Historically, Russia has been one of the most overtly homophobic countries in the world, and now it has the laws to support these ideologies. With the newly passed law banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors," it is now illegal to discuss homosexuality with anyone under the age of 18. While the law does not make homosexuality itself illegal, it forces queer Russian citizens into a closet, lest they should be accused of "homosexual propaganda." With its blurry lines and ambiguous wording, thousands live in fear on a daily basis that something they say or do might be interpreted as "propaganda" or "promotion" of LGBT rights.
As can be imagined, this has caused quite an uproar in the global LGBTQIA communities. Queer identifying individuals and their straight allies have held vigils, protests, and rallies, they've called for boycotts of the 2014 Olympic Games (to be held in Sochi, Russia), and they've been abuzz on social media sites to show their support for the Russian LGBT community. As with many such events, drag queens have paved the way in a lot of these cases, inspiring others to stand up and speak out against the oppression in Russia.
Here are 5 of the boldest moves that we've noticed queens making in response to Russia's anti-gay laws.
As can be imagined, this has caused quite an uproar in the global LGBTQIA communities. Queer identifying individuals and their straight allies have held vigils, protests, and rallies, they've called for boycotts of the 2014 Olympic Games (to be held in Sochi, Russia), and they've been abuzz on social media sites to show their support for the Russian LGBT community. As with many such events, drag queens have paved the way in a lot of these cases, inspiring others to stand up and speak out against the oppression in Russia.
Here are 5 of the boldest moves that we've noticed queens making in response to Russia's anti-gay laws.
#5: Drag queens "drag" putin around in an anti-putin rally (london, england)
In a demonstration to request that the British government pull out of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, these drag queens marched and rallied support from hundreds of other activists.
This queen is helping Putin serve fish for days!
Both make-up jobs done by this queen are absolutely gorgeous!
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#4: Ukranian drag superstar Verka Serduchka announces loss of contract with Russian television program Fueling Both Protests and Boycotts (Ukraine)
Last week Verka Serduchka - Ukrainian drag performer and runner-up of the international Eurovision Song Competition in 2007 - announced that he had lost a contract to appear on a popular Russian variety show "Saturday Night." The contract was canceled due to fear that the artist's appearance may in and of itself promote "nontraditional sexual relationships." The loss of the appearance by Serduchka (whose legal name out of drag is Andriji Danylko) has fueled protests and boycotts, and raised the level of awareness on these issues to new heights for Russia's closest neighbors.
Verka Serduchka's 2007 Eurovision performance:
Verka Serduchka's 2007 Eurovision performance:
#3: Russian Drag Queens Appear on "voice of Russia," the Russian government's international radio program (San Francisco, California - usa)
Although the anti-gay laws had yet to be passed in Russia as of the 2007 interview with Russian drag performers Maria Fallos and Suka Qweirdo, the homophobic tendencies within the Russian culture were certainly well present. During their interview they discuss not only their views on drag, but also the urgent need for tolerance of LGBT people in Russia. They discuss the differences between attitudes regarding queer identifying communities in Russia versus the much more liberal attitudes they found in their new home, San Francisco, California.
We applaud these two queens for speaking out about homophobia in Russia, but we give them a standing ovation for directly addressing the citizens of their own country with their plea for acceptance.
We applaud these two queens for speaking out about homophobia in Russia, but we give them a standing ovation for directly addressing the citizens of their own country with their plea for acceptance.
For the full interview (in Russian), check out these links: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Note: To adjust settings for translated subtitles: 1) Turn on Subtitles [they'll come up in Russian at first] 2) Select Translate Captions [found under Closed Caption menu] 3) Select language for translation
Note: To adjust settings for translated subtitles: 1) Turn on Subtitles [they'll come up in Russian at first] 2) Select Translate Captions [found under Closed Caption menu] 3) Select language for translation
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#2: German Drag Queen Sews Her Lips shut in protest of anti-gay laws (Berlin, Germany)
Last month Barbie Breakout, a drag performer from Germany, created a video entitled "Open Your Mouth" as a protest against the Anti-Gay Laws. The video shows Breakout looking at the camera and then silently sewing her lips shut with a needle and thread. The symbolic act quickly caught the attention of LGBT and ally communities around the world, gaining hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of weeks.
Disclaimer: this video is quite graphic!
Disclaimer: this video is quite graphic!
#1: Russian Film featuring drag performers becomes first gay themed film ever to be produced and aired in the country (moscow, russia)
| Despite the overt homophobia in Russia, it may still come as a shock that the first mainstream film ever produced and aired within the country did not get made until 2009. This film was entitled Veselchaki (or "Jolly Fellows," as it translates to in English) and featured prominent actors portraying drag queens who embark on a trip across the country to perform as their drag alter egos. The film is full of campy fun and lots of humor, but ultimately leaves the audience with a dark reminder of the potential results of homophobic tendencies, as the queens are met in the final moments of the movie with violence from a group of homophobic thugs. It is implied that the queens do not survive the fight. |  |
While this film was shelved several times and its production was put off for quite awhile due to concern over how audiences would receive it, it ultimately ended up being rather popular with Russian audiences. Furthermore, the press not only praised the film, but also took its subject matter very seriously, allowing for the beginnings of more open dialogue about acceptance and tolerance within the country.
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Left: Two stills from the film are shown above. The beautiful performance of "I Will Survive" in a small town in Russia (top image) serves to foreshadow the final statement made by the film, that survival is not guaranteed. The queens come to fully understand this in their final moments on the screen (bottom image). The queens stand in solidarity against a homophobic gang whom they're ultimately forced to fight. It is implied that the violent altercation ends in the death of the queens.
Right: Promotional poster used by cinemas around the world which showed the film with English subtitles.
Right: Promotional poster used by cinemas around the world which showed the film with English subtitles.
We thank all of these queens for their bravery and for helping to raise awareness about the rampant homophobia in Russia. Rome wasn't built in a day and the fight for equality and acceptance in Russia is still a long uphill battle. However, with more people like these queens, there is certainly hope for a much better, brighter, more fabulous future - not only in Russia, but all around the globe!
