Russian lesbians stage selfie kiss plane protest (in front of architect of Russia’s anti-gay laws)

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian



Two lesbian activists found themselves sitting in the row in front of Vitaly Milonov, the architect of Russian’s anti-gay laws, on a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg.

So the women took a selfie of themselves kissing to protest against his anti-gay policies, featuring the sleeping politician in the background. The image went viral after they posted it on Instagram.

One of the women, identified on social media as Kseniya Infinity, wrote: “Who’s that in the background??? MILONOV! And we don’t give a f***! We’re flying to our favourite club, Infinity.”

The selfie-kiss protest comes as Milonov is drafting a bill in the Kremlin to close a loophole that has allowed same-sex couples to marry in Russia.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/03/russian-lesbians-selfie-kiss-plane-protest-vitaly-milonov

[Orsino]

1. With a teetering regime clutching at power, this is a timely protest.

A brave one, too, as Putin still seems resperate for distractions like war and gay-hate.

[happyslug]

7. Do you know Homosexual activity is NOT illegal in Russia???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Russia

Although same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults in private was decriminalized in 1993,[1] same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the legal protections available to opposite-sex couples and there are currently no laws prohibiting discrimination regarding sexual orientation. Transsexuals are allowed to change their legal gender following sex reassignment surgery, however, there are currently no laws prohibiting discrimination regarding gender identity or expression and recent laws have been referred to as discriminatory against transsexual residents.

Thus kissing by lesbians is legal in Russia.

AS to equal rights, Woman's rights are limited in Russia:

Most of the nominal state benefit programs for women continued into the post-Soviet era. However, as in the Soviet era, Russian women in the 1990s predominated in economic sectors where pay is low, and they continued to receive less pay than men for comparable positions. In 1995 men in health care earned an average of 50 percent more than women in that field, and male engineers received an average of 40 percent more than their female colleagues. Despite that, on average, women were better educated than men, women remained in the minority in senior management positions. In the later Soviet era, women's wages averaged 70 percent of men's; by 1995 the figure was 40 percent, according to the Moscow-based Center for Gender Studies. According to a 1996 report, 87 percent of employed urban Russians earning less than 100,000 rubles a month were women, and the percentage of women decreased consistently in the higher wage categories.

According to reports, women generally are the first to be fired, and they face other forms of on-the-job discrimination as well. Struggling companies often fire women to avoid paying child care benefits or granting maternity leave, as the law still requires. In 1995 women constituted an estimated 70 percent of Russia's unemployed, and as much as 90 percent in some areas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Russia#The_Rights_and_Expectations_of_Women

On the UN's "Gender Inequality Index" for 2014 Russia is the 57th least inequitable country. The Index has some problems. For example in 2014 the US was the fourth least inequitable country, but in 2013 it was the 47th least inequitable country but there was no major change between the two years. Thus it is a "bad" index, but it is the best we have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_Inequality_Index

My point is homosexual activity in Russia is not subject to any laws, other people are also NOT subject to. They have no protection against discrimination, but in reality neither do women.

As to racial discrimination, 80% of Russians are of the Russian ethnic group, followed by Tartars at 3.9% of the population (concentrated in the Caucasus) and Ukrainians at 1.74%. Under former Soviet Rules if your parents were of two different nationalities, you had to pick one when you turned 18, most opt to be Russian for as a Russian you could go further then if you were another nationality. Thus a lot of "Ethnic" Russians are of mixed descent but the prejudice for RUSSIANS still exists (and it is more prejudice FOR other Russians then prejudice against other ethnic groups).

I bring this up for much of what you hear out of Russia are people protesting against this pro Russian and pro-Moscow pro-Orthodox church, prejudice then against out right prejudice against people. Thus homosexuality is NOT illegal, but it is also "disfavored" and people who are NOT homosexuals are favored over homosexuals.

Yes, Homosexuals are attacked in Russia, but they are also attacked in the US, In both countries there is no policy to support such attacks (and such attacks are illegal in BOTH COUNTRIES). You have American Politicians attacking Homosexuals, but no one is saying they are setting policy. In Russia it is the same, politicians are attacking homosexuals but those same politicians are NOT setting policy.

The rules that have been passed in Russia deal with teenages and homosexuality. Russia has adopted a policy that "recruiting" teens are homosexuals is a crime. Once adults those laws no longer apply. The US has similar laws as to sex with young teens, the Catholic Church is paying a lot of money for violations of those laws. In the US the tendency is to handle such "Recruitments" as civil damages to the teen (thus the lawsuits against the Catholic Church), while in Russia Civil Lawsuits are considered inadequate and thus Criminal laws were passed (and in the US, some Catholic Priests were convicted under similar laws when it came to having sex with 12 to 14 years old males).

