With the wins in California and Washington, some Springfield legislators say they will now make a serious push for equal marriage legislation this year in Illinois.  As they do so, we can expect that the usual suspects to loudly bray about how “unfair” equal rights legislation is, and demonize LGBT people in the process.

Chief among them will be Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George.  George is already on record comparing lesbians and gays to the KKK, and repeatedly defended that insulting comparison before finally issuing what many considered an inadequate apology.  The “apology” implied that he still thinks that many lesbians and gays are fascists, and he justified his blasts against us as being motivated by his alleged fear for “the liberty of the church.”

George, as head of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, spent tens of thousands backing the anti-gay referendums Proposition 8 in California and Question 1 in Maine.  After the passage of the civil unions bill in Illinois, George pompously predicted, “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.”

As marriage equality moves forward this year in Illinois, look for Cardinal George to once again take his bigotry out from under wraps, trying to lean on Illinois legislators to vote against equality.

As a cover for this bigotry, look for him to try to play the victim role again, falsely stating that equal marriage legislation in Illinois would somehow force the Catholic Church to celebrate marriages it chooses not to.

Look for him to violate the church’s tax-exempt status by using its institutional power to advocate on legislation.

We can sit back and take it – as Californians fatefully did with the Mormon Church before the passage of Proposition 8 – or we can proactively push back against this bigotry now.

Please come to Freedom to Marry Day 2012 at 10:30 AM this Sunday, Feb. 12 in front of Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State Street, and stand with the majority of lay Catholics and others of good will who support equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.

This protest was initiated by the Gay Liberation Network and is supported by the 8th Day Center for Justice, Dignity-Chicago, Equality Illinois and the Rainbow-Sash Organization.  For more information, email LGBTliberation@aol.com

See you on Sunday!

Francis George said in his “apology” that he never meant to smear “all gays and lesbians” with the KKK analogy.  So, by implication, and by earlier statements, we take it that George did intend to liken some gays to the Klan, particularly some gay activists. In fact, his original Klan remark was directed at something he vaguely called the “gay liberation movement.” This sounds like a specific reference to our organization, the Gay Liberation Network, which he has previously singled out for attack when we have had the audacity to picket the Church hierarchy, including himself, in front of Holy Name Cathedral (George’s charges against us for being “anti-Catholic” have always been disingenuous and incendiary because he knows very well: Our disagreement is with him and other church leaders, not with the Catholic laity which, in poll after poll, backs equal rights for gays and lesbians).

In his apology, George claimed further that his KKK analogy was “motivated by fear for the church’s liberty.”  This, too, is completely disingenuous. No one was challenging the church’s “liberty,”  unless by this George means something like the right of the Catholic Church hierarchy to be free from frank and open criticism for its advocacy of discrimination against women and gays.

Finally, and most importantly—and missed by those individuals and groups who are now heaping undeserved praise on the Cardinal—Francis George’s “apology” contained not a word about the church leadership’s long-standing and aggressive opposition to all equal rights legislation for LGBT people, nationally and in the state of Illinois.

George’s anti-gay animus did not begin by his comparison of gay activists to the KKK.  When the Catholic Church leadership, including George, ceases doing everything it can to oppose our equal participation in society, then we can accept an apology from that leadership

While canceling the January 8 protest, we are redoubling our efforts to secure participation in the Freedom to Marry Day demonstration scheduled for Sunday, February 12 at 10:30 AM in front of Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State Street, Chicago.

“In comparing LGBT rights advocates to the KKK, the Cardinal shows that he is not an honest man of faith trying to better the world, but rather, a mendacious one trying to deflect criticism of church policies that promote discrimination.

“It is ironic that George chooses to mention the KKK, as they are but one of the most extreme examples of organizations which have used religion to shield themselves from criticism of their hateful policies.  While an overwhelming majority of lay Catholics support equality for women and LGBTs, the Catholic leadership has a history and present practice of discrimination which they apparently will go to quite extreme lengths to defend.

See more at tinyurl.com/foolishgeorge

Birth of a Transgender Movement in Russia. Transgender activists in Russia are making their contribution to the international LGBT movement. In this video, GayRussia activist Anna Komarova talks about some of the ground-breaking activities taking place in his country, including the first-ever in-person, public statement in favor of Transgender rights — one block away from the Kremlin before a forest of national and international media.

Anna has been involved in Moscow Pride from its start in 2006, and has been arrested by Russian riot police and beaten by neofascists for doing so. Anna is interviewed by Andy Thayer of the Gay Liberation Network (Chicago), who was also a participant in the past three Pride demonstrations held in Moscow (and arrested twice as a result).

More information is available at www.GayRussia.eu and www.GayLiberation.net. A more lengthy print version of this interview is available at http://www.feastoffun.com/topics/people/2011/06/03/the-birth-of-a-transgender-movement-in-russia/

At least two of those arrested are members of Russia’s Transgender community.  The day after we were released from jail, I sat down with one of them, Anna  Komarova, to discuss the issues facing Russia’s budding Transgender community.  Anna’s presentation at a press conference two days previously is believed to be the first-ever pro-Transgender public presentation the country has ever seen. A video of Anna should be ready to appear in this space tomorrow night — until then, below is the print interview.

