My Life as a Gay Congrsman - POLITICO Magaze

Contents:

• DISGRACED EX-REP. AARON SCHOCK OUT AS GAY
• MY LIFE AS A GAY CONGRSMAN
• US ELECTS FIRST TRANS STATE SENATOR AND FIRST BLACK GAY NGRSMAN
• JIM KOLBE, OPENLY GAY REPUBLIN CONGRSMAN, IS DEAD AT 80
• FORMER REPUBLIN NGRSMAN SAYS HE’S GAY, REGRETS ANTI-GAY STANC
• FORMER GOP NGRSMAN WHO VOTED AGAST LGBT PROTECTNS OUT AS GAY
• AARON SCHOCK, FORMER ILLOIS CONGRSMAN, COM OUT AS GAY
• FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON ELECTED TO CONGRS DI
• FORMER ILLOIS GOP CONGRSMAN AARON SCHOCK WHO OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE OUT AS GAY
• MEET ANTON KRASOVSKY, THE GAY MAN RUNNG FOR MAYOR OF MOSWBRAVEANTON KRASOVSKY STANDS ALONE: THE ONLY OUT LGBTQ PERSON WILLG TO STAND FOR ELECTN RSIA. THAT’S IF THE THORI ALLOW HIM TO N FOR MAYOR OF MOSW THIS SEPTEMBER.ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED JUN. 29, 2018 12:01PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 27, 2018 4:45AM EDT VALERY SHARIFUL/GETTYMOSCOW—ANTON KRASOVSKY’S MOUTH IS FULL OF SWEAR WORDS. HE IS ANGRY WH PRETTY MUCH EVERY LIAR AND PROPAGANDIST MOSW, THE CY HE LOV AND WANTS TO CHANGE. AT TIM SEEMS THAT HIS URAGE WOULD DISAPPEAR THE MOMENT HE STOPS CURSG. AND URAGE IS WHAT HE NEEDS MOST RIGHT NOW, AS KRASOVSKY IS THE ONLY OPENLY GAY PERSON THE UNTRY OF RSIA—WH A POPULATN OF MORE THAN 140 LN—WHO DAR TO PETE THE KREML-NTROLLED ELECTN PROCS.THE MAJORY OF RSIAN POLICIANS AND BURECRATS AGREE THAT LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE ABNORMAL. JT THE IA OF BEG ONE SGLE WARRR THE POLIL FIELD SOAKED HATE AND THRIVG HOMOPHOBIA WOULD SRE MANY AWAY OM THE ARENA. LAST MONTH, SPEAKG ON PENNT RAD STATN ECHO OF MOSW, KRASOVSKY REVEALED THE NEWS: SEPTEMBER HE WOULD N FOR MAYORAL ELECTN MOSW, IF THE THORI ALLOW HIM TO. (HE IS REGISTERED AS A NDIDATE BUT TO ACTUALLY TAKE PART THE ELECTN HE WILL HAVE TO LLECT SIGNATUR OF 110 MUNICIPAL PUTI BEFORE JULY 3.) “I ALMOST PISSED MY PANTS WHEN I CID TO N FOR MOSW MAYOR,” KRASOVSKY ADMTED TO THE DAILY BEAST A RECENT S-DOWN TERVIEW ONE OF MOSW’S HIP FFEE SHOPS, COFFEEMANIA. HERE, MOSW’S OLD TOWN KAI GOROD, MANY REGNIZED KRASOVSKY’S FACE.FIVE YEARS AGO, JUNE, 2013, 436 RSIAN MPS VOTED FAVOR OF A NEW BILL TO BAN “PROPAGANDA OF NON-TRADNAL SEXUAL RELATNS” AMONG MORS. THE BILL FORBA BOTH DIVIDUALS AND MEDIA GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE LERATURE OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS ABOUT GAY RIGHTS. MANY LGBTQ FAI FLED THE UNTRY FEAR OF THE STATE TAKG THEIR CHILDREN AWAY OM THEM.SCE THEN, PRINT PUT HAS BEEN CRICIZED FOR NOT DOG ENOUGH TO HELP THE GAY MEN KILLED AND PERSECUTED A VIC CRACKDOWN CHECHNYA. THE NOTED BRISH LGBT ACTIVIST PETER TATCHELL PROTTED PRECISELY THIS AT THE BEGNG OF THE WORLD CUP, WHERE THE HOMOPHOBIA AND ANTI-LGBT POLICS OF RSIA HAS AGA E UNR THE TERNATNAL SPOTLIGHT.ABOUT