Katie Arnold knew the ter was a dangero place to meet clients. Popularly known as the “anti-gay propaganda law” has unleashed a mpaign of vlence and timidatn agast the LGBT muny, wh a near 300% crease reported attacks sce the legislatn was people have been asslted, cludg one gay man who was beaten unnsc and gang-raped this year.

“If I uld afford , I would leave tomorrow, ” says Sergo, one of his ’s dner party: ‘The new law enuraged everyone to go after , whout fear of beg punished’ Illtratn: Andrew North/Coda StoryLeang eastIt was never easy beg lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr Kyrgyzstan’s patriarchal, Mlim-majory society.

Until recently there were even several gay clubs over the past few years, ternal and external forc have “dragged the LGBT muny to a battle for Kyrgyz inty, ” says Met Tiulegenov, chair of ternatnal and parative polics at the Amerin Universy and landlocked, Kyrgyzstan has been a geopolil and enomic supplint ever sce beme pennt after the llapse of the Soviet Unn, always vulnerable to bigger powers. First me a virtual clone of Mosw’s offensive on NGOs, wh legislatn mandg all groups receivg external fundg clare themselv as “foreign agents”, targeted at human rights groups, cludg those advotg for the LGBT, March 2014, MPs om the lg aln announced the “anti-gay propaganda” measur, wh even harsher penalti on paper than the Rsian versn.

GAY LIFE KYRGYZSTAN

“‘Look there’s the faggot’ another stunt shouted out when he saw me my universy fé, ” says Ilya, another dner more than two years sce the Kyrgyz parliament first troduced the “anti-gay propaganda” measur amid a flurry of pro-Rsian rhetoric, has stalled on actually makg law. MPs gave the bill large majori on s ial two readgs, but no date has been set for the necsary third readg, and would still need the print’s signature ’s siar uncertaty over the “foreign agents” bill targetg NGOs, which was first troduced 2013 – no one knows if or when parliament will bate them so, the police have reportedly been g the anti-gay propaganda legislatn to jtify gog after LGBT dividuals and then extortg brib.

“They say they are enforcg the law, ” says Pasha, a gay man who was forced to hand over 4, 000 Kyrgyz Som (about £41) – a large sum a untry wh an average wage of ls than £200 per Kyrgyz journalists have reportedly rorted to self-censorg stori on homophobic attacks, or anythg to do wh the LGBT muny, se they are acced of publishg “pro-gay” propaganda.

KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN: GAY MATCHMAKG AND CULTURE

In May last year activists om a Bishkek activist group lled Labrys and several other LGBT advocy anisatns were gatherg at a rtrant for the Internatnal Day agast Homophobia and Transphobia when they were attacked by a stormed the rtrant, chantg abe, and one woman was jured. The third readg is expected the fall before parliamentary electns schled for wh the ‘foreign agents’ law that passed s first readg earlier this month, the so-lled ‘anti-gay propaganda’ law is seen by human rights anizatns as a ser step backwards for a untry long praised as a bean of civil society the Kyrgyz law was first proposed March 2014, and rembl a Rsian law, passed 2013 that bans the “propaganda of nontradnal sexual relatns to mors” and impos heavy f on dividuals who do. ’” In addn, social prsure on members of the LGBT muny have been on the rise– May anti-gay natnalists crashed a gatherg held to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, while a report om Human Rights Watch last year chronicled the torture of gay men by police October, the proposed law passed s first readg 79 to 7.

KYRGYZSTAN’S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW IS EVEN WORSE THAN RSIA’S

"Ocsnally, we would hold a gay night, which ed to be very popular, so once the baret closed down we cid to start a gay club as we saw the need for a space where the LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr) muny felt safe and uld really get to know each other. The loss of this nightclub will add to the obstacl faced by Kyrgyzstan's LGBT muny, which already liv the shadows after discrimatory legislatn that would ban the popularizatn of homosexual relatns and promotn of the homosexual liftyle was proposed 2014.

