Barbra Streisand has dropped an LGBT anthem, in a not-so-guarded F.U. to President Trump.
The legendary gay icon released her thirty-sixth studio album, Walls, on November 2.
The title of the record is a direct reference to the Trump administration’s border wall policy, and many of the tracks bear an overtly-political nature.
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Barbra Streisand speaks onstage at the women’s march in Los Angeles on January 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Emma McIntyre/Getty)
Speaking to Canadian outlet Maclean’s, Streisand confirmed the meaning behind the track.
She said: “He’s trying to divide our nation and the world. That’s what’s so scary. Diversity is proven to be our strength.
“To say people are how they are because of how they were born—it’s that thinking that is wrong. I believe different shouldn’t be judged by any other kind of meter.”
She added: “Statistically, in terms of genome studies, people have 99.9 percent of the same genetics. We are alike. We all want peace and happiness and family and love and understanding.”
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The track’s lyrics include: “Love’s always right/Love always knows the way/When some are just too blind to see the light/ You know what’s true/Be true to you/Be proud, be strong/‘Cause love’s never wrong.”
Streisand is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with more than 68.5 million albums in the US and a total of 150 million albums and singles sold worldwide.
Kramer had blamed Streisand for the lengthy delay in securing a screen adaptation of his theatrical AIDS crisis drama The Normal Heart, claiming production was held up because of creative conflicts with Streisand, who held the rights to the adaption.
Streisand accused Kramer of “misrepresenting” her feelings, saying: “As a filmmaker, I have always looked for new and exciting ways to do love scenes, whether they’re about heterosexuals or homosexuals.
“It’s a matter of taste, not gender. I was trying to reach a large audience, and I wanted them to root for these two men to get married.”
A film version of The Normal Heart was released in 2014 on HBO, 29 years after the play of the same name.
The Democratic Party hopes to paint Congress in blue at the midterm elections—but there is more than one colour in the spectrum of candidates hoping to win political office on November 6.
LGBT+ people are severely underrepresented across all levels of politics in the US. The 21 openly LGBT+ candidates running for the House of Representatives, the two in the run for Senate seats, and the four hoping to win their state’s gubernatorial race could be about to break barriers on November 6.
In a sign of the extreme political divide on LGBT+ issues, all 27 of the out LGBT+ candidates are Democrats, with no Republican candidates running for major political office publicly identifying as LGBT+.
University of North Carolina politics professor Andrew Reynolds, an expert on LGBT+ representation in politics, is however cautious in predicting widespread electoral success for the Rainbow Wave, telling PinkNews that “small increases” in LGBT+ representation are the most likely outcome.
For several LGBT+ candidates, their close-fought races continue to hang in the balance ahead of election day. PinkNews took a look at the most closely-watched races.
Tammy Baldwin (Senate, Wisconsin)
US Democratic Senator from Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay senator (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty)
The Human Rights Campaign notes that Vukmir “has repeatedly taken extreme positions far outside the mainstream,” and has derailed efforts to pass common sense protections for LGBT+ people in the state, including protections for LGBT+ youth facing discrimination and bullying at school.
Baldwin said: “As more members of the LGBTQ community are elected and become public servants, [our] voices will become louder.
“But for now, we must do everything we can to promote tolerance and fight discrimination. We have work to do until we achieve full acceptance and equality.”
An NBC News/Marist poll on October 3 has Baldwin with 54 percent of the vote, 14 points ahead of Vukmir on 40 percent.
Her opponent, Republican Martha McSally, has supported Trump’s ban on transgender troops in the military and backed ‘freedom to discriminate’ laws.
During her time in Congress, Sinema has co-sponsored the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to also ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Annise Parker of LGBTQ Victory Fund, a PAC seeking to support LGBT+ elected officials, said that this race is important ”not just for the Democratic party and for the LGBTQ community, but for all Americans who demand an end to the political divisiveness that Martha McSally embodies.”
She added that the result in the race will be a “defining moment” for the ‘Rainbow Wave,’ and will further “the evolution in how Americans view LGBTQ people and candidates.”
Polling shows the vote on a knife-edge. A CBS News/YouGov poll on October 5 showed Sinema leading McSally by 47 percent to 44, but a New York Times poll on October 19 showed her trailing by 46 percent to 48, firmly within the poll’s margin for error.
