The past few years haven't been great ones for gays and gay rights activists in Russia. In light of the peaceful protests that have turned violent, Danny Tenaglia has cancelled his gig at Gipsy in Moscow. As part of the electronic music community, we pride ourselves on being open minded and embrance the different people around us. Our parties always welcome fellow compatriots from any background, to create a wonderfully diverse and friendly atmosphere. This freedom, however, has been under attack in Russia especially for the gays.
Russia has been in serious violation of the 2010 ruling of the European court of human rights. The ruling allows for the gay pride events to occur in cities throughout Europe. This has been further aggravated by a new law that was passed on June 29th, 2013 that prohibits the public display of gay marriage equality, attributing any support individuals show for it to the propagation of "misconceptions." Although homosexuality was officially decriminalized in 1993, the country still has a long way to go for the LBGT community to feel safe to be who they are.
Gays in Russia are now the scape goat for the country's problems, and are suffering from vast amounts of discrimination. There are rumors of not allowing them to work for the government.
In light of these recent events, people like Danny Tenaglia are taking action. Lansing, the capital of the state of Michigan, has several council members who are wishing to sever ties with their sister city of St. Petersburg for its LGBT discrimination.
As four Dutch tourists were thrown into jail on Sunday, July 21st for showing support for the gay community in Murmansk, Danny Tenaglia's choice for holding off visiting Russia is one of safety. In the meantime, we can all do what we can to help spread awareness of this human rights violation that is occurring until something is done about it. Other countries, such as England, went through something similar in the late eighties, similarly violating the rights of the LBGT community. Here in the US, we still have battles to be fought, for wider acceptance of the gays and their equal marriage rights.
The photos, taken off of Buzzfeed, visually demonstrate what has been going on in Russia.
Check out our interview with Danny Tenaglia on Studio 54, his hiatus, and more!