Andy Thayer:  Anna, one of the things that I’m often asked by LGBTs when they learn I’ve been to Russia, is what is the situation of Transgender people in your country?  It strikes me as such a big question, I don’t have a way of answering it.  How would you answer that question?

Anna Komarova:  The Russian media almost absolutely do not cover this subject.  There are a few articles about Transgender people, some interviews with Transsexuals, and that’s all.  It seems to me that there is no real Transgender movement in Russia, but only some internet forums, some internet services for Transgenders, but in my opinion, Transgenders in Russia don’t understand their rights, they don’t fight for their rights.  For example, Transsexuals, they are part of Transgender community. They don’t have in Russia any clear procedure for changing documents, surgery if they need it, hormone therapy and so on.  It is not clear in Russia what to do, how to do it.  All regions decide how to do it themselves.

AT:  There’s no national policy.

AK:  Yes, yes.  And, it seems like Transgenders in Russia are afraid to fight for their rights, and nobody knows about other gender identities in the Transgender community, for example, about Genderqueers, Agenders, I am an Agender myself.  There is no information about it.  The first Genderqueer forum for Russian speakers was founded in November 2010.  It has only a little more than 100 users now. So this is the situation.

AT:  What is the attitude of the government towards Transgender people talking to each other and attempting to find out about themselves and better ways to improve their lives?

AK:  The Russian government doesn’t care about that, as it doesn’t care about LGB people.  What we are doing is we are fighting for freedom of assembly, and it is very difficult to get it, but there isn’t possible to fight for your rights if you do not have this basic opportunity to, for example, go to a street, to take your slogans and so on.

AT:  In the United States there is a big problem with medical abuse of Intersex children.  Is there a serious problem with that in Russia as well?

AK:  Yes, but our Intersexuals are —  I’d like to underline that I am only expressing my own point of view — Russian Intersex people think that they are sick, [almost] all of them, and the government too.  The same with Transgenders.  A lot of Transgenders in Russia think that they are sick, and it seems to me that it’s a problem too, because it’s easier to change your body if you don’t need permission from psychologists. [It’s better if] you only have to visit other doctors who help to change your body, and there is no necessity to pass through [psychological] tests and so on within rather a big period.

AT:  Does the Russian medical system, does it assist with gender reassignment surgery for those who want it, or does it put all sorts of barriers between it, financial and otherwise?

AK:  In most Russian regions, the authorities ask you to have surgery and hormone therapy before you can change your [identity] documents, and that’s not correct, because some people don’t want to do it.  And they can’t do it because health problems or other reasons, many other reasons.  For example, I don’t want to do anything with my body.

AT:  Is there state funding for those who do want to, or do people have to pay for it out of their own pockets?

AK:  No, we pay ourselves, for everything.

AT:  Is that the case for most medical care in general?

AK:  We have a national system of medical insurance, but it doesn’t include any surgery or other things that you need if you are Transsexual to make some changes with your body.  It doesn’t include all of these things.  But what about other insurances?  If it is possible to include by your own wish, …if you want to make surgery now, there is no way to find an insurance company which will include this surgery, and then you [will] wait for several years.

AT:  Shifting more to the information flow and the organizing of Transgender people in Russia, you mentioned that some of these on-line forums just started last year.  What was there before that?  What information sharing was there among Transgender people to find out about issues that are important to you?

AK:  I think that they used internet, first of all, and to pass information from one person to another person.

AT:  Are there Russian language books and articles that people can read?

AK:  There are some books, but almost all of them say that gender variant people are sick, and they explain to doctors how to make hormone therapy or surgery for Transsexuals.  We have this kind of books.  But all of them say that it’s mental disease.  Besides that, I want to say that Transsexuals are not the only kind of Transgenders.

AT:  It sounds like there is a very large absence of information for people trying to find out about themselves, trying to have positive images of themselves.  The notion that most Transgender people see themselves as sick is very disturbing, and mentally debilitating.  Are there any coordinated attempts to begin translating publications that are Transgender-affirming that are written in other languages?

AK:  Transgender forums and activists in those forums translate foreign articles and they publish those articles on their forums.  Forums are the main source of information about Transgenderness and Transsexuality, but in Russia, almost all people think that Transgender people are all Transsexuals.  And besides that, most Transsexuals think that Transgenders are simply Transsexuals.  And I’ve already told you that our GenderQueer forums are too small and too young.  But anyway, our forum includes a lot of scientific articles which were written in English and we translate them ourselves.

AT:  As long as we’re on the subject, what would be the best way for people in other countries to support Transgender people in Russia?

AK:  I think we need more contacts, more connections.  We need maybe more information about other gender identities and about the ways of expression of gender identities in other countries.  I mean, in the Canadian army, for example, almost nobody knows that it is possible to put on the uniform which you like, which you [decide your] gender identity.  In Russia, nobody knows about it.  And I’ve talked about this for the Russian media during press conference the day before Moscow Gay Pride.  Especially to attract the attention to this subject, to Transgender questions.