WHY HE MOUNTED THE PROTT, TATCHELL TOLD THE DAILY BEAST AT THE TIME, “IT’S TREMENDOLY IMPORTANT THAT PRINT PUT DON’T SRE AN UNCHALLENGED PUBLIC RELATNS UP WH THE WORLD CUP. HE NEEDS TO BE LLED OUT OVER THE PERSECUTN OF LGBT+ PEOPLE, HIS SUPPRSN OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF RSIAN CIZENS, AND HIS WAR CRIM SYRIA.”THE DAILY BEAST ASKED KRASOVSKY WHY HE HAD GONE TO POLICS, WHEN MANY RSIAN GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE FLEEG THE UNTRY. “BEE EVERYTHG SUCKS HERE,” KRASOVSKY SAID. HE WAS NVCED THAT, EVEN IF THE KREML DID NOT ALLOW HIS PARTICIPATN THE ELECTN, THE EXPERIENCE WOULD BE EFUL FOR HIS POLIL REER.IN THE PAST FEW YEARS KRASOVSKY HAS MANAGED ELECTN MPAIGNS FOR TWO OPPOSN NDIDAT, BILLNAIRE MIKHAIL PROKHOROV’S AND A POP SOCIALE KSENIA SOBCHAK.THE IA OF RIDG A BLACK R OR SHAKG HANDS WH PRINT PUT’S IENDS SOUND RATHER HUMORO TO THE NEW NDIDATE KRASOVSKY, A FORMER RSIAN VOGUE MAGAZE RRPONNT. “SOMEBODY LIKE CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV WOULD NOT SHAKE MY HAND; BUT IF HE WANTS TO SHAKE A HAND OF GAY, I WILL SHAKE HIS HAND BACK.”IN RSIA OFFICIALS ARE NOT SHY ABOUT THEIR HOMOPHOBIC VIEWS. THERE IS A SIGN ON THE DOOR TO THE OFFICE OF MP VALY MILONOV, AT STATE DUMA, THE LOWER HOE OF RSIAN PARLIAMENT: “BANNED ENTRY FOR SODOM.” MILONOV IS ONE OF MASTERMDS BEHD THE ANTI-GAY “PROPAGANDA” BILL— 2016 HE CLAIMED THAT GAY PEOPLE “RAPE KIDS.”FOR YEARS, RSIA'S SMALL MUNY OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HAVE ENDURED HARASSMENT OM VLENT NATNALISTS AND POLICE. MOST RSIAN GAY PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN UP THE STGGLE FOR THEIR RIGHTS—THEY EHER PLAN TO PE OR PREFER TO LIVE QUIETLY THEIR SMALL CIRCL.WHEN MANY OF HIS IENDS IMMIGRATED, KRASOVSKY PREFERRED TO STAY RSIA, ALTHOUGH WH HIS LONG EXPERIENCE OF WORKG AS A MAGAZE WRER AND A TV PRENTER HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FD A GOOD PLACE FOR HIMSELF NEW YORK OR ANY EUROPEAN PAL. THERE HAVE BEEN WORSE TIM HIS LIFE, HE SAID, WHICH LEFT HIM AMONG VERY FEW SURVIVORS. “I THK ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF MY IENDS OM MOSW BOHEMIA CIRCL HAVE KILLED THEMSELV BY ALHOL AND DGS AND THE RT HAVE BUILT THEMSELV TO THE CURRENT STATE SYSTEM. IT IS A MIRACLE THAT I DID NOT DRK MYSELF TO ATH,” HE ADMTED TO THE DAILY BEAST.THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME KRASOVSKY HAS SHOWN HIS URAGE RSIA. DURG HIS G OUT ON THE INTER KONTR TV 2013 KRASOVSKY SAID: “I AM GAY BUT I AM JT AS HUMAN AS PUT.” LAST YEAR, AN TERVIEW PUBLISHED ON FACEBOOK, KRASOVSKY ADMTED THAT HE HAD BEEN LIVG WH HIV SCE 2011. AS A VOLUNTEER AND ACTIVIST, KRASOVSKY AND HIS IENDS HAVE BEEN PHG THORI FOR TAKG MEASUR, LEGALIZG METHADONE TREATMENT, FOR FIGHTG HIV/AIDS EPIMIC RSIA.ALTHOUGH THE KREML HAS SANCTNED HOMOPHOBIA THROUGHOUT THE UNTRY, KRASOVSKY SISTS THAT ORDARY