ANTI-GAY BILL SPIR ATTACKS KYRGYZSTAN

A few months earlier, the Kyrgyz parliament had troduced a bill that pied Rsia’s legislatn agast “gay propaganda”, wh addnal jail sentenc for people who “promote homosexual relatns” through the media, so we feared that the entire Congrs uld be shut down if the thori found out about . She provok trans women, films them and then asks for 400 soms [about 6 USD] to keep off social media, ” said Mohira, an activist who has also been volved wh queer leftist llective STAB – the School of Theory and Activism Bishkek, addg that the same journalist had leaked rmatn about the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, a closed event, to Kyrgyz natnalists, and wrote a slanro article about a film screeng hosted by STAB. They are also part of IGLA (Internatnal Gay & Lbian Associatn) Europe, but Mohira strs the importance of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia beg grouped wh Eastern Europe, as their recent history has more mon wh Ukrae or Belas, and pecially Rsia, than India or might be a step towards the social issu affectg the LGBTQI muny Kyrgyzstan, and the wir regn, beg better unrstood the Wt and, is hoped, receivg greater ternatnal support.

Signifint human rights issu clud credible reports of: an arbrary killg by police; a high-profile disappearance; e of torture by law enforcement and secury servic; harsh and life-threateng prison ndns; arbrary arrt; ser problems wh the pennce of the judiciary; arbrary terference wh privacy; ser rtrictns on ee exprsn and media, cludg vlence and threats of vlence agast journalists and censorship; ser rtrictns on ter eedom; terference wh eedom of associatn cludg overly rtrictive laws on the fundg and operatn of NGOs and civil society anizatns; ser acts of ernment rptn; lack of vtigatn of and acuntabily for genr-based vlence; crim volvg vlence or threats of vlence targetg members of mory groups and lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex persons; and the existence of the worst forms of child labor. BISHKEK (Rters) - A draft law banng “homosexual propaganda” Kyrgyzstan uld be the last straw for the Central Asian untry’s ightened gay are thkg of leavg the maly Mlim state borrg Cha if the law is passed by parliament, mirrorg a move last year by Rsia that outraged the Wt and was seen by crics as part of a broar crackdown on civil by Mlim clerics who say homosexuals are “psychologilly ill” and should be cured, the law follows what gays say is growg timidatn, police abe and law would impose a one-year jail term for “formg a posive attu to untradnal sexual relatns” among mors or the media.

However, the draft do not clarify exactly what would ntravene the legislatn relatg to mors or what the media may not publish, leadg crics to say that s current shape the law is vague and leav a lot of room for terpretatn and abe by law’s backers have ma clear they expect to go much further than the protectn of mors or curbs on the media, and they predict a crackdown on a wi spectm of activi, such as gay ralli, clubs and law has already won ial approval the first of three readgs parliament and will require Print Almazbek Atambayev’s signature to bee law, which is expected to happen due urse given ep-rooted homophobia Kyrgyzstan. “The entire atmosphere is gettg more threateng, ” he said, reuntg how he and a small group of iends were beaten up by waers a bar when they realised they were spoke a small hoe hidn a maze of crooked alleyways on the edge of the Kyrgyz pal, Bishkek, one of a handful of safe meetg plac for the lol LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and trans-genr) muny. Bishkek, a cy of 1 ln people, has only one gay club - wh bouncers on guard for homophobic said gangs Bishkek had started to “hunt” for members of the LGBT muny, sometim beiendg them on social media s, arrangg a meetg and then beatg their victims or threateng them before extortg Augt, one such group kidnapped a gay man and drove him to the untrysi where they told him to dig a grave for himself before beatg him up, Sultan said.

