Russia reminds us it is a 3rd world country -- Serb may be arrested!

[Asher]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/05/16/russia.gay.march.eurovision/index.html

Arrests at Moscow gay parade ahead of Eurovision Song Contest

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Dozens of gays and lesbian rights activists planning a parade in southwestern Moscow Saturday have been detained, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.

The arrests included Nikolai Alexeyev, a prominent gay activist in Russia and his associate Nikolai Bayev, Interfax said, adding that more people trickling into the location were being arrested without explanations.

Officials of Moscow's gay community had announced earlier plans to rally at Novopushkinsky Park in central Moscow, Interfax said.

The arrests came ahead of tonight's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in Moscow on Saturday evening. The contest has a strong following among the gay and lesbian community.

Journalists from various countries gathered at the scene as police barricaded the park with metal bars. Trucks with soldiers onboard are parked on nearby streets, Interfax said.

UK gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, in a statement on his Web site ahead of the march, said that it was being held to coincide with the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in Moscow on Saturday night.

"This parade is in defence of human rights. We are defending the often violated human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Russians. They want legal protection against discrimination and hate crimes. I support their cause.

"Not all Russians are homophobic, but many are. Gay Russians suffer queer-bashing attacks, blackmail, verbal abuse and discrimination in education, housing and employment, This shames the great Russian nation."

The Eurovision Song Contest, which began in 1956, sees singers and groups from a shortlist of European nations perform a specially-written song, before telephone votes from each nation decide the winner.

In western Europe the contest is regard as a light entertainment spectacular, with a strong following among the gay and lesbian community. Many fans dress up, hold parties and gather round the TV to watch the three-hour plus televised marathon.

In more recent years, however, eastern European nations, which take the contest much more seriously, have come to dominate.

The contest is also known for its political edge, as nations either give zero points to traditional enemies -- or, if they are enjoying good relations, the maximum number of points, as a sign of friendship.

The most famous winners of the contest were Abba, who came to attention as the Swedish entry with Waterloo in 1974. In 1988 Celine Dion won the contest while singing on behalf of Switzerland. The dance show Riverdance first came to attention as an interval act when the contest was held in Dublin in 1994.

The organizers of the contest estimate that it is watched by 100 million people worldwide.

[onodera]

1. We are a second-world country.
2. I do not care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedroom.
3. I do care what they do in the streets of my homecity and I'd rather they kept their deviations private and off them. Most Muscovites are against butt****ing propaganda too, so it's quite democratic to ban this parade.

[Dinner]

That would be true if we ignored the free speech issue.

[Asher]

1. We are a second-world country.
2. I do not care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedroom.
3. I do care what they do in the streets of my homecity and I'd rather they kept their deviations private and off them. Most Muscovites are against butt****ing propaganda too, so it's quite democratic to ban this parade.

This is why your country has failed. Many times.

[Sirotnikov]

They should at least be allowed to parade on Eurovision day. It's like their international holiday

[Kitschum]

Eurovision is like their official parade though. I guess they didn't want any competition on the big day

[Heresson]

1. We are a second-world country.
2. I do not care what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedroom.
3. I do care what they do in the streets of my homecity and I'd rather they kept their deviations private and off them. Most Muscovites are against butt****ing propaganda too, so it's quite democratic to ban this parade.

I hear this "homosexuality is OK, but only private" thing very often.
But it's either ignorant or cruel. As you are heterosexual you can assume more or less that every girl has the same orientation as you do. Heterosexuals don't need to make parades and to stand out, because they're the default, because nearly everyone is hetero. Gays need parades, their own bars, their own libraries etc to meet each other. Not everyone likes bars, clubs, discos etc. A gay parade is perhaps the only time and place where gays can meet each others openly as a group.

Gays do need affirmation, because they are ostracised. It's not "propaganda". You can not MAKE someone gay. You can make someone stop PRETENDING they are not bi/gay. You can set someone free. When someone says "I don't want these parades to affect my children" they are really saying to their children "if you are gay, pretend you're not, or you'll let me down". "or i'll kill you/ beat you / whatever.
Growing up gay is a hard thing, especially before the advent of internet, but nowdays as well. You can think you're the only gay one in the world, or at least the only one in your enviroment. You need love, you need understanding, and you do not find it. Gay parade is an occasion to spot someone you know, and to see you're not the only one.
Gay parades aren't an agressive movement, but a defensive one.

[onodera]

If you think it's only nature, not nurture, that makes people gay, then let's get back to the discussion of finding the gay gene.

[Az]

Why are Russians are so against homosex? all "survival of the species" debate is dumb, since it's not as if straight Russians are reproducing, and it's just the gays that keep statistics down.

It's a real shame about Russians, and I speak as somewhat of a Russian myself ( not in my mind though!):

Positive stuff about Russians:
-Men are strong, courageous, and can work real hard, burly.
-Women are hot, lean, smart, really enjoy deep dicking.

^^^
recipee for successful country.

Negative:
excessive fondness of alcohol.

for shame, Russia.

[BeBMan]

...so it's quite democratic to ban this parade.

The majority is always right. Hell, if they all wanted to have a good old-fashioned progrom who can say it's wrong?

[Heresson]

If you think it's only nature, not nurture, that makes people gay, then let's get back to the discussion of finding the gay gene.

It's not necessarily a gene, for example the influence of hormones on the baby in the womb of its mother was discovered. A stressed mother - more probability the child will end up gay. Etc. It's mostly about nature. At best you could say that it's the nature that is causing certain people to be much more likely to become gay.

Why are you afraid of "gay propaganda"? The hetero propaganda is omnipresent. Almost all churches, the art, the books, the films, the commercials, people in the streets present the heterosexual behaviour. You'd like that to be not 99% as it is, but 100%. But that won't stop the birth of homosexuals, and it will allienate them and made them sad. If the lack of homosexual "propaganda", that is visible presence, would make people not to become gays, there would be no participants of the homosexual marches in Russia. Or elsewhere, because in all countries, at least in Europe, homosexuality was not visible until a certain point. If you want to counter the alleged "homosexual propaganda" then organise heterosexual marches, marches of russian families, whatever. That's what freedom is about. Not about silencing the opponents, which happen to be a small minority without any chance of becoming more than that anyway.

[Heresson]

The majority is always right. Hell, if they all wanted to have a good old-fashioned progrom who can say it's wrong?

It's POGROM not progrom. You haven't learned a thing, you Germans

[BeBMan]

True

[Heresson]

Where have all the flowers gone
Long time passing
where have all the flowers gone
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone
Girls have picked them every one
When will we ever learn
when will we ever learn

[Heresson]

Where have all the flowers gone
Long time passing
where have all the flowers gone
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone
Girls have picked them every one
When will we ever learn
when will we ever learn