PEOPLE DO NOT HATE LGBTQ PEOPLE. “IT IS AN ILLN THAT RSIA IS A HOMOPHOBIC UNTRY BY S NATURE,” KRASOVSKY SISTED TO THE DAILY BEAST. HE SOUND IRRATED, WHEN HE SPOKE ABOUT STEREOTYP CREATED BY MEDIA. “MY HOMOSEXUALY HAS NEVER HELPED ME BUT HAS NEVER BEEN THE WAY OF MY REER GOALS. IF PEOPLE ARE NSTANTLY TOLD THAT QUEERS ARE BASTARDS, AND TO BEAT THEM BEE ALL THEY WANT IS TO WALK THE STREETS NAKED, SOME GO AND DO BEAT UP LGBT PEOPLE.”DURG THE PAST MONTH KRASOVSKY HAS BEEN HOLDG DAILY PUBLIC MEETGS WH HIS ELECTORATE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF MOSW. “PEOPLE DO NOT RE IF YOU ARE HOMOSEXUAL OR NOT, NOR IS ANYBODY TERTED YOUR HIV OR ANY OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS; PEOPLE WANT TO TALK WH ME ABOUT THE CY MOLISHG HO THEIR DISTRICT, OF MUNAL SERVIC FAILG, AND OF SOME ILLEGAL NSTCTN S OR SCHOOLS CLOSG DOWN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.” WHEN KRASOVSKY WAS YOUNG HIS FAY LIVED TY ROOMS AND MUNAL APARTMENTS FOR MOST OF HIS CHILDHOOD. HE WAS BORN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MOSW THE PROVCIAL TOWN OF PODOLSK (WHICH HAS A POPULATN OF 302,831) WHERE KRASOVSKY WENT TO SCHOOL. HE NTUED HIS STUDI UKRAE, THE TOWN OF RIVNE, WHERE HIS ENGEER FATHER WORKED AT RIVNE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. “WHEN I TURNED 14, I MOVED TO MOSW AND DISVERED THE LIFE OF UNRGROUND BOHEMIA—MANY OF MY IENDS WERE G E AT THE TIME.”DURG THE PERTROIKA YEARS THE LATE 1980 KRASOVSKY BELONGED TO UNTERCULTURE CIRCL OF SOVIET HIPSTERS, LLG THEMSELV “STILYAGI.” “WE WERE ALL LISTENG TO ELVIS PRLEY, WENT TO VIKTOR TSOI’S NCERTS. I DRSED UP SEND HAND CLOTH OM THSKY MARKET. I HAD SOME HELLISH WHE JACKET AT SOME POT. LOOK, I WAS NEVER RICH, I NEVER HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY EXPENSIVE CLOTH.”KRASOVSKY’S IENDS MET ON THURSDAYS AT AN UNRGROUND CLUB LLED MOLOKO. KRASOVSKY STUDIED MAXIM GORKY LERATURE INSTUTE, THE TRAG GROUND FOR RSIAN POETS. HIS PANY OF HIP LOOKG YOUTH MGLED WH A QUEEN OF SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET ROCK AND ROLL, ZHANNA AGUZAROVA. IF, AS HE SAYS, SOME OF KRASOVSKY’S IENDS ED THEMSELV BY DGS, OTHERS TURNED TO VLADIMIR PUT FANS. KRASOVSKY PATH WAS DIFFERENT. “I AM STILL HAPPY THAT CHANG ME TO MY UNTRY; MY FAY HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY DRAMATIC FANCIAL LOSS, WE WERE NEVER HUNGRY DURG THE PERD THAT SOME SCRIBE AS THE ‘BLOODY LIBERAL REGIME’—ANY CHANG ARE ALWAYS GOOD.”RUNNG FOR MOSW MAYOR, KRASOVSKY SE HIS ROLE, AS A NDIDATE, TO FIGHT FOR EQUALY FOR ALL. “OF ALL POLICIANS I PREFER OBAMA, I AM SOCIAL MOCRAT BY MY POLIL VIEWS, I WANT TO TAKE PART THE ELECTN TO SHOW THE CURRENT POLIL ELE HOW TO FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND EEDOM.” ANNA NEMTSOVA
• THE STRANGE CASE OF THE TWO GAY CONGRSMEN
• SECRET GAY LIFE OF MARRIED 'FAY VALU' LAWMAKER WAS NOT SO SECRET

