This post was submitted by John "Jolly" Bavoso

This is one of those Global Gaze posts that makes me both nervous and excited to write. Excited because I get to delve into a new area of the world that I haven’t specifically covered before, and nervous because it is a region with which I am not particularly familiar. So, the plan is that I will provide some brief context/background before diving into some recent news reports and then invite any commenters who are more familiar with the situation on the ground to weigh in. Sound okay to you? Good, let’s get started.

From what I can tell, Russia’s history and present record on gay rights has been complex and contradictory. Russia’s had a particularly fraught history when it comes to politics, and various political transitions have also marked changes in terms the government’s feelings and policies towards LGBT peoples. At the present, though, the country’s treatment of its gay men and lesbians has been featured more and more in the news. The very public challenging of the fact that Russia refuses to legally acknowledge same-sex couples in any way by two women was widely publicized in the international media. Similarly, the yearly struggle over Pride festivities in Moscow generally makes headlines each June as well.

The complexity of the legal situation for LGBT people in Russia is rather striking. Since 1993, homosexuality has been legal, but the government hasn’t gone the extra step of passing any non-discrimination laws based upon sexual orientation. Adoption by gay individuals is legal, but not by gay (or any unmarried) couples. Gays and lesbians are allowed in the military, but they’re not really welcome in the ranks during peacetime. It seems that any advances made in the country have been the result of intense struggles and the gains seem to have been limited and often compromised. Given this inconsistency, it’s no surprise that the recent news coming out of Russia, as it pertains to the queer community there, has been a relatively mixed bag.

Unfortunately, efforts to get same-sex couples legally recognized through the courts have been stymied for the time being. The lesbian couple I just mentioned, who so publicly shed a light on the debate over gay marriage in Russia officially lost their case earlier this month. The pair is not giving up the fight, however. Pinknews reports:

The Tverskoi District Court ruled that Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko cannot marry as Russia law states marriage is between a man and a woman.

The district court was upholding an earlier ruling by the city’s civil registry. The couple had tried to marry in May but had been turned away.

Fedotova-Fet and Shipitko are planning to marry in Canada on October 23rd. They believe they can force Russian authorities to recognise the marriage as a loophole in Russian law does not mention the gender of those who have a ceremony abroad.

While the courts seem to be standing firm, there may be some societal shifts at work. Reflecting the government’s policies, Russian society seems divided over the issue of gay rights. For instance, a 2005 poll had some interesting results: 43.5% of Russians supported re-criminalizing gay sex, while at the same time, 42.8% of those polled supported a legal ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Further adding to the discussion regarding public opinion are Russian celebrities, who have just recently began weighing in on the situation, but in a rather public way. As the BBC related recently:

A group of well-known Russian singers and writers has called for an end to discrimination against gay people…Activist Nikolai Alekseyev, who called the meeting, said it was the first time celebrities had come together publicly to denounce homophobia.

Russia pop star Lolita, speaking after the event entitled Russian stars against discrimination of the gay community, said gay discrimination was in breach of the constitution which permits people to live their lives freely.

She also said gay discrimination was a problem nationwide, not just in Moscow.

Lolita, one of the biggest names at the event, told the BBC Russian Service: “Lots of members of the gay community have been celebrated across the world because of their professional and personal achievements.

“Why then in our country do we have things like ‘homosexuality is a genetic deviation; gays must be cured; gays should stay at home’?

“We think that this is a return to fascism.”

Sounds like Russia’s got their very own Lady Gaga. There’s also an international component to this discussion as well. The EU, the UN and the United States have all spoken out against the Russian government’s treatment of sexual minorities and the annual debacle surrounding the Moscow Pride events. One very recent event in particular, however, threw the international dynamic into an interesting and somewhat bizarre light. Well, why I don’t I just let the UK’s Times Online explain:

A statue of the American poet and gay icon Walt Whitman was unveiled in Moscow by Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, at a ceremony attended by the mayor of the Russian capital, Yuri Luzhkov, who is anti-homosexual.

Mr Luzhkov has called gay people “satanic” and banned gay pride parades in Moscow on public safety and morality grounds. However, he praised Whitman, whose poetry contains sensual references to men, saying that his works were “permeated with the spirit of American optimism”.

The statue stands in Moscow State University and was paid for with donations by US and Russian companies.

Yeah, international relations makes me shake my head and chuckle sometimes too.

So, clearly the relationship between the Russian government and society and its queer population is a complicated one, as recent headlines lay bare. Again, though, I must admit that I’m no expert on Russian politics or history, so I invite all Global Gaze readers to share their own knowledge on the subject in the comments below, and we can all learn together!

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