KYRGYZ ANTI-GAY PROPAGANDA LAW MOV FORWARD

Atambayev has given up some of his precsor’s wi powers and has general shown a reads to promise wh the opposn to prerve a agile peace, but has not dited whether or not he will sign the Rtmann, a Central Asia rearcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), lled the law “discrimatg, homophobic and reprsive”. “If is adopted, this uld have negative nsequenc for the margalised LGBT muny Kyrgyzstan, ” she a report based on terviews wh 40 gay and bisexual men Kyrgyzstan, HRW listed allegatns of police vlence which said stemmed om “pervasive homophobia” the untry. ”SOCIAL PRESSUREHuman rights groups say prsure is fierce for men Kyrgyzstan to nform to stereotypil male appearanc, marry women and have ’s mother was shocked when he told her he was gay and she took him to see mullahs, prits, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Central Asia’s first LGBTI pri march sparks protts, 2019/Mar/17Exclive: Police are ‘blackmailg gay and bisexual men’ Kyrgyzstan, 2018/Jul/31Kyrgyzstan’s only gay nightclub clos unr LGBT crackdown, 2017/Oct/19Prott held Kyrgyzstan favour of law to ban ‘gay propaganda’, 2015/Jun/15How to prott Rsia-style anti-gay bill Kyrgyzstan, 2015/Mar/03European Parliament urg Kyrgyzstan to drop anti-gay bill, 2015/Jan/15Kyrgyzstan’s ‘Homosexual Propaganda’ Law Proposal Sparks Gay Communy Fears, 2014/Nov/02Kyrgyzstan: UN urg anti-gay draft law to be scrapped, 2014/Oct/27Activists urge global LGBTI groups to help scuttle anti-gay law Kyrgyzstan, 2014/Jul/21Kyrgyzstan on the verge of adoptg harsh anti-gay law, 2014/Jun/27Kyrgyzstan parliament pass anti-gay propaganda law, 2014/Jun/20Kyrgyzstan urged by human rights groups to scrap anti-gay bills, 2014/May/30Crimal relatns, 2014/Apr/05Kyrgyz Mufti Issu Fatwa Agast Gays, Challeng HRW, 2014/Jan/30Kyrgyzstan: Report documents wispread physil and sexual abe of gay men by police, 2014/Jan/29Police raped wh hammers and electric shocks, say Kyrgyzstan gays, 2014/Jan/29Interview: Lack Of Data On Gay Men Impes HIV Fight In Central Asia, 2013/May/06Kyrgyzstan: Rights Activists Conmn Ban on Gay Mlim Documentary, 2012/Oct/01Gay Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan News & Reports 2011, 2011/May/30Kyrgyzstan: Can a Gay Man Get a Fair Trial?, 2011/May/18In Kyrgyzstan, unr the law you n change your sex but receivg the right documents prov difficult, 2010/Dec/08LGBT Organizatn ‘Labrys’, 2009/May/04Report claims trans men and lbian women face rape and abe Kyrgyzstan, 2008/Oct/06Police storm ternatnal meetg for gay rights Kyrgyzstan, 2008/Apr/28Kyrgyzstani group publish homosexualy rmatn, 2007/Oct/27More Toddlers Infected Wh HIV In Kyrgyzstan Sndal, 2007/Oct/25LBT Organizatn Kyrgyzstan, 2007/Oct/09Kyrgyzstan lbian muny prt rmatn brochure, 2007/Oct/08Fgal Traveler: Into the Mountas of Kyrgyzstan, 2006/Jul/26LABRYS (lbian anizatn) surviv crisis Kyrgyzstan, 2005/Apr/06Kyrgyzstan: Foc on gay and lbian rights, 2005/Jan/11.

Gay Middle East Web Se More rmatn about Islam & Homosexualy al-fatiha-news Middle East Youth The Everyday Huiatns: Vlence Agast Lbians, Bisexual Women, and Transgenr Men Gay Islam discsn groups: Mlim Gay Men LGBT mlim Queer Jihad Bi-mlims Trans-mlims Lbian mlims 1 Gay Activists Central Asia Tra Profsnal Defenrs 4/11 2 New Genr Marker… Read more ».