DISGRACED EX-REP. AARON SCHOCK OUT AS GAY

Aaron Schock has e out as gay — admtg has left him disowned by his eply relig fay who want him to go through nversn therapy. “I am gay, ” wrote the 38-year-old ex-Illois pol who rigned om Congrs five years ago amid claims he mised ernment and mpaign funds, wh feral charg only dropped last year. “I unrstood that the teachgs of my upbrgg were pretty clear on the matter, ” he said of beg gay, sayg he avoid thkg about .

MY LIFE AS A GAY CONGRSMAN

When he was fally ready to nfi his fay last Easter, photographs that emerged of him shirtls wh other men at the Coachella ftival “ma clear” that he was gay, he wrote. While fendg himself agast all the charg ma agast him, Schock admted to one clear regret — beg agast gay marriage while office. “I n live openly now as a gay man bee of the extraordary, brave people who had the urage to fight for our rights when I did not, ” he wrote.

Though I was a third term Democratic ngrsman om Massachetts, I had lived too long wh the burn of “the gay thg” to treat g out as a polil matter alone. They remaed mted to the “le” that proment people should not be outed unls they had been enmhed a gay-related sndal, but they were unrstandably eager to break the story.

In his memoir scribg his own gay life, he ced my attendance at a gay pri rally the pany of a iend whom he accurately assumed was a romantic attachment. When I had asked gay rights activist Steve Enan to take me to a gay bar 1980, durg Congrs’s lame-duck ssn, he was chastised by a senr gay polil lear for threateng my ver, thereby endangerg an important LGBT polil asset. Robson had two reasons for beg so proprietary: It was his journalistic terrory, and he was himself a closeted gay man whom I had met at social functns D.

US ELECTS FIRST TRANS STATE SENATOR AND FIRST BLACK GAY NGRSMAN

(Inappropriately, the Globe later assigned him to the “society” beat, where he often mented om his closet a snarky way about other gay people.

JIM KOLBE, OPENLY GAY REPUBLIN CONGRSMAN, IS DEAD AT 80

It started badly when an olr, nservative Democrat nonted me, plag that I had lied to him when he’d asked if I was gay durg my mpaign. Alan Simpson of Wyomg, the Republin senator who supported my efforts to remove the anti-gay immigratn le, lled to apologize. The right-wg Washgton Tim, owned by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, enthiastilly add gay bashg to s regular nunciatns of me— which I took nsirable pri—but they were a mor exceptn.

“Homosexual” was not explicly rogatory, but was the preferred term among those who wanted to mata some semantic distance om our e. ” Cocintally, Greenhoe’s story appeared a week before Rosenthal’s last day as edor, so I believe I am the last man history to be scribed as “homosexual” the New York Tim as a matter of edorial policy. As for my prospects for reelectn 1988, my advisers and I did some pollg and cid that I would lose only a few pots if I ran as an openly gay ndidate.

FORMER REPUBLIN NGRSMAN SAYS HE’S GAY, REGRETS ANTI-GAY STANC

He told me he was an openly gay Jewish man who, given the tras, had the unlikely job of edg an enomics journal for the Department of Agriculture.

FORMER GOP NGRSMAN WHO VOTED AGAST LGBT PROTECTNS OUT AS GAY

Obvly, I said, I did not nsir beg gay a fect any way, shape, or form, but precisely for that reason I was very angry that the Republins were treatg as if were. If the official voice of the natnal Republin Party ntued to e the imputatn of homosexualy as a polil weapon, I would intify those members of the party who chose to benef om this tactic while ncealg their own sexual orientatn.

In 1989, my iend and sole openly gay lleague, Gerry Studds, received a leaked ternal Defense Department report that was cril of the ban, and he released .

Williams has sce e out and is a rpected NBC rrponnt, but he was then a closeted gay man who the urse of his job was privy to the most sensive natnal secury rmatn. In five words, Cheney had weakened one of the ernment’s two most damagg homophobic polici, and explicly repudiated the other. But even though seemed to me that the two hight Defense Department officials had jt rebutted the only even arguably ratnal pot agast , my work endg the gay ban was jt begng.