AT:  Going back to the press conference this past Friday, just two days ago, it strikes me — and correct me if I am wrong — could that have been the first publicly announced meeting where pro-Transgender issues were discussed before the general public, not just among LGBT people, in private meetings, but for the non-gay media?  Was that perhaps the first time, your speech at that press conference?

AK:  It seems to me that you are right.  Maybe I don’t know about other initiatives, but it seems to me that it was the first time.

AT:  In Chicago and other large cities in the United States, there are meetings of Transgender people where people can not only deal with political issues, but also discuss the impediments that they face as they carry on with their daily lives.  People have opportunities to have in-person discussions with other Transgender people, and gain support from other’s knowledge. The internet is great, but in a city like Moscow, which is 15 million people, are there any such organizations which at least provide an opportunity for socializing and non-political discussions?

AK:  There is one organization in Moscow which is called the Transgender Foundation.  And it helps Transsexuals and some other gender variant people to socialize and to discuss their problems.  They have meetings, and I had a meeting before Pride with their organizers, and we set up a meeting after Pride.  I will meet with them again.  We decided to discuss our possible future work together.

AT:  I gather that right now that this organization, Transgender, is an information-sharing organization rather than an advocacy organization of “Well, we need this change in the national healthcare system,” or “We need this change in the educational system,” is that correct?  Has it not taken up policy issues yet?

AK:  No, we do not have this kind of [advocacy] organization yet, but we do have some organizations which help to realize transitions from one sex to another, and to socialize and to get new documents, and they help.  But they don’t discuss how to change the system, and a lot of Russian Transsexuals don’t want to change the system.  It seems to me that they are afraid of it, because we have, for example, several doctors, psychologists in Moscow and in St. Petersburg, who help them to get the permission to go through their transition.  And they are afraid to break this system.  But this system , in my opinion, is not comfortable.  In my opinion, there is not any necessity to get permission from psychologists, because we don’t get any permissions when we get any plastic surgeries.

AT:  In the United States, in the political LGBT movement, there has often been a problem where Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual activists have not been supportive of the demands of Transgender peoples.

AK:  We have the same problem in Russia.

AT:  That’s very sad, given how under siege everyone is that is gender variant or of different sexual orientations, that there would not be that solidarity with Transgender people.

AK:  Yes, I think that the Russian LGB community is rather Transphobic.

AT:  How does this manifest itself, this Transphobia?

AK:  When I say that I am Transgender in a Lesbian company, they say, “Oh no, no, that’s not Transgender.”  So this way, they just say that they don’t.

AT:  In a country that is as large as Russia is, population-wise, 150 million people compared to the 300 million in the United States, there have got to a number of women’s rights organizations.  What sort of support, or lack of support, do those organizations give to Transgender people?

AK:  I’ve never heard about any connections with these kinds of organizations.  Maybe there is, but this is not my experience.  I’ve never heard of it.

AT:  Do you know if there have been any attempts by Transgender individuals or organizations to influence these women’s organizations, to ask that they take up Transgender issues as part of a broader feminist agenda?

AK:  I think that I’ve heard something about it, but these questions have not come out to a wider public discussion.

AT:  You covered a lot of ground in your speech at the press conference.  It was very ground-breaking in that this was, perhaps for the first time in Russia, a place where Transgender issues were discussed in a positive, open public forum, in person.  The more I think about it, that was a very ground-breaking event for GayRussia to do that. That’s got to make you very proud.

AK:  I hope that my speech changed some things for our Transgender situation in Russia.  I think that it’s too early to be proud.

AT:  Anna, you have been a stalwart of GayRussia for years now.  You participated in the first Moscow Pride in 2006, and you have been beaten by the fascists, you have been roughly treated by the police, including arrested…

AK:  I wasn’t arrested that year, only beaten…

AT:  …”only” beaten [laughing], but you have paid your dues, as we say in the West, as an LGBT activist, and yet you were telling me earlier that you began coming out as a Transgender person about a year ago.  Describe to me how your consciousness changed and what prompted your consciousness to change.

AK:  I began to think about gender questions in my childhood.  I thought, if I want to be a man, and I discussed it with my friends when I was maybe 6 – 7 years old, and I decided, it’s a little bit difficult for me to describe my situations, which changed my mind.  But there were some situations when I decided not to be a man too.  I am not a woman., I felt it, I knew that I’m not like other women, other girls, and I thought maybe I’d like to be a man, but I decided in my childhood that I’m not a man too.  And I found, that there was an interesting situation when, I found an audio tape that my father did.  I was three years old, and I was crying and I told to my father, “No I am not crying because of something,” and he spoke to me to be quiet and something, and I cried to him, ‘I’m not a girl, I’m not a girl.’”  He told me, “Why not a girl, you’re a girl.”  I was only three years old.  And so it’s interesting, I didn’t expect to find it out on those tapes.  And then, later, when maybe I was 13, 14, I tried to be like other girls and all Transgenders try to pass through this period, it seems to me, but it was difficult for me.  Then I thought maybe being a man was more comfortable.  Then I decided that if I feel neither like a man or a woman, I decided that I tell people I am Agender, because I feel like that.

AT:  How did your consciousness change?

