RUSSIA: Popular Comedy Show Covers Gay Pride Battle With West Side Story Skit

The Moscow Times reports:

Channel One’s mock news show “Yesterday Live” imagined what might have happened if City Hall had permitted the [gay pride] march and the two sides had gotten together to celebrate, in a surprisingly tolerant comedy sketch. A news reader in a satin jacket reads from a pink page against a gay rights flag. “It would be curious to see gays and border guards marking their holiday on the same day,” he says. The sketch shows stereotypically mincing gay activists in Village People outfits and boas fraternizing with the swaggering border guards in stripy vests. “We’ve waited 17 years for Luzhkov to leave,” one says, referring to the openly homophobic mayor, sacked in September. The two sides join for a “West Side Story”-style dance routine to the tune of the song “America” with a joke about the sexual orientation of the pop singers at the traditional concert for the border guards. At the end, the two groups separate, but one border guard confusedly stays with the gay group, before running back to his brothers in arms with a scream of alarm.

Courtesy of Blabbeando, here's the skit. The audio is unfortunately out of sync.

State Dept Condemns Moscow Arrests

The U.S. State Department has issued a letter condemning the arrests of gay activists in Moscow over the weekend.

STATEMENT BY MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON

Concern about Freedom of Assembly in Russia

We note with concern that in Moscow on Saturday, May 28, a peaceable demonstration of Russians advocating for the rights of gays and lesbians, joined by international supporters, was forcefully disrupted by counter-protesters, and that Russian security forces then detained people from both groups, including American citizens. Some protestors were seriously injured according to media reports.

Freedom of assembly is a fundamental right all members of the OSCE committed to, including in the Moscow declaration and as recently as the Astana summit. As nationwide legislative elections approach, constraints on the ability of Russian citizens peacefully to gather and express their views will be closely watched in evaluating the integrity of the electoral process. We call on Russian authorities to work with municipal officials to find better ways to safeguard these fundamental freedoms.

HomoQuotable - Peter Tatchell

"We witnessed a high level of fraternisation and collusion between neo-Nazis and the Moscow police. I saw neo-Nazis leave and re-enter police buses parked on Tverskaya Street by City Hall. Our suspicion is that many of the neo-Nazis were actually plainclothes police officers, who did to us what their uniformed colleagues dared not do in front of the world’s media. Either that, or the police were actively facilitating the right-wing extremists with transport to the protest.

"During the Second World War, Mucovites stood against the Nazis. Now the Mayor of Moscow is colluding with neo-Nazis. He gave the neo-Nazi groups permission to stage a protest calling for violence against gay people, while denying Moscow Gay Pride a permit to rally for gay equality." - Famed British activist Peter Tatchell, reporting from yesterday's demonstration in Moscow.

More Video From Moscow Pride Protest

Dan Choi Shouts "GLASNOST!" As Moscow Police Arrest Him At Pride Protest

RUSSIA: Dan Choi Among Activists Arrested At Moscow Pride Protest

UK Gay News is running a live blog from the pride protest in Moscow. Here are the latest entries at this writing:

14:00. Andy Thayer is confirmed as having been arrested, along with Dan Choi and Louis-Georges Tin, Anna and three other Russian gay activists.

13:40. Report just in that four Russians participats in Pride have been arrested outside Moscow City Hall.

13:31. Dan Choi and Louis-Georges Tin both confirmed as having been arrested.

13:29. "All participants of Moscow Pride at Alexandrovski Gardens was been "brutally arrested", Chad Meacham has just reported. The arrest were made as participants arrived at the Gardens. One person, Louis-Geroges Tin was allowed to give an iterview with the world's TV and press. No names of those arrested are not known, apart from Anna.

RUSSIA: Gay Activist Storms Off TV Show

During a nationally televised debate on the rights of gay people to assemble and protest, noted activist Nikolai Alekseev ripped off his microphone and stormed off the set. Feast Of Fun reports:

GayRussia leader Nikolai Alekseev walked off the set of a national TV debate show this afternoon after accusing the moderator, Vladimir Solovyev, of slanting the show towards homophobes. The show has been described to me as sort of like “Meet the Press,” except that millions of people actually watch it. Alekseev was debating Alexander Hinstein, a deputy in the State Duma (parliament) and member of Vladir Putin’s United Russia Party. The last straw was when Solovyev, host of the nationally broadcast show, Poednivo (roughly “The Dual” in English), called on an audience member who accused gays of physically threatening her young daughter. Alekseev tore off his microphone and walked off as the cameras rolled. Shortly thereafter, the LGBT members of the audience also walked out.

