Russia's homophobia

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/07/russian-lawmaker-wants-anti-gay-law-enforced-during-winter-olympics/ MOSCOW — A leading member of the legislative assembly of the city and region around St. Petersburg,  Russia , and a co-author of the national law signed last month by Russian President Vladimir Putin which criminalizes public displays of affection between same-sex couples and events that promote gay rights, is urging the Putin administration to “refrain from selective enforcement” of the legislation. Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov Vitaly Valentinovich Milonov told Russian media outlets Interfax and Radio Ekho Moskvy (Radio Echo of  Moscow ) in separate interviews that he was opposed to any maneuvers by the government that would effectively suspend enforcement of the law, which he said would apply to the guests and athletes of the Sochi Winter  Olympics . “I haven’t heard any comments from the government of the Russian Federation, but I know that it is acting i...

Members of the LGBT community are urging a boycott of products manufactured in Russia, following the national adoption of a ban on so-called homosexual propaganda, the refusal to allow gay and lesbian international citizens to adopt orphaned Russian children, and a series of violent demonstrations against the country’s LGBT community in recent months. Stolichnaya, the popular vodka brand, has been a focus of attacks by activists, who are promoting the hashtags “#DumpStoli” and “#DumpRussianVodka” on Twitter.  Dan Savage, columnist, author, and founder of the It Gets Better Project, published an  article  in Seattle's independent newspaper  The Stranger  on Wednesday   titled “Why I’m Boycotting Russian Vodka,” urging gay bars to stop serving the brand and others like Russian Standard, Shustov, Starka, and Stolnaya. “[T]here is something we can do right here, right now, in Seattle and other U.S. cities to show our solidarity with Russian queer...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/photos-from-russia-everyone-needs-to-see 1.  St. Petersburg Gay Pride, 2013: Image by Dmitry Lovetsky / AP 2. Image by OLGA MALTSEVA / Getty Images 3.  What began as a peaceful march… Image by OLGA MALTSEVA / Getty Images 4.  …ended up turning incredibly violent as anti-gay protesters overtook the rally. Image by OLGA MALTSEVA / Getty Images 5.  A gay rights supporter is beaten to the ground. Image by OLGA MALTSEVA / Getty Images 6.  Smoke bombs are set off. Image by Evgeny Feldman / AP 7.  Chaos ensues. Image by Dmitry Lovetsky / AP 8.  A woman runs from the crowd. Image by Dmitry Lovetsky / AP 9.  Two men flee… Image by ALEXANDER DEMIANCHUK / Reuters 10.  …but are eventually detained. Image by Dmitry Lovetsky / A...