Kate Brown (Governor, Oregon)
Oregon Governor Kate Brown (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)
Victory Fund, which is backing Brown, praised her work to date in advancing legislation that improves the lives of LGBTQ veterans and trans people.
It added: “When she wins in November, Governor Kate Brown will remain a strong leader for equality and inclusion in Oregon, and that is why Victory Fund is thrilled to endorse her for reelection.”
Brown has a lead over lead over Republican Knute Buehler, with an OPB/DHM poll on October 11 showing her with 40 percent to Buehler’s 35.
Christine Hallquist (Governor, Vermont)
There are currently no transgender politicians in federal or statewide office across any of the 50 states, with the sole example of trans representation in American politics limited to Virginia lawmaker Danica Roem.
But Christine Hallquist, the Democratic candidate for Governor of Vermont, is hoping to change that.
If elected, Hallquist could become the first openly transgender politician in the US. She faces an uphill battle against incumbent Republican Governor Phil Scott, but Vermont has a reputation for picking outsiders—not least one Senator Bernie Sanders, who was first elected as an Independent in 2006 and was re-elected in 2012.
Speaking to The Hill, she said: “I told the campaign team right in the beginning that if we’re successful and the more successful we get, the more hatred, the more vitriol and more death threats would occur.
“I think it’s a natural outcome of where our country is today. We are a divided country… I land that squarely at the administration in Washington.
“I should tell you, it doesn’t scare me at all (…) We lay our lives on the line for a healthy democracy.”
An October 14 Braun Research poll had Scott on 42 percent of the vote, ahead of Hallquist on 28, with 22 percent still undecided.
But Democratic candidate Lupe Valdez has picked up momentum in her challenge against anti-LGBT Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, as the red state turns a deep shade of purple thanks to increased support for Democrats.
Her campaign could be buoyed by a surge in support for Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic challenger for the state’s Senate seat against incumbent Ted Cruz, who is up for election on the same day.
O’Rourke has led a fiery challenge against anti-LGBT Senator Cruz, with a surge in popular support bringing a competitiveness not generally seen in Texas races.
If elected, Valdez would become one of the first out LGBT+ official in Texas.
Speaking at a rally, Valdez said: “We’re going to make it happen. A stronger and fair Texas. A tolerant and diverse Texas. A Texas where the everyday person has a voice and a shot just as I did.”
Addressing the odds at the same event, she said: “Please tell me when I didn’t have an uphill battle… I am getting darn good at uphill battles, and I’m not done yet.”
A CNN poll on October 13 shows Valdez trailing Abbott by 18 points, with 39 percent of the vote to his 57 percent.
Jared Polis (Governor, Colorado)
Jared Polis in 2014 (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)
Polis has been one of the leading lights for LGBT+ rights in the House of Representatives, co-chairing the LGBT Equality Caucus and co-sponsoring the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which federally recognises anti-LGBT hate crimes.
He is now running to become governor of Colorado, and if successful would be the first openly gay man elected governor in the United States.
Polis said: “I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today.”
He faces Republican candidate Walker Stapleton.
Victory Fund praised the work of Polis in Congress, adding that he is “someone we can all count on to fight and win the tough battles.”
The organisation said: “Whether as an entrepreneur creating hundreds of jobs, a superintendent at a school for vulnerable kids, or a representative fighting on the front lines for LGBTQ equality, Jared’s entire career has been defined by turning bold ideas into real results for Americans from all walks of life.
“We will be proud to stand by him when he becomes the first openly gay person to be elected governor.”
A Magellan poll on October 10 showed Polis on 47 percent, seven points ahead of Stapleton on 40 percent.
Gina Ortiz Jones (House, Texas-23)
Jones is the Democratic candidate for Texas’s 23rd congressional district in the House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Will Hurd.
The Air Force veteran could become the first openly gay woman of colour from Texas elected to Congress.
Her opponent’s seat is one of the most vulnerable in Texas in the event of a Democratic surge, with Hurd having retained the seat in 2014 and 2016 by fewer than 3,000 votes—lower than the number of votes attracted by third-party candidates.
Hurd has a poor record on LGBT+ rights, scoring 48 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional scorecard.
