Michael Lucas is Done With Russia

A couple of weeks ago, Russian authorities arrested Nikolai Alexeyev at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. He was about to board a plane to visit his boyfriend in Geneva, Switzerland. For most of us, that’s not such an unusual thing to do. But Nikolay is the best known and, probably at this point, the only committed gay activist in Russia. And that makes him an enemy of the state in this brutal, hypocritical country. At the airport he was dragged away by police, arrested and thrown in jail for three drugged days of sleep deprivation, insults, and brutalization.

Nikolay is relentless. For years, he has tried to organize gay pride marches in Moscow — and for years, he has been frustrated. There have never been more than 30 people at these marches. And the few who do participate regularly get beaten up by thuggish homophobes while the police stand by, amused.

The comments I read on Russian websites who reported Nikolai’s arrest were terrifying: “This ugly retard faggot should be shot dead.” “This slut should be put against a wall and shot in the head.” “These sick creatures should all be exterminated.” “Hitler should have killed them all.” “I wish they will all die from AIDS.” As usual, the Russian people aren’t just satisfied with asking for somebody’s death; they also feel they have to specify the method.

There is a deep cruel streak running through the Russian soul. Russians are incredibly nationalistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and anti everything that’s not exactly like the mainstream. I have experienced this firsthand. I grew up Jewish and gay in Russia. And I was mercilessly bullied for both.