Support The Moscow Times!

100 LGBT Activists Set Out for Russia's ‘City Without Gays’

AP Photo / Dmitry Lovetsky

Svetogorsk, Russia’s “city without gays,” is about to get a visit from 100 LGBT rights activists, according to the local news site 47news.ru.

The group hopes to stage two rallies, one in favor of legalizing samesex marriages, and another to protest remarks earlier this month by the city’s mayor, who declared Svetogorsk “gay-free,” following a scandal involving a local grocery store near a school selling bread apparently baked in the shape of penises.

Demonstrators plan to protest outside the mayor’s office.

Earlier this month, four LGBT activists visited Svetogorsk and took selfies around the city, in an effort to debunk Mayor Sergei Davydov’s claim that the city has no gays. In one photograph, the group posed in front of a colorful pedestal. Days later, city workers dismantled and removed the pedestal. Officials later said the demolition was planned weeks before.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more