Equality PAC Chair Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) said that Gina Ortiz Jones is “exactly the kind of candidate we need to gain a pro-equality majority in 2018.”
Takano explained: “Gina bravely served our country in uniform under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and knows first hand the corrosive effect of anti-LGBT policies.
“Her voice and perspective will be an invaluable addition to not just debates on equality, but military readiness, national security, health care policy, and all the myriad issues members of Congress face every day.”
New York Times polling on October 18 showed Ortiz Jones with 38 percent of the vote, trailing Hurd with 53 percent.
The political hopeful worked on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, before serving as a White House Fellow under President Barack Obama.
Yoder has a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign for his LGBT+ rights voting record, opposing same-sex marriage.
However, Davids has an uphill battle, given the district’s strong Republican leaning.
Victory Fund’s Parker said: “Sharice’s commitment to smart public policy that addresses the real concerns of constituents makes her the best candidate for Kansas’ 3rd congressional district. When she wins [in] November, Sharice will become a vital LGBTQ voice.”
A New York Times poll on October 17 shows Davids with a health lead in the race. She is on 48 points, ahead of Yoder on 39 percent.
Katie Hill (House, California-25)
Katie Hill (Katie Hill for Congress)
Homelessness charity boss Katie Hill is the Democratic candidate for California’s 25th congressional district in the House of Representatives.
Knight was behind a 2016 plot to pass a law permitting sweeping anti-LGBT discrimination in all federal agencies by attaching it to a defence spending bill.
He was accused of “catering to right wing extremists who would turn back the clock on equality” with the proposal to exempt religious contractors from anti-discrimination rules.
Annise Parker of Victory Fund said that the race is a key battle between a “positive, solutions-oriented vision” and the “politics of hate and destruction.”
Parker added: “Steve Knight and his family made careers out of attacking LGBTQ people and working to rollback equal rights. Now, voters have an opportunity to defeat him with an openly bisexual woman who has pledged to represent all her constituents.”
The Republican narrowly won the seat in 2014 and 2016, and polling shows the race is on a knife-edge between the two.
An October 4 UC Berkeley poll has Hill on 50 percent, ahead of Knight on 46 percent, but a New York Times/Siena poll on September 19 showed Knight with a two-point lead, on 47 percent to Hill’s 45.
The library did not immediately confirm whether the books—which included young adult novel Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan and illustrated LGBT+ history book This Day in June by Gayle Pitman—would be replaced following the incident.
Paul Dorr filmed himself burning Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
A Facebook fundraiser launched by Justin Scott, the Iowa state director of American Atheists, has crowdfunded $1,321 to help “fill the Orange City Library with even more books that celebrate the life experiences and contributions of LGBTQ+ people.”
Separate fundraisers on GoFundMe have raised a further $2,300 to supply LGBT+ books to libraries across the US after the incident, making a total of $3,621.
Scott said in a Facebook post: “I’m thinking Paul Dorr would have been better off keeping his homophobia and transphobia to himself.
“Look at the outpouring of support—from Christians, atheists and everyone in between—that the LGBTQ+ community has received as a result of his disgusting stunt.”
Paul Dorr burned Families, Families, Families! by Suzanne Lang.
Dorr has said he has no intention of paying for the books he destroyed. He has several weeks to pay a library fine, but could be charged with fifth-degree misdemeanour theft if he does not.
The charge comes with a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $625 fine.
In Dorr’s Facebook Live video, he said: “I cannot stand by and let the shameful adults at the Orange City Library Board bring the next group of little children into their foul, sexual reality without a firm resistance.”
Dorr expressed the belief that people become gay because of “the harm that adults did to you as children” and urges LGBT+ people to “walk away from your degeneracy… repent and turn back to Christ.”
The burning books
Levithan’s Two Boys Kissing was ranked as the fifth most-banned book during the American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week in 2016.
There have been renewed attacks on LGBT+ content in US public libraries in recent months.
In September, Rumford Public Library in Maine faced pressure to ban LGBT+ books including Two Boys Kissing from its display of frequently-banned books, after evangelicals claimed they were inappropriate for children.
After fleeing their homes to seek a new life in a more liberal country, refugees are often met with detention and a harsh immigration system.Three refugees, Alena Sandimirova, Edafe Okporo, and Ishalaa Ortega, spoke out about their experiences in a video for LGBT+ immigration non-profit Immigration Equality.