GAYS FEAR NEW LAW WILL DRIVE THEM OUT OF KYRGYZSTAN

Followg the break-up of a private gatherg on May 17, held to mark Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia by what Farangis Najibullah RFE/RL lled “natnalist, wannabe gay-weddg crashers, ” thori have charged some of the anti-gay activists wh “hooliganism. The crashers, reportedly members of a natnalist group lled Kyrk Choro (Forty Knights), said they believed a gay weddg was happeng the rtrant’s urtyard: “We saw a weddg party was gog on there, we have proof, ” said Rysbek Karimov, a Kyrk Choro member.

”In January 2014, Human Rights Watch released a report sayg that gay men have been “subjected to a range of ab at the hands of police Kyrgyzstan, cludg physil, sexual, and psychologil vlence; arbrary tentn; and extortn unr the threat of vlence or of exposg victims’ sexual orientatn to iends and fay. " The cisn mov the bill, which closely rembl the "gay propaganda" law adopted by Rsia last year, one step closer to a vote the former Soviet Kyrgyz bill propos punishments of up to a year prison or f of about $115 — more than half the average monthly salary si Kyrgyzstan — for promotg so-lled "gay propaganda" among gag pennce after the breakup of the Soviet Unn, Kyrgyzstan has remaed a poor untry mired polil turmoil. Cred: Printial Prs and Informatn Office, KremlWh a ntroversy over proposed gay rights legislatn Kyrgyzstan, the stggle between the Uned Stat and Rsia for fluence Central Asia – tradnally seen as a nflict over pipel and ary bas – is takg on aspects of a culture war.

GLOBALGAYZ: THE BOOK

Was terferg Kyrgyzstan’s ternal affairs and add that while velopg the legislatn, lawmakers had studied siar laws several other untri – cludg eight Amerin Rsian volvement the legislatn is ls direct but many observers tect the hand of the Kreml, which also last year passed a law banng “gay propaganda. S., meanwhile, has creasgly ma gay rights part of s diplomacy; former Secretary of State Hillary Clton has bragged about gettg to shoutg match wh Rsian officials over gay gay rights bate Kyrgyzstan is takg place while relatns wh Rsia grow stronger and those wh the U. Meanwhile, has allowed Rsia to expand s air base the untry, and is movg toward jog the Rsia-led Ctoms rather than a Kreml-orchtrated plot, the efforts to reprs gays Kyrgyzstan may be more efully seen as part of a trend the untry toward the prervatn of “tradnal” valu and Kyrgyz natnalism.

ANTI-GAY CRASHERS CHARGED WH HOOLIGANISM KYRGYZSTAN

Kyrgyzstan has advanced a bill that would crimalize so-lled gay propaganda, and apply harsher penalti than a siar law former Soviet republic's natnal legislative body approved the bill today by a vote of 90-2 the send of three readgs, Agence France-Prse reports. In May, activists rallyg the pal cy of Bishkek on the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia and Transphobia were attacked by self-styled "patrts, " and police reportedly not only failed to stop the attack, but also took the LGBT activists to ctody and subjected them to mistreatment there.