AARON SCHOCK, FORMER ILLOIS CONGRSMAN, COM OUT AS GAY

Clton livered, hirg gay staff members, and the first openly gay or lbian printial appotee, Roberta Achtenberg, who beme assistant secretary of HUD.

(An openly gay man, Frank Lilly, had been appoted durg the Reagan admistratn to a part-time, non-Senate-nfirmable, purely advisory missn. Glenn Thompson sred high on this summer's hypocrisy x when the PennsylvaniaRepublinvoted agast a bill that sought to enshre marriage equaly protectns to feral law days before dancg at his gay son's d rerdg provid to Buzzfeed highlights the rank hypocrisy. " The Republin was stnchly agast marriage equaly spe his son's beg gay, Poli did urge his son, also named Matthew, to attend harmful nversn therapy to pray the gay beg urged to unrgo nversn therapy by his fay at 18, the younger Salmon eventually me out of the closet.

FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON ELECTED TO CONGRS DI

Hodg that same-sex upl the Uned Stat have the same right to marry as different-sex 2013, Portman, whose son Will is gay, announced his support for marriage equaly after Will me out.

"This cisn means a lot to me and my fay as my brother is gay, means a lot to our entire muny, and means a lot to everyone throughout the Uned Stat of Ameri who has yearned for eedom and has been nied until today. Prr to beg elected to Congrs Cicille was known for beg the first openly gay mayor of a US state pal (Province, Rho Island).

FORMER ILLOIS GOP CONGRSMAN AARON SCHOCK WHO OPPOSED GAY MARRIAGE OUT AS GAY

A eply polarised US electorate has given the untry s first transgenr state senator and s first black gay ngrsman – but also s first lawmaker to have openly supported the basels QAnon nspiracy four members of the progrsive “Squad” of Democratic ngrswomen of lour – Alexandria Os-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Prsley and Rashida Tlaib – have been fortably re-elected, and Sarah McBri’s victory Delaware has ma her the hight-rankg trans official the US.