Alena Sandimirova
Alena Sandimirova, a lesbian who fled Russia to come to the US in 2009, explained: “I filed for asylum because I didn’t feel safe.
“Best case scenario in Russia, I would be living in the closet. You can’t hold hands, you can’t live your life out.
“It’s very dangerous, not just for yourself but for your friends and family.”
She added: “When I got asylum it was amazing. I felt protected, like in the future I will have a place to call home.”
Sandimirova is now a small business owner, working as a metal smith and a jewellery designer.
She said: “As of 2017, I’m a citizen of the United States. Coming here has allowed me to realise my full potential… and saved me from suicide.
“Refugees are some of the strongest people. Not only did they survive the country they came from, but they have the courage to learn the process, to speak up, to pursue.”
Ishalaa Ortega
Ishalaa Ortega, a transgender woman from Mexico, was a prominent spokesperson for LGBT+ rights in her state but was forced to flee the country after she was targeted by anti-LGBT politicians, and faced a wave of death threats.
She crossed the US border in 2013, and was initially sent to a detention facility.
Ortega explained: “It was very painful to be in prison when I was asking, yelling out for help. No-one would respond to me except Immigration Equality. I found this amazing organisation who stand by me through this journey.”
She eventually received her green card in 2018.
Ortega now works at a community health clinic as a case manager for people living with HIV.
She added: “We came to this country to contribute, we came to this country to help others too.”
Edafe Okporo
Edafe Okporo fled his native Nigeria after his high-profile work on LGBT+ issues led to mob violence and he was involved in a brutal beating.
He explained: “I won an award [in 2016] for grassroots advocacy for gay men to have access to healthcare services. Because of my work, it puts me in danger of persecution. That made me flee my country.”
Okporo flew to the US and sought asylum at the airport.
He said: “I told the immigration officer, ‘I fled because my life is in danger,’ and the officer told me I was going to a jail.”
Okporo was detained for five months, but was granted asylum in 2017.
He said: “I’ve been fighting to live freely as a gay man, and I felt like that was the point in my life where the tide turned around. Now I’m the director of a refugee shelter in New York City
“I am excited what will happen in the future, and I’m waiting for the day where I will become a US citizen.”
Immigration Equality Executive Director Aaron C. Morris said: “Immigration Equality’s asylee clients contribute so much to our communities.
“They are teachers, healthcare providers, artists, and activists. We as a nation should continue to embrace refugees and asylum seekers, not turn our backs on them when they need us most.
“This video highlights the dangers LGBTQ asylum seekers face in their countries of origin and shows why defending the asylum system is integral to keeping the United States a beacon of hope for people around the world.”
Homosexual men are being tortured with electric shocks and beaten to death in concentration camps in Chechnya. This is the first concentration camp for homosexuals since Hitler’s camps in 1930s.
Reports have emerged that 100 gay men were detained and three killed in these camps last week. Novaya Gazeta, a Russian newspaper known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian politics and social affairs, said that several camps have been set up in Chechnya where gay men have been forced to promise to leave the republic.
The report in Novaya Gazeta said that those arrested include well-known local television personalities and religious figures.
President Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, allegedly ordered the clampdown and is known to have previously encouraged extrajudicial killings of homosexual men as an alternative to law enforcement. Kadyrov claims that there are no gay men in the republic and denies the arrests ever took place. He described the allegations as ‘absolute lies and disinformation’. He, instead, claims that such people would be killed by their own families. In some cases, gay men in prison have been released early specifically to enable their murder by relatives.
In October 2017, the BBC had reported about a young Chechen man, Maxim Lapunov, who had escaped illegal detention and torture in Chechnya. He had described being held for 12 days in a blood-soaked cell, beaten with sticks, threatened and humiliated by the police. He was released only after his family members and friends started putting up missing posters around the Chechen capital and his family reported his disappearance.
MailOnline talked to Svetlana Zakharova, from the Russian LGBT Network, who said: “Gay people have been detained and rounded up and we are working to evacuate people from the camps and some have now left the region.”
“Those who have escaped said they are detained in the same room and people are kept together—around 30 or 40. They are tortured with electric currents and heavily beaten, sometimes to death.”