Moscow Pride Banned Again

One month after the city of Moscow granted permission for the city's first authorized gay pride event in years, that ruling has been revoked.

The reasons given by the deputy mayor of Moscow, Ludmila Shvetsova, is because of “the impossibility to provide security” – and a high number of letters of protests received by the City Hall against this event. “The reasons for banning the Moscow Pride this year are exactly the same reasons used in the past years – and for which the European Court of Human Rights judged against Russia for violating the European Convention on Human Rights, Pride chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev. “Russia has decided to mark the Day Against Homophobia by showing, once again, its homophobic policy towards its LGBT citizens. He revealed that an application would now be made directly to the Russian President. “We will apply today to President Dmitri Medvedev for permission to hold our Gay Pride March next to Kremlin, an area which is solely within his jurisdiction.

Moscow Pride Wins City Approval

For first time since 2006, Moscow city officials have approved a gay pride event. Last October the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Moscow had acted illegally when banning previous pride events. Those bannings came at the demand of anti-gay former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, who left office last year.

"The Moscow government told the Moscow gay pride parade organizers on Tuesday that the Moscow authorities have authorized a gay pride parade in Moscow," Alexeyev said in a statement released in Moscow. The organizers notified the Moscow government and the Moscow traffic police of their intention to hold a gay pride parade on April 12, he said. The rally entitled "Moscow Gay Pride Parade: Homosexuality in the History of World Culture and Civilization" will take place on May 28, Alexeyev said. The Moscow authorities have suggested reducing number of the rally participants to 500, which was done, he said.

RUSSIA: Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens, Injures Over 100 At Moscow Airport

A reported suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport today has killed dozens and left more than 100 injured.

Russian news agencies, citing witnesses, said airport halls were filled with smoke, so much so that it was difficult to count the number of dead. International arrivals were being diverted to nearby, according to local media reports. The explosion occurred at 4:32 p.m. local time, according to RT television. The airport, southeast of the capital, is Russia’s largest hub for international travelers, with more than 20 million passengers passing through last year.

CNN is currently reporting the death toll at 31. The bomb is said to have gone off in the international arrivals baggage claim area, which is unsecured.

Court Approves Moscow Pride

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of Moscow Pride president Nikolai Alexeyev, saying that authorities acted illegally when they banned gay pride in Moscow.

City Hall was ordered to pay 12,000 euros in damages to Nikolai Alexeyev and a further 17,500 euros in costs. And gay rights activists believe the ruling opens the way for all groups to rally in public, regardless of their political or social background. “This is the first ever decision of the European Court of Human Rights which concerns freedom of assembly in Russia. It guarantees everyone freedom of expression without special permission,” Alexeyev told The Moscow News directly after the verdict. The Moscow city government lost each of the three complaints, which activists said had great significance for the future beyond the gay rights movement.

RUSSIA: Moscow's Anti-Gay Mayor Fired By President Dmitri Medvedev

Yesterday the president of Russia fired Moscow's Mayor Yuri Luhzkov, who has described gays as "satanic," blocked gay pride parades, and has been the subject of numerous protests by LGBT activists, including one just a few days ago. The firing, however, had nothing to do with Luhzkov's bigotry.

Officially, the Kremlin attributed Mr. Medvedev’s decision to his “loss of trust” in Mr. Luzhkov. But the two men had been feuding, and Mr. Luzhkov had seemed in recent weeks to be trying to create a rift between Mr. Medvedev and his mentor, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, who is widely considered the country’s pre-eminent leader. The conflict turned into a highly unusual spectacle because such defiance of the country’s leadership by a senior official rarely occurs in public. Mr. Luzhkov had been under pressure to resign, but on Monday, declared that he would not. It appeared that Mr. Medvedev then had to move to avoid undercutting his own standing. Mr. Medvedev, who was elected in 2008 and has championed policies to modernize the country, has been clearing away a generation of a older regional leaders who have long clung to power in Russia. The dismissal of Mr. Luzhkov is the most pronounced step yet in this campaign.

Moscow's deputy mayor has been temporarily appointed to Luzhkov's position while the president considers a replacement. We can only hope whoever is chosen isn't worse.