MEET ANTON KRASOVSKY, THE GAY MAN RUNNG FOR MAYOR OF MOSWBRAVEANTON KRASOVSKY STANDS ALONE: THE ONLY OUT LGBTQ PERSON WILLG TO STAND FOR ELECTN RSIA. THAT’S IF THE THORI ALLOW HIM TO N FOR MAYOR OF MOSW THIS SEPTEMBER.ANNA NEMTSOVAUPDATED JUN. 29, 2018 12:01PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 27, 2018 4:45AM EDT VALERY SHARIFUL/GETTYMOSCOW—ANTON KRASOVSKY’S MOUTH IS FULL OF SWEAR WORDS. HE IS ANGRY WH PRETTY MUCH EVERY LIAR AND PROPAGANDIST MOSW, THE CY HE LOV AND WANTS TO CHANGE. AT TIM SEEMS THAT HIS URAGE WOULD DISAPPEAR THE MOMENT HE STOPS CURSG. AND URAGE IS WHAT HE NEEDS MOST RIGHT NOW, AS KRASOVSKY IS THE ONLY OPENLY GAY PERSON THE UNTRY OF RSIA—WH A POPULATN OF MORE THAN 140 LN—WHO DAR TO PETE THE KREML-NTROLLED ELECTN PROCS.THE MAJORY OF RSIAN POLICIANS AND BURECRATS AGREE THAT LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE ABNORMAL. JT THE IA OF BEG ONE SGLE WARRR THE POLIL FIELD SOAKED HATE AND THRIVG HOMOPHOBIA WOULD SRE MANY AWAY OM THE ARENA. LAST MONTH, SPEAKG ON PENNT RAD STATN ECHO OF MOSW, KRASOVSKY REVEALED THE NEWS: SEPTEMBER HE WOULD N FOR MAYORAL ELECTN MOSW, IF THE THORI ALLOW HIM TO. (HE IS REGISTERED AS A NDIDATE BUT TO ACTUALLY TAKE PART THE ELECTN HE WILL HAVE TO LLECT SIGNATUR OF 110 MUNICIPAL PUTI BEFORE JULY 3.) “I ALMOST PISSED MY PANTS WHEN I CID TO N FOR MOSW MAYOR,” KRASOVSKY ADMTED TO THE DAILY BEAST A RECENT S-DOWN TERVIEW ONE OF MOSW’S HIP FFEE SHOPS, COFFEEMANIA. HERE, MOSW’S OLD TOWN KAI GOROD, MANY REGNIZED KRASOVSKY’S FACE.FIVE YEARS AGO, JUNE, 2013, 436 RSIAN MPS VOTED FAVOR OF A NEW BILL TO BAN “PROPAGANDA OF NON-TRADNAL SEXUAL RELATNS” AMONG MORS. THE BILL FORBA BOTH DIVIDUALS AND MEDIA GROUPS TO DISTRIBUTE LERATURE OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS ABOUT GAY RIGHTS. MANY LGBTQ FAI FLED THE UNTRY FEAR OF THE STATE TAKG THEIR CHILDREN AWAY OM THEM.SCE THEN, PRINT PUT HAS BEEN CRICIZED FOR NOT DOG ENOUGH TO HELP THE GAY MEN KILLED AND PERSECUTED A VIC CRACKDOWN CHECHNYA. THE NOTED BRISH LGBT ACTIVIST PETER TATCHELL PROTTED PRECISELY THIS AT THE BEGNG OF THE WORLD CUP, WHERE THE HOMOPHOBIA AND ANTI-LGBT POLICS OF RSIA HAS AGA E UNR THE TERNATNAL SPOTLIGHT.ABOUT WHY HE MOUNTED THE PROTT, TATCHELL TOLD THE DAILY BEAST AT THE TIME, “IT’S TREMENDOLY IMPORTANT THAT PRINT PUT DON’T SRE AN UNCHALLENGED PUBLIC RELATNS UP WH THE WORLD CUP. HE NEEDS TO BE LLED OUT OVER THE PERSECUTN OF LGBT+ PEOPLE, HIS SUPPRSN OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF RSIAN CIZENS, AND HIS WAR CRIM SYRIA.”THE DAILY BEAST ASKED KRASOVSKY WHY HE HAD GONE TO POLICS, WHEN MANY RSIAN GAY MEN AND WOMEN WERE FLEEG THE UNTRY. “BEE EVERYTHG SUCKS HERE,” KRASOVSKY SAID. HE WAS NVCED THAT, EVEN IF THE KREML DID NOT ALLOW HIS PARTICIPATN THE ELECTN, THE EXPERIENCE WOULD BE EFUL FOR HIS POLIL REER.IN THE PAST FEW YEARS KRASOVSKY HAS MANAGED ELECTN MPAIGNS FOR TWO OPPOSN NDIDAT, BILLNAIRE MIKHAIL PROKHOROV’S AND A POP SOCIALE KSENIA SOBCHAK.THE IA OF RIDG A BLACK R OR SHAKG HANDS WH PRINT PUT’S IENDS SOUND RATHER HUMORO TO THE NEW NDIDATE KRASOVSKY, A FORMER RSIAN VOGUE MAGAZE RRPONNT. “SOMEBODY LIKE CHECHEN LEAR RAMZAN KADYROV WOULD NOT SHAKE MY HAND; BUT IF HE WANTS TO SHAKE A HAND OF GAY, I WILL SHAKE HIS HAND BACK.”IN RSIA OFFICIALS ARE NOT SHY ABOUT THEIR HOMOPHOBIC VIEWS. THERE IS A SIGN ON THE DOOR TO THE OFFICE OF MP VALY MILONOV, AT STATE DUMA, THE LOWER HOE OF RSIAN PARLIAMENT: “BANNED ENTRY FOR SODOM.” MILONOV IS ONE OF MASTERMDS BEHD THE ANTI-GAY “PROPAGANDA” BILL— 2016 HE CLAIMED THAT GAY PEOPLE “RAPE KIDS.”FOR YEARS, RSIA'S SMALL MUNY OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HAVE ENDURED HARASSMENT OM VLENT NATNALISTS AND POLICE. MOST RSIAN GAY PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN UP THE STGGLE FOR THEIR RIGHTS—THEY EHER PLAN TO PE OR PREFER TO LIVE QUIETLY THEIR SMALL CIRCL.WHEN