A prisoner who escaped told Novaya Gazeta that prisoners were beaten to force them to reveal other members of the gay community. Another said that before being incarcerated in one of the camps, he survived by bribing Chechen police thousands of rubles every month in order to survive. By creating these camps, the survivor said, the regime had taken another step against gays.
Alexander Artemyev, from Amnesty International in Russia, told MailOnline: “We can only call on the Russian authorities to investigate the allegations. Homosexuals in Chechnya are treated very harshly and prosecuted daily, and they are afraid to talk about it.”
Artemyev said homosexuals are forced to hide or leave the country. He said they were keeping in touch with the LGBT network that helps people in Russia find shelter. People there cannot talk to anyone about it as it puts them and those they speak to in danger.
Ekaterina Sokirianskaia, Russia project director for the International Crisis Group, told MailOnline: “The story is very much developing…victims are escaping.”
A brutal campaign against LGBT people has been sweeping through Chechnya, said Tanya Lokshina from Human Rights Watch in Moscow. The climate of fear is so overwhelming that people do not dare to speak to human rights monitors or journalists even anonymously, she said. “Filing an official complaint against local security officials is extremely dangerous, as retaliation by local authorities is practically inevitable,” she said.
“It is difficult to overstate just how vulnerable LGBT people are in Chechnya, where homophobia is intense and rampant. LGBT people are in danger not only of persecution by the authorities but also of falling victim to “honour killings” by their own relatives for tarnishing family honour,” she said.
Hong Kong has made spousal visas available to same-sex couples for the first time in the wake of a court ruling—but the government has firmly ruled out permitting same-sex marriage.
Hong Kong only recognises marriage as between a man and a woman, but the international business hub has come under pressure from employers and LGBT+ activists to respect the rights of same-sex couples.
A security guard stands at an entrance to the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong on July 4, 2018. (VIVEK PRAKASH/AFP/Getty)
In the wake of the ruling, the government has announced a revised policy that goes into effect this week. The new policy allows the recognition of same-sex unions for visa applications, but no other element of law.
The Hong Kong government confirmed: “From September 19, 2018, a person who has entered into a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, ‘same-sex marriage’, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union outside Hong Kong with an eligible sponsor in accordance with the local law in force of the place of celebration and with such status being legally and officially recognised by the local authorities of the place of celebration will become eligible to apply for a dependant visa/entry permit for entry into Hong Kong.”
LGBT activists in Hong Kong (Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty)A spokesman added: “As the [court] recognised in its judgment, a valid marriage under Hong Kong law is heterosexual and monogamous and is not a status open to couples of the same sex.
“The revision has nothing to do with legal recognition of same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, ‘same-sex marriage’, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union in Hong Kong. Nor should there be any expectation of such plan by the Government.
“The revision does not compromise the Government’s position in any legal proceedings.”
The government stressed: “The revision concerns the immigration policy on applications for entry of non-local dependants only and it does not affect the meaning of ‘spouse’ under this Policy. It does not affect any other policies of the Government or any other rights under the existing law in Hong Kong.”
A Republican Congressional candidate has defended voting against a ban on gay ‘cure’ therapy.
New Hampshire state lawmaker Steve Negron is the GOP candidate for the US House of Representatives in the state’s Second Congressional District.
Negron picked up the Republican nomination in a narrow primary vote on Tuesday, just weeks after he publicly defended voting against cross-party legislation to ban gay ‘cure’ therapy.
Steve Negron
The candidate was among Republicans to oppose the state’s recently-introduced law that bans the provision of conversion therapy to minors.
He was challenged over his vote in an interview with local TV station WMUR, as noted by Talking Points Memo.
In the interview, which took place last month, Negron was challenged about his vote on gay ‘cure’ therapy and appeared to defend the practise.
Negron said: “I did not vote for that [bill].
“I believe that’s something that, when you look at these young children that are trying to make a decision, and I remember when I was 15, 16 I was confused, I had a lot of options in my life.
“I think we need to be able to help them understand what it is, give them the right information, and let them get the treatment that they need to understand what the situation is.
“I think the parents have a huge role in that as well, and that’s why I think we should be able to help them.”
Steve Negron
He also reaffirmed his personal opposition to same-sex marriage, though he claimed gay couples in relationships should have “the same rights” as straight couples.