AK:  About one year and a half [ago], I decided to express my gender identity, and I told people that I Agender, but I found out that they agree.  It seemed to me that they didn’t realize that I really don’t identify myself as either a man or a woman.  So, I decided to do something else, and I began to use masculine gender in my speech.  I know that speech expresses our consciousness, speech changes our consciousness at the same time, so now I insist that everybody to use my female name and masculine gender when they speak about me and to me.  But I am not the first in this kind of experience because, for example, Vladimir Luxuria, ex-deputy of Italian parliament uses MASCULINE (or MALE) NAME and FEMAILE GRAMMAR GENDER and there is no problem with it.  She’s an actor and by the way, she took part in Moscow Gay Pride in 2007.  So that’s my experience.

AT:  Looking at the broader issues facing Transgender people in Russia, what do you think is the most important issue for Transgender people in this country?

AK:  I think freedom of expression of gender identity.  And I think one more thing I think is very important from my point of view is to delete gender variant behavior from World Health Organization ICD.  That’s very important.

AT:  What do you think is the biggest thing stopping Transgender people from gaining more freedom in Russia?

AK:  I think that it’s very important to stop discrimination at the job and to stop physical violence against Transgender people.

AT:  What more can you tell me about those two issues?

AK:  It’s almost impossible to express gender identity at the job in Russia.  You’ll be kicked out from your job.  It’s the most likely thing that could happen to you after you come out.

AT:  How do you survive in your own employment?

AK:  It’s very difficult to [catch] your employer when they kick you out and the real reason is your Transgenderness. But they hide, usually. They don’t show that this is the real reason, so it’s to go to court, because they don’t say the real reasons [why they fire you].

AT:  What about the issue of anti-Transgender violence?

AK:  My [personal] experience was only at Gay Pride events, but with me I was surprised when I found out [this] one theme at one of the biggest F to M Transgender forums in Russia.  I was surprised by the quantity of people who faced violence in their lives.  I didn’t expect [it].

AT:  I would like to record that you are one of the unsung heroes of Moscow Pride.  In 2011, there has been a great deal of news coverage of internationals such as myself — frankly out of all proportion to the risks that we faced  –  and the injuries received were fortunately minor.   But you, this year, were forced to the ground and kicked three or four times in the head.   You tried to get yourself checked into a hospital for possible concussion or other hidden serious injury, but were not able to pay the bribes to make it happen.

I should also note that you have been in Moscow Pride from the beginning.  At the first Moscow Pride in 2006 and 2007, you were severely beaten, and it’s lesser known people such as yourself who have made the greatest sacrifices, far greater than us internationals.  I think that you deserve far greater recognition, and so at least for my reporting here and those who read it, I want to make sure your sacrifice is recognized. Also, the sacrifice of Elena Kostyuchenko, the Lesbian journalist from Novoya Gazetta, should be recognized.  She came out with a Pride flag yesterday, and was severely beaten and hospitalized as a result.  One of the most important things of this year’s Moscow Pride, is that because it was publicly announced, it allowed new people to join in.

AK:  The truth is that I knew that Moscow Pride wouldn’t be permitted by Moscow authorities.  I would prefer to go there [to Pride] openly each year, because it would let us collect more people.  [We had] expected the Moscow authorities would follow the European Court of Human Rights decision, but we’ve seen now that they refused to do it.  But I’m glad that we did it openly this year [despite that].  We saw a lot of heroic people with us.

AT:  And you being one of them.  Thank you very much.

AK:  I don’t feel it, by the way.

AT:  You’re too humble, and that is why I wanted that you get the recognition that you deserve on this.  I think that Transgender people in the United States will be glad to know that our movement is truly international, and that you’re fighting for Transgender rights here in Russia, and for that we all owe a deep debt to you and the other people of GayRussia.  Thank you very much.

The first and most important thing that needs to be said is that we are very fortunate that no Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender activists exercising their right to peaceably assemble were killed near Red Square on May 28, 2011.

While Western media sources have made a great deal out of the fact that a few visiting Western activists got some minor injuries at the hands of the police or fascists, they have been virtually silent about the fact that a leading Russian transgender activist, Anna Komarova, a long-time member of the GayRussia organization, was kicked three or four times in the head while he lay on the pavement, and due only to good fortune was not seriously injured or killed.

Another participant, Elena Kostyuchenko, a journalist with Novaya Gazeta newspaper who came out of the closet as a Lesbian on Saturday, joining the protest with her rainbow flag, was still hospitalized as of my last information from yesterday.  I do not know the nature of her injuries or the prognosis for her recovery.

The primary responsibility for these near-tragedies lies with the fascists, who were charged with only minor crimes, and the Russian government which allowed the serious crimes of assault and attempted murder to occur, despite possessing overwhelming force.  These crimes did not occur in some back alleyway or on an obscure side street, but in broad daylight literally about 50 yards away from Red Square.

Secondary responsibility for these crimes lies with all of those non-Russian governments, including the Obama administration, which valued their trade and military relationships with the Russian government over speaking out for human rights.  President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton, who are fond of talking about human rights violations when they occur in small nations which can be kicked around by the United States, especially if those nations are not allied with the U.S., abysmally failed the test of human rights leadership on Saturday.

