Rsian Activist Yulia Tsvetkova Fights ‘Gay Propaganda’ Legal Battle, as LGBTQ Persecutn Increas

RSIA'S TREATMENT OF GAYS SOVIET-STYLE: MPAIGNER
GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
RSIAN ACTIVIST YULIA TSVETKOVA FIGHTS ‘GAY PROPAGANDA’ LEGAL BATTLE, AS LGBTQ PERSECUTN INCREASFREEDOM OF EXPRESSIONLGBTQ ACTIVIST YULIA TSVETKOVA IS BEG PROSECUTED UNR RSIA'S “GAY PROPAGANDA” LAW OVER HER RTOONS OF SAME-SEX FAI, AS A NEW ANTI-LGBTQ LAW THE UNTRY IS TABLED.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED JUL. 22, 2020 12:10PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 22, 2020 4:44AM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEAST/HANDOUTTHE RTOON SHOWED TWO MEN WH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, AND A LBIAN UPLE HOLDG A BABY, A NTENTED T AT THEIR FEET. BETWEEN THE TWO FAY UNS WAS A RABOW-LORED LOVE HEART. A PTN RSIAN READ, “FAY IS WHERE LOVE IS. SUPPORT LGBT+ FAI.”THE RSIAN LGBTQ ACTIVIST AND FEMIST YULIA TSVETKOVA DREW THE RTOON AND POSTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA JANUARY AFTER HEARG ABOUT A SAME-SEX UPLE WHO HAD TO FLEE RSIA WH THEIR TWO ADOPTED CHILDREN AFTER BEG TARGETED BY THE THORI. AFTER SHARG OTHER DRAWGS OF HAPPY SAME-SEX FAI ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SHE WAS CHARGED WH VLATG THE NOTOR RSIAN “GAY PROPAGANDA” LAW. IN NOVEMBER, SHE HAD ALREADY BEEN CHARGED FOR “DISTRIBUTG PORNOGRAPHY” FOR A SERI OF PICTUR OF STYLIZED VAGAS, FED 50,000 BL (AROUND $700), AND PLACED UNR HOE ARRT FOR NEARLY FOUR MONTHS. SHE WAS RELEASED MARCH. (THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY IS 39,085 BL.) DPE NO LONGER BEG UNR HOE ARRT, TSVETKOVA REMAS SUBJECT TO TRAVEL RTRICTNS AND STILL FAC A TRIAL AND UP TO SIX YEARS PRISON. TSVETKOVA ALSO FAC A H LEGAL DRAMA AFTER SHARG NEW DRAWGS OF SAME-SEX FAI, WHICH SHE DID AFTER THE RELEASE OF A HOMOPHOBIC POLIL MERCIAL PROMOTG RSIA’S RECENT NSTUTNAL PLEBISCE, WHICH CLY TARGETED GAY PARENTS.THE THORI FORMALLY CHARGED TSVETKOVA WH VLATG THE "GAY PROPAGANDA" LAW AGA, FG HER 75,000 BL ($1,054). TSVETKOVA IS PLANNG TO APPEAL THE FE. LIKE THE FIRST IMAGE, THE RTOONS SIMPLY SHOW IMAG OF SAME-SEX UPL AND THEIR KIDS. THE PROPAGANDA LAW, TRODUCED 2013, BANS ANYTHG NSIRED “PROPAGANDA OF NON-TRADNAL RELATNSHIPS.”ALEXEY KUROPTEV, A LAWYER FOR THE LGBTQ ADVOCY GROUP MOSW COMMUNY CENTER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, “YULIA IS FACG PERSECUTN BY THE RSIAN STATE FOR OPENLY EXPRSG HER VIEWS ON HUMAN SEXUALY AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN THAT FLY THE FACE WH THOSE PREDOMANT THE RSIAN SOCIETY. WE ARE NCERNED THAT BANS ON DISTRIBUTN OF PORNOGRAPHY AND SO-LLED GAY PROPAGANDA ARE EVER MORE OFTEN ED BY THE RSIAN STATE TO SILENCE HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS AND CURTAIL EEDOM OF EXPRSN.”“IN A WAY, YULIA TSVETKOVA’S SE IS SYMBOLIC. IT SHOWS HOW THE THORI SEE LGBT ACTIVISM. WH ALL THE ATTACKS ON HER, THEY WANT TO SRE AND TO SILENCE OTHERS,” SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA, A SPOKPERSON FOR THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST.TSVETKOVA, OM THE CY OF KOMSOMOLSK-ON AMUR, WHICH IS AROUND 6,000 KILOMETERS EAST OF MOSW, DID NOT RETURN DAILY BEAST REQUTS FOR MENT.WHEN ASKED WHAT ULD BE DUCED OM THE THORI’ ACTNS, KUROPTEV SAID, “I GUS MEANS THAT THE ERNMENT IS STRIVG TO FORCE LGBTQ PEOPLE OUT OF THE PUBLIC SPACE.” “THIS IS A DIFFICULT TT FOR YULIA, BUT HOW THE MUNY AND PEOPLE OUTSI THE MUNY HAVE SUPPORTED YULIA GIV STRENGTH NOT ONLY TO YULIA BUT TO ALL ACTIVISTS.”