Harvey Fierstein New York Times Op-Ed / Russia’s brutal crack down on gay rights

[telemann.livejournal.com]

A participant in the "kissing protests" was attacked and kicked in a recent Moscow protest*

In the Sunday edition, the New York Times published an Op Ed by New York City actor, playwright, and producer Harvey Fierstein condemning the Russian crackdown on gay rights; with an appeal to use the upcoming Winter Olympic games in Sochi as a platform to condemn the homophobic policies of President Putin and the Russian parliament.



Mr. Fierstein noted in his op-ed:

...just six months before Russia hosts the 2014 Winter Games, Mr. Putin signed a law allowing police officers to arrest tourists and foreign nationals they suspect of being homosexual, lesbian or “pro-gay” and detain them for up to 14 days. Contrary to what the International Olympic Committee says, the law could mean that any Olympic athlete, trainer, reporter, family member or fan who is gay — or suspected of being gay, or just accused of being gay — can go to jail.

Earlier in June, Mr. Putin signed yet another antigay bill, classifying “homosexual propaganda” as pornography. The law is broad and vague, so that any teacher who tells students that homosexuality is not evil, any parents who tell their child that homosexuality is normal, or anyone who makes pro-gay statements deemed accessible to someone underage is now subject to arrest and fines. Even a judge, lawyer or lawmaker cannot publicly argue for tolerance without the threat of punishment.

Mr. Fierstein pointed to a recent case of a 23 year old gay man murdered in Volograd. When the man stated he was gay, he was beaten, his body violated with beer bottles, his clothing set on fire, his head crushed with a rock and his genitals removed. The crime was so ghastly, it's an example of homophobia being described as the motivation of the attack (most Russian authorities deny there are such attacks).

Recalling how the world largely ignored Adolf Hitler's treatment of Jewish citizens during the 1936 Olympic Games in Munich, in addition to a call on the International Olympic Committee, and political leaders to vocalize their concerns about the curbing of human rights, there is also a movement to have Olympic atheletes condemn the Russian policies by wearing gay right emblems on their uniforms, and speaking out when ever it's possible. I don't know how effective such a campaign would be, some in Russia already seem to have persecution complex, reminiscent of the Soviet era, or the Politburo in China complaining about Western interference regarding civil rights within their own country. But the moral imperative to speak out against brute bigotry, and discrimination against an entire class of a country's citizens demands action.

Four Dutch nationals who were making a film on gay rights were recently arrested and interrogated by authorities for "promoting homosexual propaganda," which is the first known instance of the new law being implemented.

The original Op-Ed piece that ran in the New York Times.

Harvey Fierstein's Wikipedia entry.