After the Russian authorities banned Moscow Pride a few weeks ago – in direct contravention to the 17th Article of the Russian Constitution and last fall’s unanimous decision of the European Court of Human Rights – Moscow Pride organizers directly appealed to all Western embassies to issue public statements to the Russian government before the protest.

All of these governments, including the Obama administration, failed to do so.  The U.S. embassy told Pride organizers that they would simply “monitor the situation.”  As a result, the Russian riot police apparently felt they had a free hand to conduct themselves in the same brutal manner as at previous Prides.

The U.S. embassy in Moscow did finally issue a brief statement about the attacks on Moscow Pride only after the event, signed by a lesser State Department official (http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2011/05/20110531095808su6.131709e-02.html?CP.rss=true#axzz1NxHLj0G7).

In Western news articles, the roles of myself, Dan Choi and other international activists in Moscow Pride 2011 were magnified out of all proportion to our actual participation.  LGBT Russians suffered the greatest degree of violence and took by far the greatest risks – and continue to do so – and yet their sufferings have gone almost totally unnoticed by the international press.  The least we can do as people in the West is speak out about impending violence before it happens, and thus help forestall that violence.

Link to my statement at the Friday, May 27 press conference before Moscow Pride:

http://www.feastoffun.com/topics/news-rumors/2011/05/27/moscow-gays-to-defy-police-neo-nazi-threats/comment-page-1/#comment-49818

Link to interview with GayRussia activist Anna Komarova:

http://oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/moscow-pride-police-attack-genderqueer-activist-anna-komarova-first-interview/

And look for my in-depth interview with pioneering Trans activist Komarova appearing tomorrow here at Feast of Fun — “The Birth of a Transgender Movement in Russia”

Moscow police collude with neo-Nazis
Mayor favoured neo-Nazis with protest permit
18 gay campaigners arrested at Kremlin and City Hall

Moscow – 28 May 2011 – 10pm Moscow time

“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,” reports British human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who was part of the Moscow Gay Pride protest group today.

“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.

“I went to City Hall to protest but was separated from our Gay Pride group. Neo-Nazis identified me for attack. Being alone and with the police refusing to protect us, I had to escape down side streets and alleyways to avoid a beating.
“A total of 18 gay rights protesters – 15 of them Russian – were arrested, as they tried to stage the banned Moscow Gay Pride parade.

“Some of the Moscow Gay Pride participants were seized by police bear the Kremlin, including international gay rights supporters Andy Thayer, Dan Choi and Louis-Georges Tin; plus Moscow Gay Pride committee member, Anna Komarova and other Russian gay activists.

“Several more Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) campaigners were arrested outside City Hall.

“These arrests took place between 1pm and 2pm Moscow time.

“Dan Choi, a US military officer who was dismissed from the American armed forces because of his homosexuality, was violently manhandled by police. He was wrestled to ground and punched. He has some minor injuries.

“Neo-Nazis made repeated attempts to bash the LGBT campaigners as they were being arrested and taken to police buses. Some of the campaigners were struck but none were hurt seriously.

“Anna Komarova reports being pressured by the police to give information about the organisation of Moscow Gay Pride. The police threatened to detain her for 48 hours unless she gave them the information they wanted.

By 6pm Moscow time, all 18 arrested gay pride protesters had been released.

“Neither of the Moscow Gay Pride lead organisers, Nikolai Alekseev nor Nikolai Baev, were arrested. Mr Alekseev did not participate in the protests, as he has a bad leg injury from a fall as he left Moscow TV studios on Thursday night,” said Mr Tatchell.

From a press release:  Moscow – May 27, 2011

Moscow Gay Pride Parade 2011

1 PM, Saturday, May 28, The Kremlin, at the gates to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Alexandersky Gardens.

1:30 PM, march to Moscow City Hall, Tverskaya Street.

U.S. LGBT rights campaigner Andy Thayer and British human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell will join tomorrow’s banned Moscow Gay Pride parade, in solidarity with Russia’s belagured lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“We expect to bashed by neo-Nazis who have promised to attack the parade,” warned Mr. Tatchell.  “The Moscow police are refusing to protect us. The possibility of sustaining serious injuries is a worry. Russian neo-Nazis have previously murdered other protesters. The police have vowed to arrest us. In particular, the Russian marchers are likely to suffer harsh treatment and punishment.”

Andy Thayer from the Gay Liberation Network in Chicago, said, “We call on President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton to speak out forcefully and publicly now, before there is bloodshed in downtown Moscow.  History will record whether or not they were silent before this possibly happens, and silence is complicity.  The Russian authorities, by refusing to permit, let alone protect, Pride protesters excising their rights guaranteed under the Russian constitution, have already have already shown their contempt for their own laws.  The remaining question is whether the Obama administration will echo this contempt.”

“We are afraid but not afraid,” said Tatchell. “Despite the risks to us personally, the human rights of gay Russians must be defended. By defying this ban, we are defending the right of all Russians to freedom of expression and peaceful protest. We express our support for every Russian person whose right to protest has been denied. As well as defending gay human rights, we defend the human rights of all Russia’s minorities, including Jewish, Black, Roma, Asian and Muslim people.”

Actor Sir Ian McKellen and pop singer Jimmy Sommerville have sent messages of support to Moscow Gay Pride, strongly criticising the Mayor of Moscow for banning the parade.