Negron said: “A union between two people is really not a federal issue for me. I have my own beliefs because I am a Catholic.
“For me, as a Catholic, marriage is very succinct at what it is, but for people that are in a relationship, they should have all the rights and privileges as anybody else.”
The New Hampshire Democratic Party said: “The Republican nominee in the Second Congressional District, Steve Negron, fought through the primary to appear more supportive of President Trump and his administration’s policy objectives than his opponents.
“His views, whether it’s about repealing the Affordable Care Act, building a border wall, or engaging in trade wars with our nation’s and our state’s closest allies, are morally reprehensible. He is wrong choice for New Hampshire.”
The district has been held by Democratic Rep. Ann Kuster since 2012.
Kuster, who held the seat by a four-point margin in 2016, is standing for re-election.
Messages had come to light in a Facebook group for parents of students, where several people had vented about Maddie being allowed to use the female bathroom.
Maddison Kleeman Rose (HBO/VICE News)v
They referred to the 12-year-old girl as “it,” “this thing,” “half baked maggot” and “the transgender,” and threatened to use a “good sharp knife” to slice her genitals. Another suggested: “Just tell the kids to kick [her] ass in the bathroom and it won’t want to come back!”
The girl has now spoken out in an interview with HBO’s Vice News, publicly identified for the first time as Maddison Kleeman Rose.
Her mother Brandy Jay Rose explained that Maddie had been living as female with no issue until the school pulled up old records that identified her as male.
She said: “Around the time that they found out that she is transgender, they called us and said that she’s no longer going to be allowed to use the girl’s bathroom, that she’s going to have to use a staff bathroom.”
Brandy Jay Rose (HBO/VICE News)
However, rumours quickly spread throughout the town about Maddie after the intervention – including an incident where Maddie was confronted about her gender by a “fully grown man” at a Daddy-Daughter dance.
The same man later posted the Facebook thread that led to the security incident.
Speaking to VICE News, Maddie put on a brave face.
The 12-year-old said: “I don’t care for it. I think it’s all stupid. The threats and that is stupid. Who would do that, to a 12-year-old?
“Everyone’s different. No-one’s the same. We’re all different and unique and special in our own way.
“Some of those adults out there do get it but don’t support it, and that’s their choice. They can be hateful and rude about it, but they ain’t dragging me down.”
Superintendent Rick Beene defended the school’s actions.
He said: “What do you say to a mother who says ‘I do not want my daughter in a restroom where somebody has… you know, is a different gender’?
“We have one side who says the transgender student is what they say they are, and that sounds good. You have another side, that is the majority, that says I do not want my child in a bathroom with someone of a different gender.”
The town’s mayor David Northcutt, who is openly gay, insisted that the community was changing and that “the day of running someone out of town is gone.” Addressing Maddie’s family leaving town, he said: “I was sad when I heard that.”
He added: “I can understand the want and need to be near her family, and I think that’s a goal that did nor originate in the last few weeks, and was a goal for some time. I hope that’s true.”
A protest in Berlin calling on Russian President to put an end to the persecution of gay men in Chechnya. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty)
A group of countries have triggered an international action against Russia over the homophobic purge in Chechnya.
Human rights monitors first reported in February 2017 that authorities in Chechnya – an autonomous region of Russia – were carrying out a homophobic purge.
Gay people in the region have faced arrest, torture and execution, but the Kremlin has consistently refused to intervene, even as Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov publicly stated that homosexuals are “not people” who should be removed to “purify” the blood of the region.The international community has been slow to respond to the situation, but action was today launched via the Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Russia is a member.
A protest in Berlin calling on Russian President to put an end to the persecution of gay men in Chechnya. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty)
15 states have signed a statement invoking the OSCE’s rarely-used Vienna Mechanism, which
The statement was signed by Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
It states: “Our countries continue to be deeply concerned about serious human rights violations and abuses in Chechnya.
“Numerous credible reports by media and civil society organizations over the past 20 months have alleged worrying actions taken by Chechen authorities against persons based on their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as human right defenders, lawyers, independent media, civil society organizations, and others.
“These actions include harassment and persecution, arbitrary or unlawful arrests or detention, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions. The Russian Federation’s apparent unwillingness or inability to address these serious human rights violations has contributed to a climate of impunity for authorities in Chechnya in perpetrating such violations.”
