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)
