WASHINGTON – Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin has sent a letter to the heads of the top sponsors of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressing concern over the anti-LGBT Russian law criminalizing “homosexual propaganda.” In addition to raising awareness about the law that has led to multiple human rights abuses, particularly hate-based violence…
When Russian athletes Kseniya Ryzhova and Tatyana Firova stood on the podium at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow and kissed each other on the lips in celebration of their team having won the 4 x 400 m relay Aug. 17, the dissembling began at once. For opponents of Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on LGBT rights,…
SACRAMENTO – A resolution introduced by Sen. Mark Leno that urges the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) not to invest future resources from their pension plans in Russia passed the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee today with a 4-1 bipartisan vote. Senate Resolution 18 was introduced in…
Gaytravel.com, the gay travel company that has been connecting the LGBT community with gay-friendly destinations for more than 15 years has said “goodbye” to Russia as a result of their new anti-gay laws and the upswing in homophobia in the country. In a statement posted on their Web site Gaytravel.com wrote, Due to the recent…
Today, the Miss Universe Organization issued a statement through GLAAD condemning Russia’s recent law banning “gay propaganda,” and which condones violent attacks on LGBT people. The organization, which is holding its annual pageant in Moscow Nov. 9, says the Russian law that bans holding hands, rainbow flags and the simple act of coming out is…
NEW YORK — In response to a new national law in Russia prohibiting “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” and fallout from the law’s passage that has brought about an upsurge in violence targeting gays and lesbians, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called on the United States to impose penalties if the Russian government does not “step backward on this issue…
The LGBT community and Russia have been the rage in the media lately. Some LGBT activists and other supporters have suggested a boycott of the Winter Olympics that will be held in Sochi, Russia in February. The argument goes that we should not allow countries that discriminate or support human rights violations to be able…
http://youtu.be/H4gyZWlZm7o A popular Russian news anchor has declared that the hearts of gay people should be ‘buried or burned’ and that they are “unsuitable for a continuation of life. Queerty.com reported that Dmitri Kisilev, deputy general director of Rossiya 1, Russia’s state-owned and government-controlled news network, was discussing Putin’s new “gay propaganda” laws on “Vesti”, the…
MOSCOW– Russia’s Interior Ministry confirmed today that the country’s controversial anti-gay law will be enforced during the Sochi 2014 Olympics. Ria Novosti reports that confusion has reigned over how the country intends to act during the February 7-23 Winter Games after President Vladimir Putin signed legislation in June that bans the promotion of homosexuality to…
The International Association of LGBTI Pride Organizers (InterPride), the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA) and The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) today issued a joint statement condemning Russia’s recent anti-gay legislation. The statement follows: On behalf of InterPride (International Association of Pride Organizers), GLISA (Gay and Lesbian International Sport…