— OLGA BARANOVA OLGA BARANOVA, PROJECT DIRECTOR OF THE MOSW COMMUNY CENTER, TOLD THE DAILY BEAST, “OF URSE, THIS IS A DIFFICULT TT FOR YULIA, BUT HOW THE MUNY AND PEOPLE OUTSI THE MUNY HAVE SUPPORTED YULIA GIV STRENGTH NOT ONLY TO YULIA BUT TO ALL ACTIVISTS. THIS SHOWS THAT PEOPLE DO NOT AGREE WH THE WAY THE ERNMENT BEHAV RELATN TO LGBTQ REPRENTATIV, TO FEMISM, RELATN TO ANY SELF-EXPRSN.”KUROPTEV SAID THE EFFECT OF THE “GAY PROPAGANDA” LAW ON CULTURE GENERALLY HAD BEEN QUIET AND MALIGN. “ON THE FACE OF , RECENT YEARS SAW ONLY FEW S OF GAY PROPAGANDA S THAT MA TO URT, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THE LAW IS WILY ED AS A JTIFITN FOR BANNG ANY LGBTQ-RELATED PUBLIC RALLI."APART OM BEG DISCRIMATORY S NATURE THE LAW ON GAY PROPAGANDA LACKS PRECISN, WHICH MEANS THAT PEOPLE NNOT FOREE THE LEGAL NSEQUENC THEIR ACTNS MAY ENTAIL, FOR IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY WHAT EXACTLY NSTUT ‘PROPAGANDA OF NONTRADNAL SEXUAL RELATNS’ AND TH FALLS UNR THE LAW.”KUROPTEV ADD, “THAT HAS A GENERAL CHILLG EFFECT ON PUBLIC FIGUR AND MEDIA OUTLETS THAT TEND TO THK BETTER OF SPEAKG FAVOR OF LGBTQ PEOPLE. BS ARE RELUCTANT TO BACK UP THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT, FOR IF HELD TO ACUNT THEY FACE HUGE F. GAY PARENTS KEEP LOW PROFILE FOR FEAR THAT THE PROPAGANDA LAW MAY BE ED AS A LEGAL EXCE FOR STRIPPG THEM OF THEIR PATERNAL RIGHTS AND TAKG AWAY THEIR CHILDREN.”IN S ALL-ENPASSG VAGUENS, THE RSIAN LAW ECHO THE FAMO SECTN 28, TRODUCED BY BRA’S CONSERVATIVE ERNMENT UNR MARGARET THATCHER 1988, WHICH OUTLAWED THE “PROMOTN OF HOMOSEXUALY” BY LOL THORI—AND WHICH HAD A SIAR SILENCG EFFECT ON WHAT ULD BE DISCSED SCHOOLS AND WHAT BOOKS ULD BE PLACED ON LIBRARY SHELV. (SECTN 28 WAS OFFICIALLY REPEALED 2003.) “I BELIEVE THAT THE MA GOAL BEHD THIS LAW WAS TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLE ANY PUBLIC DISCSN ON LGBT ISSU.”— SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA “THE STATISTICS SHOW THAT SCE THE ADOPTN OF THIS LAW 2013, HAS NOT BEEN WILY ED,” SAID ZAKHAROVA OF THE RSIAN LAW. “IN MOST S, IS ED AGAST LGBT ACTIVISTS. I BELIEVE THAT THE MA GOAL BEHD THIS LAW WAS TO MAKE IMPOSSIBLE ANY PUBLIC DISCSN ON LGBT ISSU. HOWEVER, OF URSE THIS LEGISLATN—TOGETHER WH STATE-SPONSORED HOMOPHOBIA—TRIGGERS VLENCE AGAST LGBT MUNY.”A MPAIGN BY TERNATNAL ADVOCY GROUP ALL OUT URGG THE RSIAN THORI TO DROP CHARG AGAST TSVETKOVA AND ABOLISH THE “PROPAGANDA” LAW HAS ALREADY GATHERED 130,000 SIGNATUR.“WE WILL ALWAYS SUPPORT OUR LGBT+ SIBLGS AND THEIR ALLI RSIA UNTIL WE FALLY GET RID OF THOSE LAWS,” SAID YURI GUAIANA, SENR MPAIGNS DIRECTOR OF ALL OUT. “YULIA IS FIGHTG VERY BRAVELY AGAST THIS JTICE, AND WE WANT TO HELP HER BY BRGG THE SUPPORT OF OUR TERNATNAL MEMBERSHIP. YULIA’S STORY EPOMIZ BOTH THE HARDSHIP LGBT+ PEOPLE FACE RSIA AND THEIR EXTRAORDARY RILIENCE.”TSVETKOVA’S SE HIGHLIGHTS THE PERVASIVE PREJUDICE ENDURED BY LGBTQ RSIANS ALL AREAS OF THEIR LIV, WH A PROPOSED NEW LAW MAKG THGS EVEN TOUGHER. ON JULY 14, A DRAFT BILL WAS SUBMTED TO THE STATE DUMA TO AMEND THE FAY CO OF THE RSIAN FERATN “WH THE AIM OF STRENGTHENG THE FAY