The Council of Europe’s Secretary-General and Commissioner for Human Rights, respectively Thorbjorn Jagland and Thomas Hammarberg, have both condemned the ban on Moscow Gay Pride.

“There will be attempts to remove Russia’s voting rights in the Council of Europe if the march is banned and the participants are arrested, since the European Court of Human Rights has already ruled that the ban is illegal and that Russia must allow Moscow Gay Pride to proceed,” said Mr Tatchell.

See this Background Briefing on Moscow Gay Pride:

http://www.petertatchell.net/international/russia/moscow-mayor-bans-gay-pride-parade-again.htm

Yesterday I landed at Domodedovo airport to participate in the “illegal” Moscow Pride, banned by the Russian authorities, but nonetheless going forward under the leadership of GayRussia at 12 noon this Saturday, May 28.

Despite a decision last fall by the European Court of Human Rights that the Russian government’s bans of previous Pride events were in violation of the Russian Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of assembly, Moscow authorities have again banned Moscow Pride this year.

They have cited their alleged inability to provide security for the non-violent Pride demonstrators as the reason for the ban.  Participants in the first two Moscow Pride events, in 2006 and 2007, faced violence from neo-fascist counter-demonstrators and arrests by the police.

In 2008 and 2009, the fascists were hoodwinked into going to the wrong location, but Pride participants were nonetheless arrested, including me, at my first Moscow Pride in 2009.  In 2010 there were no arrests, as GayRussia Pride organizers (www.gayrussia.eu) used subterfuge and a “flash mob” approach to elude both fascists and the police.

The Russian authorities apparently have the power to provide security for innumerable visiting heads of state, including President Obama, but not for their own citizens when they avail themselves of a right guaranteed by the Russian Constitution.  It is stupid of the representatives of the second or third greatest military power in the world to claim that they are incapable of providing adequate protection for non-violent Moscow Pride participants.

This year, in light of the landmark European Court of Human Rights decision, GayRussia organizers have vowed that they will return to their early practice of publicly announcing the time and location of the Pride event in the center of Moscow.

It is testimony to the courage of GayRussia organizers that they have chosen to go forward with Moscow Pride, despite the authorities’ illegal ban on Pride and the lack of every legal protection for Russian LGBTs – of their jobs and housing, for example.  The European Court has said that Russian LGBTs have the right to assemble, but this remains a paper decision with no impact.

GayRussia’s decision to go forward with Pride is very reminiscent of the heroic decision 50 years ago this year by Civil Rights activists in the U.S. to launch the Freedom Rides to test the federal ban on segregated transportation facilities.   Then and today, while high court decisions remain toothless, direct action is required to ensure that rights are won in reality.  This is a lesson that advocates of civil rights around the world can learn from.

Please call the Russian embassy in Washington, DC — (202) 338-3263 or (202) 232-5988 — to protest their decision to ban Pride, and to demand that they ensure the safety of Pride recipients.

I will be blogging from Moscow over the next few days, will participate in Saturday’s Pride demonstration, and am scheduled to return to the United States on Monday, May 30.  I want to thank all my friends in the Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network for supporting my participation in this very important event.

“Some members of the Gay Liberation Network demonstrated in front of Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday, February 13, protesting against Catholic Church teaching on the immorality of homosexual genital relations and opposition to so called ‘gay marriage.’

“These are deeply felt issues, because they speak to the personal identity of some and to the religious beliefs of others.

“No matter the issue, Catholics should be able to worship in peace, without fear of harassment. An open display of prejudice against the Catholic Church because of resentment of Church teachings prejudices civil discourse in our society.”  (http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=9245)

GLN responds:

1)     That the Cardinal feels that our protest yesterday — a peaceful expression of 1st Amendment rights — constitutes “harassment,” shows his contempt for the free expression of opinions which is a necessary component of democracy.

The fact that the Cardinal and the rest of the Catholic leadership is at odds with the overwhelming majority of Catholic lay opinion on issues such as equal marriage rights for gays, equal rights for women, contraceptive use, and many other issues, also demonstrates the Cardinal’s contempt for democracy within the Church.

2)    The Cardinal lies by saying that our protest was “against the Catholic Church.”  As repeated several times in written GLN statements prior to the protest, a handbill distributed at the protest, and in our public comments during the course of the protest, our protest was against the leadership of the Catholic church and not the Catholic laity, a majority of whom support equal rights for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people.

Cardinal George, while opposing our legal equality, attempts to “play the victim” by falsely claiming that we oppose the Catholic Church in general, rather than its anti-equal rights leadership.  It is he who is taking away people’s rights, opposing equal rights legislation, rather than us as we exercised our 1st Amendment rights.

3)    The Cardinal as head of a tax-exempt organization apparently believes that he should have the right to lobby against gay rights in Springfield and give anti-gay statements from his church pulpit, but that tax payers who are for gay rights should be prohibited from protesting on a public sidewalk outside of his church.  Apparently his ideas carry so little intellectual weight that they cannot withstand public debate.

and,

4)    We are intrigued that Cardinal George feels that he has a particular expertise to comment regarding “homosexual genital relations,” particularly since he and his colleagues ostensibly lack first-hand knowledge of same.  Please correct us if we are mistaken regarding your qualifications to comment on this issue, or any “genital relations” for that matter.