A protest in Berlin calling on Russian President to put an end to the persecution of gay men in Chechnya. (JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty)
It adds: “Our delegations, as well as many others at the Permanent Council, have repeatedly raised concerns about these violations over the past 20 months.
“The Russian Federation’s response has been inadequate. Therefore, our countries are today invoking Russia’s commitments under the Vienna (Human Dimension) Mechanism to respond to our concerns.”
It adds: “Our countries have raised well-documented accounts that suggest that Chechen authorities have been involved in arresting, detaining, torturing and killing people based on their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as in suppressing information about these violations and abuses.
“Furthermore, Chechen authorities have condoned violence against these individuals and reportedly encouraged families to commit ‘honor killings’
“At the same time, journalists and human rights defenders face threats and reprisals by local Chechen authorities for documenting these and other violations and supporting the survivors.”
Vladimir Putin during his successful 2018 re-election campaign (Getty)
It continues: “Over the past 20 months, the Russian Federation has not provided a substantive response.
“The Russian delegation has denied credible reports from international organizations, journalists and civil society, telling concerned delegations at the OSCEs to ‘get our facts straight’ and accusing us of spreading fake news from the Internet. We are concerned that the lack of action by the federal authorities contributes to the climate of impunity in the Chechen Republic.”
The letter lays out the following questions for Russia:
* What steps have been taken by the federal authorities to ensure Chechen officials abide by the Russian Federation’s OSCE commitments?
* How have Russian federal authorities investigated allegations of violations and abuses reportedly committed against actual or perceived LGBTI persons, and how have they arrived at the conclusion (as repeated by Russian authorities) that no such violations or abuses have occurred and that no LGBTI persons exist in Chechnya?
* What steps have been taken by the federal authorities to ensure the ability of civil society and media actors to freely document and report, witho
A Democratic candidate has released a raw political ad opening up about his experiences of homophobia.
Rufus Gifford is one of ten Democrats seeking election to the US House of Representatives to represent the solidly-Democratic Massachusetts District 3.
Ahead of the party primary on September 4, Gifford has released a “groundbreaking” ad, focused on his own struggles as a gay man.While many LGBT candidates are keen to not focus too much on their own identity, Gifford puts it front and centre.
In the ad, he says: “Anyone who can look in the face of a gay kid who grew up in the 80s and tell them that they haven’t struggled a day in their life, is fooling themselves.
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“Yeah, I struggled. A lot less than most people on this planet and even in this community, but those struggles are so meaningful to me and they made me who I am.”
He adds: “As someone who has been called names, has been discriminated against, as someone who wasn’t taken seriously for a lot of his life because of this, it made me initially want to fight for the 15-year old version of me.
“I didn’t want to be judged for who I was, and I know I wanted to live in a world that was going to treat me equally. That’s what I want to fight for, always, every day.
“We’ve got to do everything we can to fight for people who are struggling.”
Rufus Gifford
The ad “will appear on digital platforms targeting voters throughout the 3rd District through Primary Day,” according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which backs out candidates across the US.
Gifford is eminently qualified for Congress, having worked on Barack Obama’s two election campaigns, and having served as United States Ambassador to Denmark from 2013 to 2017.
The Ambassador was an unlikely household name in Denmark thanks to his fly-on-the-wall TV documentary series I am the Ambassador.
The show followed Gifford through his everyday work as a US ambassador as well as his personal life, including his Copenhagen wedding to husband Dr Stephen DeVincent.
The documentary later became a hit on Netflix around the world, though it naturally concluded when the political appointee was relieved of his post by the incoming Trump administration.
Annise Parker of LGBTQ Victory Fund said: “Rufus is running to push forward a positive and inclusive agenda for all Massachusetts residents – and this groundbreaking ad demonstrates where his social justice lens originated.
“The struggles and experiences he faced as a gay man provoked an intense desire for fairness and equal treatment of all Americans – and Rufus will take that commitment and fighting spirit with him to Congress.
“Both Rufus and this campaign ad embody what is sorely missing from much of our politics today: authenticity. We desperately need authentic, values-driven leaders like Rufus to be our voice in the U.S. Congress.”