STUTN.” THERE WERE PROTTS MOSW AND ST. PETERSBURG ON SUNDAY AGAST THE PROPOSED LEGISLATN, AND MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE WERE TAED. GUAIANA LLED THE BILL A “SER THREAT” TO LGBTQ RSIANS.THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK HAS THREE MA NCERNS OVER THE PROPOSED BILL, BEGNG WH A NEW BOX ON BIRTH CERTIFIT SPECIFYG THE PERSON’S "SEX AT BIRTH.” IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THIS RMATN DURG TRANSN. AT THE SAME TIME, THE PROPOSED LEGISLATN IS REQUIRG THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY CHANGED THEIR BIRTH CERTIFITE AMEND WH THE "OLD" RMATN. IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO REGISTER A MARRIAGE WHOUT A BIRTH CERTIFITE. CONSEQUENTLY, THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK SAYS, A PERSON WHO HAS TRANSNED WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MARRY. SUCH A MARRIAGE WOULD BE NSIRED AS “SAME-SEX” BASED ON THE RMATN THE BIRTH CERTIFITE. “WE DO NOT YET KNOW HOW THIS WILL AFFECT TRANSGENR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY MARRIED,” THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK SAID.THE PROPOSED BILL “BASILLY OUTLAWS LEGAL GENR REGNN FOR TRANS AND TERSEX PEOPLE RSIA,” SAID GUAIANA.A GROUP OF NSERVATIVE PARLIAMENTARIANS HAD TRODUCED THE NEW ANTI-TRANS BILL, SAID KUROPTEV. “IT IS YET UNCLEAR IF TRANSGENR PEOPLE WOULD STILL BE ABLE TO CHANGE THEIR DOCUMENTS LE WH THEIR PREFERRED GENR IF THE BILL WERE ADOPTED.”THE DRAFT BILL ALSO LAYS OUT ADDNAL CRERIA THAT MAKE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE THAT HAS BEEN REGISTERED ABROAD TO BE REGNIZED RSIA. THE RSIAN LGBT NETWORK HAS LLED ON PEOPLE TERNATNALLY “TO SPREAD THE NEWS ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENG AND SHARE THE RMATN ABOUT THE PROPOSED LEGISLATN AND S NSEQUENC FOR LGBT+ FAI RSIA.” THE ANIZATN IS ALSO URGG THE PUTI OF THE STATE DUMA “TO HEAR THE CIVIL SOCIETY AND NDUCT NSULTATNS WH ANIZATNS WORKG WH HOMOSEXUAL, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR PEOPLE.”“BEG LGBT+ RSIA ISN’T EASY AT ALL,” SAID GUAIANA. “ON PRI WEEKEND, A GROUP OF BRAVE FELLOW ACTIVISTS ANIZED SEPARATE ‘ONE-PERSON PROTTS’ MOSW AND ST. PETERSBURG MANDG EEDOM FOR YULIA. THE KDS OF PROTTS ARE PERFECTLY LEGAL RSIA. HOWEVER, MORE THAN 40 PEOPLE, MOST OF THEM WOMEN, WERE ARRTED. LGBT+ PEOPLE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GATHER AT ALL, LET ALONE CELEBRATG PRI. LAST YEAR, GUAIANA SAID, POLICE ATTACKED A PRI EVENT AND ARRTED AT LEAST 12 PEOPLE—THREE HAD TO BE TAKEN AWAY AN AMBULANCE. THIS YEAR, ALL OUT CREATED A TOOL TO BRG PEOPLE OM AROUND THE WORLD TOGETHER VIRTUALLY FOR PRI ST. PETERSBURG.A RECENT REPORT BY THE RSIAN COMG OUT LGBT GROUP DOCUMENTED 1,066 S OF DISCRIMATN AND VLENCE 2019 SAT PETERSBURG ALONE, SAID GUAIANA. LAST YEAR, NEWS BROKE OF AN ANTI-LGBT+ BLACKLIST THAT LLED FOR ACTIVISTS AND SUPPORTERS TO BE HUNTED DOWN.“THE LEVEL OF TIMIDATN AND HATE SPEECH AGAST LGBT+ PEOPLE RSIA IS TLY SHOCKG,” HE SAID.