Lets understand the law that is being protested, right now Homosexuality is NOT criminal in Russia and has not been since 1993 (and that is BEFORE the US Supreme Court ruled such laws violated the US Constitution, thus Russia beat the US in abolishing such laws). What is "Recruitment" can be a catch all and thus why it is being protested, but what these two women did was NOT illegal in Russia.

[Turborama]

8. Got any sources other than Wikipedia...? n/t

[happyslug]

9. Try the actual Crime Code of Russia???

http://www.russian-criminal-code.com/PartII/SectionVII/Chapter18.html

Chapter 18 of the Russian Crimes Code tracks US Laws on this subject:

Chapter 18. Crimes Against Sexual Inviolability and Sexual Freedom of the Person

Article 131. Rape

1. Rape, that is sexual relations with the use of violence or with the threat of its use against a victim or other persons, or in taking advantage of the victim's helpless condition,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of three to six years.

2. Rape:

a) committed repeatedly or by a person who has earlier committed violent sexual actions;
b) committed by a group of persons, a group of persons under a preliminary conspiracy, or an organized group;
c) connected with the threat of murder or the infliction of grave injury, or committed with especial cruelty towards the victim or to other persons;
d) entailing the infection of the victim with a venereal decease;
e) of an obvious juvenile,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of four to ten years.

3. Rape:

a) entailing, by negligence, the death of the victim;
b) entailing, by negligence, the infliction of grave injury to the victim, the infection of the victim with HIV, or other grave consequences;
c) of a victim who obviously has not attained 14 years of age,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of eight to 15 years.

Article 132. Violent Sexual Actions

1. Pederasty, lesbianism, or any other sexual actions with the use of violence or with the threat of its use against the victim or against other persons, or with the taking advantage of the helpless condition of the victim,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of three to six years.

2. The same deeds:
a) committed repeatedly or by a person who has committed rape previously;
b) committed by a group of persons, a group of persons under a preliminary conspiracy, or an organized group;
c) connected with the threat of murder or the infliction of grave injury, or committed with especial cruelty against the victim party or other persons;
d) entailing the infection of the victim with a venereal disease;
e) committed against an obvious juvenile,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of four to ten years.

3. Deeds specified in the first and second parts of this Article, if they:
a) have entailed, by negligence, the death of the victim;
b) have entailed, by negligence, the infliction of grave injury to the victim, the infection of the victim with HIV, or other grave consequences;
c) have been committed against a person who obviously has not attained 14 years of age,

shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of eight to 15 years.

Article 133. Compulsion to Perform Sexual Actions

Compulsion of a person to enter into illicit relations, pederasty, lesbianism, or the commission of other sexual actions by means of blackmail, threat of destruction, damage, or taking of property, or with the advantage of material or any other dependence of the victim,

shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of 200 to 300 minimum wages, or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of two to three months, or by corrective labour for a term of up to two years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to one year.

Article 134. Illicit Sexual Relations or Other Sexual Actions with a Person Who Has Not Attained 14 Years of Age

Illicit sexual relations, pederasty, or lesbianism, committed by a person who has attained 18 years of age with a person who obviously has not attained 14 years of age,
shall be punishable by restraint of liberty for a term of up to three years or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to four years.

Article 135. Depraved Actions

Commission of depraved actions without the use of violence, in relations to a person who obviously has not attained 14 years of age,

shall be punishable by a fine in the amount of 300 to 500 minimum wages, or in the amount of the wage or salary, or any other income of the convicted person for a period of three to five months, or by restraint of liberty for a term of up to two years, or by deprivation of liberty for a term of up to three years.

In simple details, sex with anyone below 14 is illegal (unless the perpetrator is below 18). In Prior acts this is where the laws against homosexual activity was located, it was removed and all that is illegal today is sex with someone below age 14 or the use of force, threat of the use of force or other method that clearly shows no agreement by the victim of agreeing to have sex. Homosexual activity in the form of pederasty and lesbians is mentioned but only as type of sexual activity that is illegal if someone is below age 14 or force.

[stevenleser]

18. See my #16, you are deliberately trying to mislead people. nt

[happyslug]

26. I am misleading for I am citing the law as WRITTEN???

Sorry, the law is quite clear. Now discrimination against Gays is LEGAL in Russia, I do not dispute that, but being gay is NOT ILLEGAL IN RUSSIA. Those are two different concepts and right now the discussion is one of being gay is illegal NOT that discrimination because someone is gay is legal.