RSIAN-STYLE "GAY PROPAGANDA" BAN ADVANC IN KYRGYZSTAN'S PARLIAMENT

* Law has won first of three readgs parliament * Backers say is need to protect fay valu* Gay muny says is timated, suffers beatgs* Crics fear will be ed to muzzle civil societyBy Olga DzyubenkoBISHKEK, Nov 2 (Rters) - A draft law banng "homosexual propaganda" Kyrgyzstan uld be the last straw for the Central Asian untry's ightened gay are thkg of leavg the maly Mlim state borrg Cha if the law is passed by parliament, mirrorg a move last year by Rsia that outraged the Wt and was seen by crics as part of a broar crackdown on civil by Mlim clerics who say homosexuals are "psychologilly ill" and should be cured, the law follows what gays say is growg timidatn, police abe and law would impose a one-year jail term for "formg a posive attu to untradnal sexual relatns" among mors or the media. However, the draft do not clarify exactly what would ntravene the legislatn relatg to mors or what the media may not publish, leadg crics to say that s current shape the law is vague and leav a lot of room for terpretatn and abe by law's backers have ma clear they expect to go much further than the protectn of mors or curbs on the media, and they predict a crackdown on a wi spectm of activi, such as gay ralli, clubs and law has already won ial approval the first of three readgs parliament and will require Print Almazbek Atambayev's signature to bee law, which is expected to happen due urse given ep-rooted homophobia Kyrgyzstan.

GAY DIFFERENT LANGUAG

"The entire atmosphere is gettg more threateng, " he said, reuntg how he and a small group of iends were beaten up by waers a bar when they realized they were spoke a small hoe hidn a maze of crooked alleyways on the edge of the Kyrgyz pal, Bishkek, one of a handful of safe meetg plac for the lol LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and trans-genr) muny. Bishkek, a cy of 1 ln people, has only one gay club - wh bouncers on guard for homophobic said gangs Bishkek had started to "hunt" for members of the LGBT muny, sometim beiendg them on social media s, arrangg a meetg and then beatg their victims or threateng them before extortg Augt, one such group kidnapped a gay man and drove him to the untrysi where they told him to dig a grave for himself before beatg him up, Sultan said.

Atambayev has given up some of his precsor's wi powers and has general shown a reads to promise wh the opposn to prerve a agile peace, but has not dited whether or not he will sign the Rtmann, a Central Asia rearcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), lled the law "discrimatg, homophobic and reprsive. ""If is adopted, this uld have negative nsequenc for the margalized LGBT muny Kyrgyzstan, " she a report based on terviews wh 40 gay and bisexual men Kyrgyzstan, HRW listed allegatns of police vlence which said stemmed om "pervasive homophobia" the untry.

KYRGYZSTAN CONSIRS 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BAN

" SOCIAL PRESSUREHuman rights groups say prsure is fierce for men Kyrgyzstan to nform to stereotypil male appearanc, marry women and have 's mother was shocked when he told her he was gay and she took him to see mullahs, prits, psychologists and psychiatrists. Kyrhyzstan crimalized homosexualy sce 1998 but the thori and police forc still do not rpect the rights of LGBT persons, may beat them up, sometim to ath, lbians are raped by iends, relativ, the police to that they n be ‘cured’ om havg relatnships wh other women.

That is why the Kyrgyz ernment highly remend to gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr dividuals to avoid any kd of public display of affectn if they do not want to be nonted to any form ofdiscrimatn and rells the non-existence of a law that would protect and fend discrimated persons’ rights.

The Kyrgyz Republic wants the SOCHUM Commtee to vote a rolutn that would plan adapted programm so that every natn would progrs at s pace and Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr persons’ rights n be better accepted, takg to acunt the domtic valu and social patterns. BISHKEK (Rters) - Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted overwhelmgly on Wednday to pass a bill on first readg that bans “gay propaganda, ” ignorg a ll by the Uned Stat opposg the discrimatory chang to the Central Asian state’s bill, nmned by human rights bodi as homophobic and allowg police to take arbrary actn agast sexual mori, was passed by a 79-7 vote.

US AND RSIA FIGHT PROXY WAR OVER GAY RIGHTS KYRGYZSTAN

KYRGYZSTAN ADVANC 'GAY PROPAGANDA' BILL HARSHER THAN RSIA'S

KYRGYZSTAN'S 'HOMOSEXUAL PROPAGANDA' LAW PROPOSAL SPARKS GAY COMMUNY FEARS

KYRGYZ MPS PASS 'ANTI-GAY' LAW FIRST READG, IGNORE U.S. CRICISM