Moscow Gay Parade Tomorrow

(Moscow, Russia) Homosexual Russian men and women plan to march tomorrow in a demonstration dubbed Moscow Gay Pride. The gay parade is set to coincide with the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Moscow. Ominously, opponents of homosexuality are threatening to disrupt the parade as they have done in previous parades.



Opposition protester expressing disagreement
with gay rights activist in 2007 parade
From Spiegel.de:

Violence and discrimination are part of everyday life for homosexuals in Russia. Gay clubs are regularly attacked by hooligans, while openly gay people are excluded from events or ejected from polling stations.

Participants in previous gay parades have been fired from their jobs, without notice and without any explanation, after their employers recognized them on television.

At the beginning of October 2008, authorities in St. Petersburg sabotaged a film festival which had been organized by gays and lesbians. When the event was about to begin, militia and firefighters moved in and closed the venues, supposedly because of potential fire hazards.

The gays and lesbians see the parade in Moscow as less of a party and more of a demand for basic civil rights. With 80 percent of the Russian population condemning homosexuality, the gay marchers in the parade don't expect an easy time.