Please cite where appearing to be gay is illegal, I gave the legal code of Russia and such laws do NOT exist in it.

[stevenleser]

27. Yes, because you deliberately leave out what the law actually means and does in practice. nt

[happyslug]

28. I have NOT read about anyone being prosecuted for being "Gay"

I have read about people being prosecuted for "Gay Propaganda" i.e. doing it out in public, almost always as an act of Political protest. Were these two women prosecuted? No, Will they be? Even the politician they were protesting does not believe so. The legislator involved talked about the time he participated in a raid where teenagers were in a Gay bar that catered to adults and the bar was shut down (as it would be in the US, if teens were involved). Yes, gay pride parades permits have been denied as has other gay gatherings, but that is NOT the same as going after Gays themselves.

You may dislike the line Russia has drawn, but even in the US we have drawn lines as to how far homosexual conduct will be permitted (See the Catholic Pedifile cases, very few if any of the victims said they were "Raped" or forced to have sex, they ended up "consenting" to the sex, but the States have all said such consent was NOT enough to avoid liability and in some cases this has lead to jail time for the priest who did the homosexual acts). These lines have to be drawn somewhere, or do you agree that anyone can consent to sex to anyone, no matter their age? or the Command Structure between the two or more people involved? We an argue over where the line is drawn, but the need for some line somewhere is clear.

[stevenleser]

29. LOL!

[7962]

30. So the 2 women would be breaking the law, according to your definition?

They're "doing it out in public" as you say

[happyslug]

32. Even the legislator involved did not think what they did was illegal

He called it foolish but not illegal.

[uhnope]

37. wow. Stunning defense of homophobic laws that have helped a wave of terror against gays

Russia: Putin's Neo-Nazis Kidnap and Torture 1,500 Transsexual and Gay People
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017232557

The climate of hate and oppression against gays in Russia is clear, and these laws (as well as statements by public figures) are major part.

[Jim Lane]

40. Wikipedia articles are usually based on cited sources.

Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that anyone can edit, but that doesn't mean that anyone can just write that there are no elephants in Africa and expect it to remain in the article. Especially on controversial topics that get a lot of attention, you can expect that there will be footnotes for many or all of the assertions in the article.

In this instance, the passage you query, from the introductory section of the Wikipedia article on "LGBT rights in Russia", is cited in Wikipedia to a report by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, made available on the website of UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency. This document, titled "Russia: Update to RUS13194 of 16 February 1993 on the treatment of homosexuals", supports the assertion that, under the Russian Federation criminal code, consensual anal intercourse between adult males was punishable until being decriminalized in 1993.

The same source says that lesbian relationships were never criminalized in the first place, so this is getting a little far afield from the subject of the OP. My main point is not about LGBT rights in Russia but about the use of Wikipedia as a source.

[Brickbat]

11. Hold the phone here.

Are you actually comparing Russia's "homosexual propaganda" law with child molestation?

The law is not about "recruiting," it's about "propaganda." Under the law, the definition of "propaganda" is vague enough that it is used to halt gay pride and human rights actions.

[stevenleser]

16. You beat me to it. That posters assertion, which is verbatim from Moscow and RT is misleading and

irrelevant.

The law does not make it illegal to be gay. It only makes it illegal for anyone to appear gay in any way.

Imagine the same thing for any other oft-discriminated-against group.

"Its not illegal to be a woman, its only illegal to appear to be female."

"Its not illegal to be Jewish, it's only illegal to appear as if you are Jewish"

As soon as you make those examples, it's obvious what the law is. The person to whom you responded can try to hide behind semantics, but honest people know what that law really means.

[Brickbat]

19. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Sickening to see it here.

[stevenleser]

23. Yes, completely F-d up to see it here.

[Brickbat]

33. Your willful ignorance is breathtaking.

Molesting is not propaganda. Propaganda is not molesting. People are arrested at gay bars under this law. Human rights actions are shut down.

[AtheistCrusader]

34. I'm a little surprised it was only 5-2.

I was expecting an orbital strike in response.




On Tue Feb 3, 2015, 03:14 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

The law as written is geared to Child Molestation
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1004833

REASON FOR ALERT

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate.

ALERTER'S COMMENTS

This guy. He's conflating a lot garbage and misrepresenting how homophobic the Russian law actually is. The Russian law is not about protecting children from molesters. It's simply homophobic. Thanks for your consideration.

