By Madeline Schiesser
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
MOSCOW, Russia – May 17th is International Day Against Homophobia. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) communities around the world plan to mark this day with events such as gatherings and rallies. However, in Eastern European countries in particular, signs of discrimination against LGBT peoples remain prevalent.
Last week, a man, age 23, in the southern Russian city of Volgograd was tortured and murdered by several of his companions when he admitted to them he was gay over a few beers, according to investigators. Close friends and family of the victim deny the allegation he was gay.
At least two men, ages 22 and 27, were arrested in connection with the murder, and are belied to have allegedly beat the victim, sodomized him with a beer bottle, smashed in his skull with a stone, and then dumped his naked body. A third has been questioned. Activists in Russia say that it is rare for police to specify homophobia as the motive for a crime.
Local laws banning dissemination of “homosexual propaganda” to anyone under 18 have cropped up across the country, and a bill for a national ban on “homosexual propaganda” will receive a second reading in parliament later this month.
Authorities in Moscow rejected requests by the Russian LGBT community to hold a gay pride march later this month to celebrate 20 years since homosexuality was taken off the books as a criminal offense, despite the flexibility of the request to accept several alternative days for the march. They claimed the venue the activists wanted was booked.
In St. Petersburg, one of the first cities to ban “homosexual propaganda,” authorities accepted an application for a rally to mark International Day Against Homophobia. Despite the ban, portions of St. Petersburg and other cities, usually green-spaces, were designated, under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, as “free-speech zones” where citizens can hold events by simply notifying authorities in advance, without going through the often difficult process of receiving official permission which typically results in denied applications. Activists took advantage of this procedure in St. Petersburg in order to hold their rally, despite several cries from anti-gay politicians to ban the event.
In Moldova, activists have been met with some success recently in combating intolerance and this week launched their 12th annual weeklong “Rainbow Over The Dniester” festival to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia in the conservative and predominantly Orthodox Christian country. Festival organizer Anastasia Danilova believes that access to information has greatly helped people become more tolerant.
Despite the increasingly tolerant attitudes towards homosexuality in Moldova, Festival organizers decided to move the venue of a march scheduled for May 19th from downtown Chisinau to another part of the city due to pressure from authorities over concerns of clashes and social tensions. The Orthodox Church has criticized the march and called for a counterdemonstration the same day.
In Ukraine, the parliament is considering two bills that if passed would infringe on the free-speech rights of the LGBT community. The bills, similar to Russia’s “homosexual propaganda” laws, define propaganda as any public activity that spreads positive information about homosexuality, such as rallies, parades, demonstrations about LGBT rights, discussions, or special courses. Violators of the laws could be sentenced to several years in prison.
Meanwhile, legislators have postponed discussion on a bill to prevent discrimination against sexual minorities after about 300 protesters gathered in front of parliament May 14, carrying signs with slogans such as, “We are the majority, and we are against homosexuals!” and, “No to Homosexuals, Yes to Family, Save Ukraine!” Presently, sexual orientation and gender identity are not prohibited grounds for discrimination.
A report released by the E.U.’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) on Friday, based on a survey of 93,000 LGBT people throughout the E.U. and Croatia, confirmed that East European states had the highest records of homophobic behavior, while over 1 in 4 respondents reported being attacked or threatened with violence in the last 5 years due to their LGBT identities. Of those attacked, more than half reported that they did not report the incident to authorities because they believed no action would be taken.
However, despite the findings of the survey, Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos, head of FRA’s equality and citizens’ rights department, said there appeared to be a “pattern across Europe whereby things seem to be improving for the younger generation.”
For further information, please see:
BBC News – EU LGBT Survey: Poll on Homophobia Sparks Concern – 17 May 2013
Amnesty International – Ukraine: Discrimination and Violent Attacks in Pervasive Climate of Homophobia – 16 May 2013
HRW – Ukraine: Reject Discriminatory LGBT Laws – 16 May 2013
RFE/RL – Moldovan LGBT March Location Changed – 16 May 2013
RFE/RL – St. Petersburg LGBT Activists To Test ‘Propaganda Law’ With Tolerance Event – 16 May 2013
RFE/RL – Moldova’s LGBT Festival Seeks To Build On Recent Successes – 15 May 2013
RFE/RL – Ukraine MPs Postpone Antidiscrimination Debate After Protests – 14 May 2013
BBC News – Arrests Over ‘Anti-Gay’ Murder in Volgograd Russia – 13 May 2013
REF/RL – Russian Officials Say Volgograd Killing Was Homophobic Attack – 12 May 2013
