Gay Rights Protest Will Be First of Its Kind in Russia

Well-known Russian gay rights activist Nicolas Alexeyev has received permission from authorities of the city of Tambov to hold a protest against a homophobic politician there. The protest will be the first officially sanctioned gay rights event to take place in Russia, the British news site PinkNews.co.uk reports.

To be held this Friday, the protest takes aim at regional governor Oleg Betin, who has said that "faggots should be torn apart [a]nd their pieces should be thrown in the wind," PinkNews.co.uk reports. Upon hearing those remarks, Alexeyev and his allies pushed for a criminal investigation into Betin, which prosecutors declined.

Alexeyev is now hoping to have a gay pride march in Tambov on October 18, and city authorities are considering granting permission for it, according to PinkNews.co.uk. Similar marches have been banned in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and the European Court of Human Rights is considering the cases.

"If the mayor of Tambov allows the gay pride we plan in his city on October 18, it will set an important precedent for all of us in Russia," Alexeyev told PinkNews.co.uk. (The Advocate)

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