VIDEO: Russian Activists Arrested At Protest Over Moscow's Anti-Gay Mayor

Eight Russian LGBT activists, including Moscow Pride head Nikolai Alexeyev, were arrested yesterday at a protest rally outside the office of Moscow's anti-gay mayor.

At least eight protesters were arrested when police moved in to disperse the rally outside the mayor's office. Among them was Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolai Alexeyev, who accused security agents of abducting him last week. There was no official comment on his allegations. He said he had been stopped at a Moscow airport while trying to fly to Switzerland on Wednesday and was held for two days at an unknown address before being released on Saturday. He said he had been asked to withdraw a case from the European Court of Human Rights, where he complains about Mayor Luzhkov's refusal to allow gay pride marches in the Russian capital.

The bravery of Nikolai Alexeyev continues to astound us.

Russian Activist Nikolai Alekseev Detained By Police Over Gay Pride Complaints

Noted Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseev was taken away by authorities yesterday he attempted to board a flight to Geneva. According to Alekseev, Russia's government is angry over a complaint he filed with the European Court Of Human Rights over Moscow's five year old ban on gay pride events. Officials are also demanding that he call off a picket of Moscow's anti-gay mayor.

“They demanded of me to give up on the picket Luzhkov and withdraw a complaint by the gay pride of European court” Mr. Alekseev said today at 6:00 am. Later, at 8 am, he clarified that he is no longer held in Domodedovo Airport, where he was detained at the airport yesterday evening. “I cannot say where [I am], but not in Moscow,” he said when asked about his whereabouts. Mr Alekseev told about the pressures exerted on him. The authorities have threaten to block his exit from Russia. “They also threatened me that a lot of bad things about me will be given to the Swiss authorities should I leave,” he said. The head of the Moscow Gay Pride was arrested yesterday by police at Domodedovo Airport as he was about to board the evening flight to Geneva. No explanation was given for the reason of his detention.

The European Parliament's Intergroup On LGBT Rights has written an urgent message to Russia government protesting Alekseev's arrest. Unconfirmed reports say that Alekseev was released in Minsk hours ago.

MOSCOW: Activists Defy Police, Stage Two Small "Flash" Pride Parades

Although the mayor of Moscow has banned gay pride parades for the last five years, today activists defied riot police and staged two small "flash" parades without incident. Strategic planning by the activists managed to keep the events below the radar of anti-gay nationalists and neo-nazis. For once.

Two Gay Pride parades were held without arrests in Moscow on Saturday, the first time the notoriously intolerant Russian authorities have not intervened since the inaugural attempt to hold the event in the capital in 2006. The activists' spokesman claimed that the absence of harrasment, beatings and detentions was due to their "military planning" rather than any kind of warming toward non-traditional orientation among officials. Moscow riot police typically disperse such gatherings with brute force, emboldened by declarations from city Mayor Yury Luzhkov equating homosexuals with the devil. The activists also blame Russia's resurgent Orthodox Church, which publicly and sternly denounces gay culture, for fomenting homophobia. About 25 activists held a short demonstration on The Arbat, a pedestrian street lined with shops and cafes that is one of Moscow's main tourist draws. They marched for about 10 minutes, holding banners and shouting slogans such as "No discrimination on the grounds of orientation." Some observers waved and laughed, and there were no signs of hostility. Police did not try to disperse the march, but when the demonstrators saw a line of uniformed officers blocking the street ahead of them, they scattered.

British activist Peter Tatchell took part in one of the parades. Tatchell sustained permanent brain damage when he was beaten by Moscow police at a Pride demonstration in 2007.

Moscow Pride Banned By Mayor

For the fifth year in a row, Moscow Mayor Yury Lushkov has banned gay pride.

Not unexpectedly, the homophobic Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, has banned the march planned in Russian capital as part of Moscow Pride on May 29. It is the fifth successive year that the Mayor, who infamously described Gay Pride parades a “satanic happenings”, has invoked a ban. “As soon as we receive the authorities’ refusal in writing, we will appeal it in the Tver District Court,” chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev said this afternoon. In accordance with Russian law, application for the parade was made to the Mayor’s office on May 17, giving the proposed route. Plans were that the parade would end in Lubyanka Square. But Mr. Alekseev said that City Hall had not offered any alternate route for the march, which is contrary to the requirements of current legislation.

Last year Moscow police roughed up and arrested over 20 LGBT activists who defied the ban. Among those arrested was British activist Peter Tatchell.

UPDATE: Luskgov has forced the company that hosts GayRussia.ru to take the site down that word of the ban can't be spread.