In an important victory for LGBT rights activists and for civil liberties in general, on Tuesday the top legal official for the City of Chicago sent the American Civil Liberties Union a letter saying they would not arrest protesters at a forthcoming February 13th Gay Liberation Network (GLN) protest for violation of an ordinance which bans most picketing of religious institutions immediately before, during or after religious services are being conducted.

After a similar protest last year in front of Holy Name Cathedral, the right wing blogisphere lit up with complaints that the GLN protest violated 8-4-010(j) of the Chicago Municipal Code, demanding criminal prosecution of the protesters by the City of Chicago.

Knowing that rightwing activists might try to make good on last year’s threats at this year’s Freedom to Marry Protest, and that the City had threatened arrests of anti-Church of Scientology activists a few months ago, earlier this month GLN organizers contacted the Illinois Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union for legal advice.  The ACLU last Friday wrote a letter to Police Superintendent Jody Weis, CPD General Counsel Debra Kirby, Corporation Counsel Mara Georges and18th District Commander Kenneth Angarone, informing the City of the forthcoming protest and directly asking if they intended to enforce the controversial ordinance.  The City’s response from Corporation Counsel Georges was unusual in its rapidity and in diametric contrast to its usual hard-line stance against protesters.

The Gay Liberation Network is glad that cooler heads have prevailed at the City and that the February 13th protest will go forward without unnecessary threats of arrest to the participants.  We especially want to thank Harvey Grossman and Adam Schwartz of the American Civil Liberties Union for their intercession on our behalf.

The significance of this development can be boiled down to three main points:

1)  For the City of Chicago to decide not to enforce this ordinance is a tacit admission that the law is an unconstitutional infringement on the free speech of those who oppose religious leaderships;

2)  This is a victory for all who value free speech and are opposed to the rapid erosion of civil liberties that we have seen under the Obama and Bush administrations, and the attacks on such rights carried out locally by Patrick Fitzgerald and outgoing Mayor Daley.

and,

3)  This is a victory for LGBT rights advocates and secularists opposed to the privileged position that religious speech is often given over LGBT rights advocacy and other valuable speech.

Our 10:30 AM, Sunday, February 13th protest in front of Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State Street, is a direct response to Chicago Cardinal George’s recent high-profile lobbying against the soon to be implemented Illinois Civil Unions law.

The leadership of the Catholic Church has opposed every LGBT rights measure ever proposed in this state – whether for equal employment, housing, access to public accommodations or marriage.  We find it galling that heretofore they, as a non-tax paying entity receiving millions of tax dollars for its social service agencies, received special rights against those attempting to exercise our 1st Amendment right to protest.  The City’s refusal to enforce this unconstitutional ordinance against most picketing of religious institutions is a welcome victory for LGBT rights and civil liberties in general.

The February 13th protest will focus on three demands:

*** Oppose the anti-LGBT bigotry of the Catholic hierarchy; support the many pro-equal rights Catholics organizing for change within the denomination

*** Demand full equal marriage rights in Illinois

*** Demand that tax dollars no longer go to tax-exempt religious groups that refuse to commit to equal rights for LGBT people.

For more information about the February 13th protest, email the Gay Liberation Network at LGBTliberation@aol.com

“No one has the right to change marriage,” he says.

Funny, women used to be property in marriage, and yet people changed the institution for the better.  And mixed race couples couldn’t marry, and people changed the institution for the better.

And why does someone have a “right” NOT to change marriage?

Help us “welcome” Cardinal George back to Chicago with a Freedom to Marry Day protest, 10:30 AM, Sunday, Feb. 13, in front of Holy Name Cathedral, 735 N. State Street.  Protest sponsored by the Gay Liberation Network (www.gayliberation.net)

Read more

Capleton

Please THANK “Kinetic Playground” Nightclub for Doing the Right Thing!

CHICAGO — Through a series of negotiations this week and last and with the threat of a demonstration, Gay Liberation Network (GLN) and other community activists were successful in persuading management at  Kinetic Playground nightclub, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, to cancel “Kill Gays” dancehall performer Capleton for a show originally scheduled for late this Saturday night, October 9th.

In human rights circles, Capleton’s Jamaica has one of the worst reputations for anti-LGBT mob violence in the hemisphere, with Jamaican police openly tolerating it.  In 2004 the country’s leading gay rights campaigner, Brian Williamson, was stabbed multiple times in an apparent anti-gay hate murder. The constant threat of violence has forced other gay rights campaigners to flee the country.

Capleton is one of a small group of Jamaican performers who have gained international notoriety for openly calling for the murder of lesbians and gays in the lyrics of their songs.  As recently as last December at a concert in Jamaica, Capleton called out congratulations from the stage to those who commit violence — “All who a bun battyman and sodomite, hand up!” (“All who have burned queers and sodomites, put your hands up!”).