JURY RESULTS

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Tue Feb 3, 2015, 03:22 PM, and the Jury voted 5-2 to HIDE IT.

Juror #1 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Poster is only giving his/ her opinion which is NOT clinical data.. .and...it's wrong information.. Offensive opinion.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: No explanation given
Juror #5 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE
Explanation: Factual, based on poster's personal experience. No reason to hide.
Juror #6 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: First the anti-vaxxers show up, and now the 'herp derp homo=pedo' crowd shows up. Wild and wooly week on DU.
Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: This DU, not Free Republic where this garbage is welcome. Hide this shit please!

[Brickbat]

35. "Factual, based on poster's personal experience."

Christ. Read closer, Juror #5.

Thanks for posting that, AC.

[AtheistCrusader]

36. Yeah, somewhere, Dick Cheney's ears perked up.

Something about someone torturing the word 'factual'.

[Behind the Aegis]

38. That wasn't ignorance, that was flat out bigotry.

I can't believe he was actually accusing gay men of being pedophiles. Are there some? Sure. But most child molestation cases are male-on-female, not "homo" ones.

Homophobia and heterosexism all rolled into one post!

[Brickbat]

39. That too.

It was disgusting.

[stevenleser]

2. I love it. Milonov is a bigoted @$$ as is most of the Russian government.

&$@! Milonov and Putin and the horse they rode in on.

[William769]

3. Great! I just hope they are not sent to Siberia now.

[happyslug]

10. For what crime????

Homosexuality is NOT illegal in Russia and that has been the law since 1993. Russia has laws regarding "Recruiting" teenagers to be homosexauals, but that is NOT what is being done in this photo.

[stevenleser]

12. You recited the official line from Moscow and RT word for word. Brava. Too bad its not true.

And every LGBT organization in Russia will tell you that.

[Behind the Aegis]

15. Yup!

I have yet to see one poster, other than the one you responded to, claim homosexuality is against Russian law. Seems the concept of protest is not being "understood."

[Brickbat]

13. No, but it could be considered "propaganda" under the law.

[William769]

17. Be a lemming, that's your choice.

http://www.advocate.com/news/world-news/2013/12/04/russias-high-court-declares-gay-propaganda-ban-constitutional

[stevenleser]

20. I only wonder if that poster thinks they are fooling anyone?

If so, let me set them straight right now. They aren't.

[William769]

21. You are very good at that also.

You my friend, are a gem to the LGBTQ community.

[stevenleser]

24. Awww..

thank you Will!

[PeoViejo]

4. Milonov looks like the Archetype Wanker

Good for the Ladies.

[LuvNewcastle]

5. He obviously had a bowl placed on his head when

he had his hair cut. He looks like a common derelict, probably passed-out drunk.

[pampango]

6. Moscow Times: Anti-gay legislator dismisses them are 'crazy idiots'.

Russian Women Lock Lips to Shock Author of Anti-Gay 'Propaganda' Law


The airplane shot was uploaded by user "Kseniya Infinity," whose page promotes a "girls-only" club in St. Petersburg.

A snapshot of a pair of lesbian-rights activists smooching in front of anti-gay lawmaker Vitaly Milonov on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg has gone viral since it was uploaded to the VKontakte social network on Sunday.

Milonov confirmed the photo's authenticity to the FlashNord news agency, which focuses on northeast Russia. "These crazy idiots were so brave that after taking the photo they ran to the end of the plane, sat there and didn't even stick their necks out until the end of the flight," he was quoted as saying.

Milonov is well-known for his disregard for LGBT rights. He is the lawmaker who submitted the St. Petersburg legislation that served as a basis for Russia's controversial federal law prohibiting so-called "gay propaganda" among minors.

He made headlines in December for raiding a St. Petersburg gay club in a bid to find and detain any underage teens. The local squad of riot police that had accompanied Milonov detained a number of minors. "We found around 20 teenagers there that were practically having sex on the stage," the lawmaker told news agency BaltInfo at the time.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/russian-women-lock-lips-in-photo-with-anti-gay-lawmaker/515272.html

[Spitfire of ATJ]

14. That picture of the other two losing it is hilarious.

[Sunlei]

22. They could be killed, sent away or have thugs attack them anywhere they go. Even at McDonalds...

like what happened to Pussy Riot for just singing a song.

Attacked at McDonalds and paint dumped on them.

[alcibiades_mystery]

25. Kissin' ya Infinity?