“THERE ARE FEW IF ANY LAWS THAT NCERN LGBTQ PEOPLE DIRECTLY TODAY’S RSIA,” KUROPTEV SAID. “BUT THE REAL PROBLEM LI THE FACT THAT THERE ARE NO EFFECTIVE LEGAL REMEDI LGBTQ PEOPLE ULD RORT TO WHEN FACED WH DISCRIMATN OR VLENCE MOTIVATED BY HOMO/TRANSPHOBIA. THE LIST OF PROTECTNS UNR RSIAN ANTI-DISCRIMATN LAW DO NOT LIST EXPLICLY SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY, OR EXPRSN, WHILE HOMO/TRANSPHOBIA DO NOT NORMALLY NSTUTE AN AGGRAVATG CIRCUMSTANCE. “VLENT CRIM AGAST LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE NEHER REGISTERED NOR TREATED AS HATE CRIM, WHICH MAK THE GENERAL PUBLIC IGNORANT OF THE PROBLEMS LGBTQ PEOPLE FACE TODAY’S RSIA.” BARANOVA ADD THAT WAS NOT JT MEMBERS OF THE THE LGBTQ MUNY SUFFERG BUT “ALL PEOPLE WHO THK DIFFERENTLY OM THE WAY THE ERNMENT IS FORTABLE ARE BEG PERSECUTED. REPRENTATIV OF THE LGBTQ MUNY ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE GROUP BEE A VERY AGGRSIVE POLICY IS BEG PURSUED REGARDG THIS GROUP. “IN ADDN TO THE HOMOPHOBIC LAWS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ADOPTED, NEW BILLS ARE NSTANTLY APPEARG THAT, OM DIFFERENT ANGL, MORE AND MORE GE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE NEW ANTI-TRANS BILL ALSO SEEMS TO PROHIB THEM OM ADOPTG CHILDREN. IN RSIA, A LAW HAS LONG EXISTED THAT PROHIBS THE ADOPTN OF CHILDREN BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ENTERED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE ANY UNTRY.” “WE EXPECT NO POSIVE CHANG ON THE PART OF THE RSIAN ERNMENT THE FOREEABLE FUTURE. IF ANYTHG, FURTHER RTRICTNS ARE LIKELY TO BE IMPOSED.”— ALEXEY KUROPTEV THE PROSPECT OF PRINT VLADIMIR PUT BEG POWER UNTIL 2036 MEANT EVEN MORE BLEAKNS FOR LGBTQ RSIANS, ACTIVISTS TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE EXPECT NO POSIVE CHANG ON THE PART OF THE RSIAN ERNMENT THE FOREEABLE FUTURE. IF ANYTHG, FURTHER RTRICTNS ARE LIKELY TO BE IMPOSED,” SAID KUROPTEV.“I THK THAT MEANS A LOT FOR ALL RSIAN CIZENS REGARDLS OF THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR INTY OR GENR EXPRSN. IT MEANS THAT HUMAN RIGHTS AND EEDOMS ARE NOT GOG TO BE SEEN AS IMPORTANT THE UNTRY,” SAID ZAKHAROVA.HOWEVER, RSIAN LGBTQ ACTIVISM NTU. “WE ARE NOW STRIVG TO PRERVE THE MUNY AND SUPPORT IATIVE GROUPS,” BARANOVA TOLD THE DAILY BEAST. “WE TRY TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THE LGBTQ MUNY IS ORDARY PEOPLE, ORDARY FAI, AND SHOWG HOW THE THORI ACT UNFAIRLY. YULIA TSVETKOVA IS ONE OF THE BRIGHTT EXAMPL. “WE DO NOT HAVE MANY TOOLS THAT WE N E, BUT FOR NOW, FORTUNATELY, WE HAVE THE TER WHERE WE N PUBLISH RMATN. WE SEE THE HISTORY OF THE STGGLE FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS OTHER UNTRI. IN MANY UNTRI, THIS HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT PATH. RSIA IS NOW A DIFFICULT POLIL SUATN AS A WHOLE. I AM SURE THAT EVERYTHG WILL BE FE, THE ONLY QUTN IS WHEN WILL BE.”BARANOVA URGED SUPPORTERS OUTSI RSIA TO SHARE THE STORI OF WHAT IS HAPPENG TO LGBTQ PEOPLE RSIA. “A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL OF THOSE THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO IS PUBLICY,” SHE SAID. “IT IS IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE RIGHTS OF THE LGBTQ MUNY RSIA ARE VLATED, IS IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT THE YULIA SE. SHE MAY GO TO JAIL BEE OF THE DRAWGS. “I WANT TO SAY MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS YULIA. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. REGARDLS OF THE UNTRI WHERE WE LIVE, WE ARE ALL ONE BIG LGBTQ MUNY, AND IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR TO FEEL THIS SUPPORT OM DIFFERENT UNTRI.” TIM TEEMAN