MANY OF HIS IENDS IMMIGRATED, KRASOVSKY PREFERRED TO STAY RSIA, ALTHOUGH WH HIS LONG EXPERIENCE OF WORKG AS A MAGAZE WRER AND A TV PRENTER HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FD A GOOD PLACE FOR HIMSELF NEW YORK OR ANY EUROPEAN PAL. THERE HAVE BEEN WORSE TIM HIS LIFE, HE SAID, WHICH LEFT HIM AMONG VERY FEW SURVIVORS. “I THK ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF MY IENDS OM MOSW BOHEMIA CIRCL HAVE KILLED THEMSELV BY ALHOL AND DGS AND THE RT HAVE BUILT THEMSELV TO THE CURRENT STATE SYSTEM. IT IS A MIRACLE THAT I DID NOT DRK MYSELF TO ATH,” HE ADMTED TO THE DAILY BEAST.THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME KRASOVSKY HAS SHOWN HIS URAGE RSIA. DURG HIS G OUT ON THE INTER KONTR TV 2013 KRASOVSKY SAID: “I AM GAY BUT I AM JT AS HUMAN AS PUT.” LAST YEAR, AN TERVIEW PUBLISHED ON FACEBOOK, KRASOVSKY ADMTED THAT HE HAD BEEN LIVG WH HIV SCE 2011. AS A VOLUNTEER AND ACTIVIST, KRASOVSKY AND HIS IENDS HAVE BEEN PHG THORI FOR TAKG MEASUR, LEGALIZG METHADONE TREATMENT, FOR FIGHTG HIV/AIDS EPIMIC RSIA.ALTHOUGH THE KREML HAS SANCTNED HOMOPHOBIA THROUGHOUT THE UNTRY, KRASOVSKY SISTS THAT ORDARY PEOPLE DO NOT HATE LGBTQ PEOPLE. “IT IS AN ILLN THAT RSIA IS A HOMOPHOBIC UNTRY BY S NATURE,” KRASOVSKY SISTED TO THE DAILY BEAST. HE SOUND IRRATED, WHEN HE SPOKE ABOUT STEREOTYP CREATED BY MEDIA. “MY HOMOSEXUALY HAS NEVER HELPED ME BUT HAS NEVER BEEN THE WAY OF MY REER GOALS. IF PEOPLE ARE NSTANTLY TOLD THAT QUEERS ARE BASTARDS, AND TO BEAT THEM BEE ALL THEY WANT IS TO WALK THE STREETS NAKED, SOME GO AND DO BEAT UP LGBT PEOPLE.”DURG THE PAST MONTH KRASOVSKY HAS BEEN HOLDG DAILY PUBLIC MEETGS WH HIS ELECTORATE DIFFERENT DISTRICTS OF MOSW. “PEOPLE DO NOT RE IF YOU ARE HOMOSEXUAL OR NOT, NOR IS ANYBODY TERTED YOUR HIV OR ANY OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS; PEOPLE WANT TO TALK WH ME ABOUT THE CY MOLISHG HO THEIR DISTRICT, OF MUNAL SERVIC FAILG, AND OF SOME ILLEGAL NSTCTN S OR SCHOOLS CLOSG DOWN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.” WHEN KRASOVSKY WAS YOUNG HIS FAY LIVED TY ROOMS AND MUNAL APARTMENTS FOR MOST OF HIS CHILDHOOD. HE WAS BORN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MOSW THE PROVCIAL TOWN OF PODOLSK (WHICH HAS A POPULATN OF 302,831) WHERE KRASOVSKY WENT TO SCHOOL. HE NTUED HIS STUDI UKRAE, THE TOWN OF RIVNE, WHERE HIS ENGEER FATHER WORKED AT RIVNE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. “WHEN I TURNED 14, I MOVED TO MOSW AND DISVERED THE LIFE OF UNRGROUND BOHEMIA—MANY OF MY IENDS WERE G E AT THE TIME.”DURG THE PERTROIKA YEARS THE LATE 1980 KRASOVSKY BELONGED TO UNTERCULTURE CIRCL OF SOVIET HIPSTERS, LLG THEMSELV “STILYAGI.” “WE WERE ALL LISTENG TO ELVIS PRLEY, WENT TO VIKTOR TSOI’S NCERTS. I DRSED UP SEND HAND CLOTH OM THSKY MARKET. I HAD SOME HELLISH WHE JACKET AT SOME POT. LOOK, I WAS NEVER RICH, I NEVER HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY EXPENSIVE CLOTH.”KRASOVSKY’S IENDS MET ON THURSDAYS AT AN UNRGROUND CLUB LLED MOLOKO. KRASOVSKY STUDIED MAXIM GORKY LERATURE INSTUTE, THE TRAG GROUND FOR RSIAN POETS. HIS PANY OF HIP LOOKG YOUTH MGLED WH A QUEEN OF SOVIET AND POST-SOVIET ROCK AND ROLL, ZHANNA AGUZAROVA. IF, AS HE SAYS, SOME OF KRASOVSKY’S IENDS ED THEMSELV BY DGS, OTHERS TURNED TO VLADIMIR PUT FANS. KRASOVSKY PATH WAS DIFFERENT. “I AM STILL HAPPY THAT CHANG ME TO MY UNTRY; MY FAY HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY DRAMATIC FANCIAL LOSS, WE WERE NEVER HUNGRY DURG THE PERD THAT SOME SCRIBE AS THE ‘BLOODY LIBERAL REGIME’—ANY CHANG ARE ALWAYS GOOD.”RUNNG FOR MOSW MAYOR, KRASOVSKY SE HIS ROLE, AS A NDIDATE, TO FIGHT FOR EQUALY FOR ALL. “OF ALL POLICIANS I PREFER OBAMA, I AM SOCIAL MOCRAT BY MY POLIL VIEWS, I WANT TO TAKE PART THE ELECTN TO SHOW THE CURRENT POLIL ELE HOW TO FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND EEDOM.” ANNA NEMTSOVA

