Russian gay activist speaks at Columbia University

As part of his American speaking tour, Russian gay activist Nikolai Alekseev spoke at Columbia University on Tuesday, March 1.

Alekseev outlined the oppression and even violence he and other Moscow Pride organizers have faced since they first held the event in 2006. He also discussed the European Court of Human Rights' Oct. 2010 ruling that found Russian officials violated Moscow Pride organizers' right to assemble peacefully.

Alekseev appeared amid controversy over anti-Semitic comments he reportedly posted to his blog in late January. Karen Ocamb of LGBT POV reported earlier today organizers of Alekseev's scheduled appearances in California later this week canceled them after the activist refused to clarify his positions.

It remains somewhat unclear whether Alekseev will travel to California after all, but he denied he is anti-Semitic. Alekseev pointed out his mother's stepfather was Jewish, and he said he has many Jewish friends. Alekseev further praised the gay and lesbian Jewish Americans who have supported Moscow Pride over the years.

(David Badash has an extensive post on Alekseev's appearance and the controversy over his reported anti-Semitic comments at The New Civil Rights Movement.)

Suicide bombers target Moscow subway system

Two female suicide bombers killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 100 others earlier today when they detonated explosives on the Moscow subway at the height of rush hour.

The first blast occurred in the Lubyanka station shortly before 8 a.m., and the second destroyed a subway car near the Park Kultury station. The Moscow Times speculated Russian officials would most likely attribute the attacks to Islamist insurgents who continue to operate in the North Caucasus region. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin quickly condemned the bombings.

"A crime that is terrible in its consequences and heinous in its manner has been committed," he said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority here in New York has beefed up security in response to the Moscow bombings, but waking up to this news brought me back to the morning of March 11, 2004 and how I found out terrorists had killed 191 people on Madrid commuter trains. The threat of terrorism here in the five boroughs periodically crosses my mind, especially if authorities thwart a plot against the subway system or a high profile landmark. That said, however, a terrorist's most effective weapon remains fear. And the best way to counter it is to remain defiant of it.

Activists Protest Russian Vodka Company

This blog is a few days late but a number of New York activists poured Stolichnaya vodka down the drain in front of the Russian consulate in Manhattan earlier this week to highlight continued violence against gay and lesbian Russians. Anti-gay protesters attacked gay activists and European MPS in Moscow late last month as they attempted to deliver a petition to Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov that would have allowed a gay Pride celebration. Protesters said their action highlighted the Russian government's culpability in this violence and broader discrimination against its gay and lesbian citizens.

A number of activists have questioned the rationale behind the protest against Stoli because of its support of the Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund and other LGBT organizations and causes in the United States. These questions are fair. The fact remains, however, the Russian government's record with regards to gay rights remains appalling as the world saw last month in Moscow. Stoli is a responsible corporate citizen. Gays love their alcohol. This week's protest will hopefully draw upon others to demand change from the Russian government.



From left: Activist Gilbert Baker pours Stoli vodka down the drain as Brendan Fay holds a sign outside the Russian consulate in Manhattan on June 5 [Picture courtesy of www.joemygod.blogspot.com]

Violence Again Erupts at Moscow Gay Pride Events

Ultra-nationalists, members of the Russian Orthodox Church and others attacked activists and politicians with eggs, stones and fists yesterday as they tried to deliver a petition to Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to demand their right to hold a gay Pride celebration in the Russian capital. Protesters violently attacked British gay activist Peter Tatchell, Right Said Fred front man Richard Fairbrass, German MEP Volker Beck and others as Moscow police apparently stood by and watched. Authorities later detained them alongside Italian MEP Marco Cappato, Russian gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev and more than two dozen others.

The British Broadcasting Corporation, Deutsche Welle, the Sydney [Australia] Morning Herald and other media outlets across the world documented the violence. Openly gay London Mayor Ken Livingstone, openly gay Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe and other European politicians quickly condemned the attacks as "sad," "unacceptable violence" and "a travesty to democracy." Dutch MEP Sophie Int'Veld told the Moscow News the European Union must address the continued violence against gay and lesbian Russians.

Homophobia remains widespread despite Russia's decriminalization of homosexuality in 1993. Luzhkov, who has repeatedly described gay Pride marches as 'satanic,' banned such gatherings in Moscow. Activists faced violent anti-gay protesters last year as they held their first march in defiance of the ban and of the authorities. The same situation played out again yesterday before the eyes of the world. Luzhkov, and to a greater extend Russian President Vladimir Putin, continue to disregard the rights of their own citizens. Activists within the European Union continue to call upon their own governments to challenge Putin on these continued abuses at next month's G8 summit in Germany. This weekend's violence remains a shocking reminder of the peril many Russians face within their own country. Their government continues to have blood on its hands as the world's media documented all too clearly. The European Union, the United States and other countries that claim to defend human rights and dignity must pressure Russia to protect all of its citizens. Their collective conscience mandates them to do so.



Right Said Fred front man Richard Fairbrass after anti-gay protesters assaulted him during the gay Pride events in Moscow