The Brutal, Bloody Horror of Gay Life in Putin’s Russia
By Mark Joseph Stern
Ever since virulently homophobic Russian President Vladimir Putin pushed through a law effectively outlawing openly gay people, the countrys LGBTQ community has, predictably, been plagued by violence. Now
a study published in Harvard Universitys Health and Human Rights journal confirms what
myriad horrific anecdotes suggest: Gay people in Russia are being beaten, raped, and murdered at record ratesand the government is doing little to stop it.
The issue of violence against gays in Russia is, of course, nothing new. Before the passage of the new federal measure, several regional governments passed identical laws, stripping gay citizens of legal rights and human dignity. More than half of Russian gays reported psychological abuse, while 16 percent experienced physical assault, and 7 percent were raped. Yet 77 percent also reported complete distrust of the police, leaving most anti-gay crimes unreported.
Putins law has only darkened this already bleak picture. By putting the governments stamp of approval on rampant Russian homophobia, Putin effectively declared opened season on gay people. As the Harvard study notes, violence against gays in Russia isnt considered violence at all; rather, its thought of as a way for young males to prove their own heterosexualitywhile simultaneously cleansing society of an aberrant, pedophilic community.
Thats the motivation behind groups like Occupy Pedophilia, which lure in gay teens through social media in order to
publicly humiliate them by beating them with sex toys or forcing them to drink urine. The guerrilla group claims that its ultimate goal is to cure gay people of their orientationechoing the Russian health ministers statement that homosexuality is often a mental illness. Concerned by the violence, one Russian citizen sent 70 appeals to law enforcement agencies, asking them to investigate the attacks. Every request was refused.
more
http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/01/30/gay_russia_under_putin_brutal_bloody_and_horrifying.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content&mc_cid=f2102e4ff3&mc_eid=7a8b58c8c3