Comedians Build Gay Bar on Russian Soil (Sort Of)

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Comedians Build Gay Bar on Russian Soil (Sort Of)
Simon Gardenfors and Frej Larsson have devised a unique way to protest Russia's 'gay propaganda' laws.
 Daniel Reynolds
          
          Sep 16, 2015
          
        
Daniel Reynolds
Daniel Reynolds is the editor of social media for The Advocate. A native of New Jersey, he writes about entertainment, health, and politics.
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Two Swedish comedians are taking a stand-up against antigay Russian legislation.
Simon Gardenfors and Frej Larsson constructed a makeshift gay bar in a Russian-owned area of Finland last weekend, reports the Associated Press.
Located near the village of Saltvik by the Baltic Sea, the building is inspired by the Blue Oyster Bar, a fictional gay bar from the 1984 film Police Academy (see below).
The goal, says the comedians, is to protest Russia's so-called "gay propaganda" laws, which prohibit public LGBT demonstrations.
Larsson and Gardenfors are also known internationally as musicians, as they rap together in the group Far & Son.
The local Russian consul has filed a complaint with local authorities, who are investigating what they term "some kind of construction."

        
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Comedians Build Gay Bar on Russian Soil (Sort Of)

Simon Gardenfors and Frej Larsson have devised a unique way to protest Russia's 'gay propaganda' laws.

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Comedians Build Gay Bar on Russian Soil (Sort Of)

Simon Gardenfors and Frej Larsson have devised a unique way to protest Russia's 'gay propaganda' laws.

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

Judge Ana Reyes gave the Department of Justice one week to respond to the plaintiff's scheduling request.

The Loy Norrix High School student says the school district did nothing to protect them or investigate claims they were being assaulted and harassed.

NYU Langone ceased its trans health program for youth two weeks prior.

Opinion: When war is preached as a moral mission, the line between fighting extremism and reproducing it begins to disappear.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

The Texas Republican championed a federal ban on Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care for minors.

Advocates warn that the proposals targeting employment protections, health care, marriage equality, and Pride displays could reshape life for LGBTQ+ Tennesseans.

"I don't know that we'll have time for you to respond because I'm giving you a performance evaluation here," Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, told the DHS secretary.

The Austin lawmaker advances to November's election as a pro-LGBTQ+ equality Democrat.

Jill Collen Jefferson, the founder of JULIAN, explains what happens when a transgender woman’s death is ruled a suicide and a community calls it something else.

The Beatles star revealed that Yoko Ono once suggested her husband was gay.