We are big supporters of free speech, having had our own threatened on numerous occasions.  But only a fool would say that calls to lynch people – whoever the targets – is “free speech,” any more than is yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. Nor is Capleton’s right to spew hate from the stage compromised by GLN’s right to protest his presence on that stage. He has a right, within limits, to say what he pleases; he has no right to the stage he wants to say it from, it doesn’t belong to him.

The cancellation of Capleton is a victory that all human rights supporters should savor.  The Gay Liberation Network, which initiated the campaign against Capleton in Chicago, commends Kinetic Playground management for putting human rights principles above dollars by canceling the show.

Please put an exclamation point on this victory by buying a drink or two this Saturday night at Kinetic Playground, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, so that the management and staff there know that Chicago is willing to stand behind those who follow their conscience.

2009 was a tough year. Major setbacks in marriage equality, corrupt banks, derailed health care reform, and little support for gay rights from President Obama left millions of Americans asking where’s the hope?

And now in Federal Courts in California, a showdown on gay marriage is underway. Is it doomed like the vote for gay marriage in Maine?

Chicago gay rights activist Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network joins us with some bold solutions to our biggest problems. Plus, he’s got breaking news on Boystown most corrupt cop- Officer Fiorito.

Sources inside the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez leaked to Andy that Ms. Alvarez will not prosecute the creep for framing gay people with false DUI charges just to rake in overtime to pad his big fat pockets.

Also- Sarah Palin gets a job as a commentator on Fox, surprising no one.

The incredible shrinking gay journalist.

A real-life Mrs. Robinson, Tranny Neanderthals and Mr. Gay China.

Please donate to the development of the Feast of Fun iPhone app! Like many news and podcasting apps, the Feast of Fun app will allow people to quickly access all the fabulous shows and content on FOF with their iPhone. You’ll be able to interact with the site by submitting you own content, like comments or blog entries, directly from an iPhones.

Please nominate us in the 2010 Weblogs Awards for Best GLBT Blog and Best Community Blog. You have to scroll to the right on the website to vote, but it’s really easy to do and we would really appreciate your vote.

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Andy is leading this weekend’s demonstration against the Defense of Marriage Act. Will President Elect Obama repeal this awful measure?

President to be Obama seems to speak from both sides of his mouth about gay marriage and we wonder what are Obama’s true feelings on marriage equality.

Listen as we talk with Andy about politics, Blajovichian tactics, the fear of addressing the Middle East conflict, the bad economy and whether we hold Obama to too high of a standard.

A hostile letter to gay bars in Seattle Washington threatening to poison their guests with ricin sounds like it was written by a cheesy batman super villain. Was the author Catwoman or a pissed off gay man? We think it may be a Catwoman wannabe so Fausto does his best Eartha to read the man’s letter on today’s show.

An Australian court uses gay prison rape as a threat to a young driver if he does not stop speeding “You’ll find big, ugly, hairy strong men (in jail) who’ve got faces only a mother could love that will pay a lot of attention to you — and your anatomy… you’ll get to shower with the gorillas in the mist down at Long Bay jail.”

Gu Gu the panda fights back. Gu Gu attacked a visitor who jumped the barrier to retrieve a toy dropped by his five year old son and bit the man’s legs and refused to let go. The zookeeper had to pry his jaws open with tools to free the father. Just last year Gu Gu attacked a man who tried to give him a hug. The lesson here is simple, do not portend to mess with the panda.

And woes on snow, Austrian farmers are making money selling snow to German Ski Resorts. Even though Europe is as cold as hell right now, they aren’t getting enough snow at some resorts so they have to actually import snow for their ski trails.

Your tool to surviving the downturn in the economy- Feast of Fools.

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How far have we come in creating laws to protect queer folks from violent crimes?

On today’s show we’ve got Wayne Besen- best known for Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a tell-all book about the deceptive practices behind ex-gay groups and Andy Thayer from the Gay Liberation Network.

Wayne will be speaking in Chicago this Saturday Sept 27th for the 10th annual Matthew Shepard March protesting the murder of Matthew Shepard and all victims of hate violence. The rally starts at 8pm on the corner of Roscoe and Halsted followed by a march through the neighborhood.

The controversial induction of Fundamentalist Radio personality James Dobson into the Museum of Broadcast Communication’s Hall of Fame has a lot of people up in arms. Why would they ask him of all people? Is this just a cry for help from antiquated institution that isn’t even relevant anymore to secure money or is something else going on here?

Check out Dump Dobson to learn how you can protest against Dobson’s inclusion into the Hall of Fame.

Is the Bush administration a shop-o-holic? The chilly reception to the 700 billion dollar bailout and a deficit out of control shows us a Republican party struggling to handle their obsession with spending. Will somebody please hire Washington a therapist or get them to find a hobby other than spending money.

Mama’s Milk Ice Cream? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are putting pressure on the Vermont Ice Cream company Ben and Jerry’s to substitute human breast milk instead of cow milk in their ice cream.

The demand comes in the wake of news reports of a Swiss Restaurant which uses cows milk in three quarters of all the dairy products it serves. How about a Moma’s Mounds blizzard sundae?

Listen to today’s show as we talk about these topics and more. What’s the big deal over celebrities in glass closets and what happens if Obama wins the U.S. Presidenital Election. Will Obama solve all our problems?

Vote baby vote- Feast of Fools.

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