”Rchie Torr, 32, a cy uncillor, will be the first Ao-Lato gay member of the US Congrs after fortably pturg New York’s 15th district, ranked on the Cook Polil Report’s Partisan Voter Inx as the most Democratic district the untry. “He was the clear standout ndidate as the youngt Lato elected to the NYC uncil, the son of a sgle workg mother om the Bronx and a champn for the sential workers of New York Cy, ” said Tony Cárnas, the chairman of Bold Pac, the Congrsnal Hispanic Cc’s mpaign Democrat Mondaire Jon, another black gay ndidate for Congrs, was clared later on Wednday the wner of his race and will follow Torr to the Hoe. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTHis vote for the Defense of Marriage Act 1996 prompted a gay-tert magaze to prepare to out him.

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE TWO GAY CONGRSMEN

For the last of his tenure, he was the body's only openly gay Republin, Miller/Associated PrsJim Kolbe, who for a was the only openly gay Republin Congrs, died on Saturday. Kolbe (pronounced KOHL-bee) ught wd of the fact that The Advote, a magaze for gay rears, planned to publish a story sayg that he was a closeted homosexual.

”At the time, there were three other openly gay members of the Hoe: Barney Frank and Gerry Studds, both Massachetts Democrats, and Steve Gunrson, a Republin om Wisns. Kolbe received a prime-time speakg slot, which The Advote said was a first for an openly gay spoke about ee tra, a central prciple his polil reer, and avoid the subject of sexualy. “That I am a gay person has never affected the way I legislate, ” he said when he me out three years Mart/CQ Roll Call, via Associated PrsJam Thomas Kolbe was born on June 28, 1942, Evanston, Ill.

SECRET GAY LIFE OF MARRIED 'FAY VALU' LAWMAKER WAS NOT SO SECRET

”A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 25 of the New York edn wh the headle: Jim Kolbe, 80, Is Dead; Gay Hoe Republin Phed Into Spotlight.

In the postgs on Instagram and a web page, the 38-year-old also scrib his anguish at beg rejected by members of his eply relig fay, cludg his mother, after they learned last year he was gay. “I n live openly now as a gay man bee of the extraordary brave people who had the urage to fight for our rights when I did not, ” he starts the postgs on both Instagram and the web page wh the words: “I am gay. ”He said he still receiv ocsnal emails om fay members “tryg to sell me on nversn therapy, ” the wily bunked notn that someone who is gay n, wh therapy, bee heterosexual.

He said the fact he is gay wouldn’t be a revelatn for many who know him, addg that g out publicly as gay is “jt one of those thgs my life need of explic affirmatn … to fally validate who I am as a person. Former Republin Reprentative Aaron Schock, who had voted agast LGBT protectns while Congrs, me out as gay Thursday a post on his webse.