RSIA'S TREATMENT OF GAYS SOVIET-STYLE: MPAIGNER

A Gay Pri march Mosw at which far-right activists kicked and punched the marchers was like a return to Soviet-era reprsn, Brish gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell said on Monday. * ysolda teague gay *

Gay, livg wh HIV, nice as pie, Taylor started a hashtag aimed at promotg diversy kntg, Diversknty, to get people om different backgrounds to talk. MOSCOW (Rters) - A Gay Pri march Mosw at which far-right activists kicked and punched the marchers was like a return to Soviet-era reprsn, Brish gay rights mpaigner Peter Tatchell said on Monday.

Tatchell, who had a black eye after beg punched durg the march on Sunday, said police failed to tervene as marchers were attacked by natnalists shoutg “ath to homosexuals.

”A Mosw police official, who did not want to be intified, said officers had taed many of the assailants and pulled gay rights activists to safety when they were attacked.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

Peter Tatchell: Attempts to prevent Rsia's first gay pri para are symbolic of eper problems the post-Soviet state. * ysolda teague gay *

“As far as they were able, and pendg on the suatn as veloped, the police ensured the safety of cizens regardls of their polil and other terts, ” the official Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has lled gay march “satanic”, refed permissn to hold the para.

Rt police taed dozens of gay rights protters, cludg two members of the European exprsed s dissatisfactn at the vlence. “We regret the arrt of natnal and European Parliament elected reprentativ, who have sce been released, as well as of several homosexual Rsian activists.

Tatchell said the treatment of the Gay Pri march was a symptom of a wir crackdown on mocratic eedoms Rsia. “But that clus rponsibili, cludg rpect for gay and lbian human rights and cludg fense of the right to prott and eedom of exprsn.