Latest developments in Russia: denunciations lead to raids against LGBT persons
Here’s a report from news company Reuters relayed by the magazine “The Advocate” about the latest developments in Russia. Since the passing of a law against the propaganda of homosexuality the situation for LGBTIQ persons living in Russia has kept worsening. After increases in bullying of LGBTIQ teenagers in schools and in the street, fist fights between anti-gay proponents and gay-activists during rallies and pacifist demonstrations resulting in the arrests of many LGBTIQ activists, the firing of a TV anchor who announced publicly his homosexuality and the alleged kidnapping and torturing of a gay teen among many other events, the Russian state is promoting the denunciation of LGBTs by their neighbours. This resulted in the raid and ransacking of activist and lawyer Nikolai Alexeyev’s home by Russian prosecutors. The report by “the Advocate” with a video report from Reuters here.
Grey Sunday: stuck at home and bored out of your mind?
If you don’t know what to do this Sunday and since it’s grayish outside and rather on the colder side for a summer Sunday… here’s one suggestion:
I know some of the older members of Queer University Basel might already have seen this documentary since we posted it on the QUB Facebook Page a long time ago. But for all the others, and if you wish to see it again, here is an interesting documentary film about two identical twins and their story when, growing up, one realized he was transgender while the other realized he was gay. The film tells about the strain on their relationship, but also on their family, and shows from their individual perspectives how much they’ve accomplished and where they are now. How their family radically transformed and what their relationships have become over time. It’s a tale of transformation, from a rather conservative background to a deeply needed more progressive environment. A tale of lives, narrated by the protagonists, documented trough family videos and photos, and the accounts of all family members.
Sunday Brunch Alcoholics: the Mimosa!
Sunday Morning, almost ten o’clock, rise and shine my little ladies!
It’s time for a fabulous Sunday brunch, whether it’s at the good old Family Mansion (or 3-bedroom apartment, it doesn’t matter) with Mum, Dad, little bro’ and bigger sis’, or if it’s with your roommates in your small student apartment nearby campus, remember to gift yourself with the joy of a copious Sunday brunch!
And you know what else would be absolutely fa-a-a-abulous with a Sunday Brunch? Yes! That’s right! Alcohol!
But remember, this is breakfast, so you don’t want to drown yourself in something heavy on your stomach, or complicated to make. Thus get a bottle of cold orange juice, grab a bottle of champagne and mix 50% orange juice 50% champagne, add one or two (but not more) cubes of ice if you like, add half a slice of orange and you’re done: you’ve just poured yourself a prickly fresh and light Mimosa! (And by light I meant how it feels, not necessarily how loaded in alcohol it is… that depends how you interpreted the 50-50 measurements I gave)
The little plus: if you have the possibility to do so, try to press fresh oranges yourself instead of using bottled orange juice. It will definitely make your Mimosas a great deal fresher and taste better. In addition it’s also healthier, because there are a lot more vitamins and other good things like love and happiness in fresh oranges which you won’t find in bottled orange juice. Note that many fresh oranges will provide more taste than any processed orange juice, so you might wanna test your cocktail before serving and adjust the quantity by lowering a tad the volume of freshly pressed orange juice (or adding champagne, or a drop of cold water if necessary).
There you go!
Enjoy your fabulous Sunday brunch drink!
Variation on the Mimosa:
Check out this nice and easy variation of the Mimosa called Sunrise Mimosa from the nice blog “Wine & Glue”.
Recipe:
– put 3-4 raspberries in a glass and grind them
– add a tiny bit of sweet red orange syrup (recipe for that here) or raspberry syrup
– add champagne slowly
– add orange juice slowly
Done!
Russia’s anti-LGBT law sprouts creative reactions
The recent passing of an anti-gay “propaganda” bill or in other terms “anti-LGBT freedom of expression” bill in Russia has sprouted many different reactions from LGBTIQ persons and allies around the world. Some of them quite original and powerful. Here are a few:
Outside the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden
City of Amsterdam plans to fly LGBT flags in front of every official building during President Putin’s visit
Ben Savage calls for boycott of Russian vodka
Stephen Fry writes open letter to UK Prime Minister and the IOC
Actess Tilda Swinton flies LGBT Flag in Moscow
UK petitions to boycott Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia
Warning Note: the following video clip is quite graphic, if the sight of a little blood is difficult for you, maybe refrain from watching it.
Berlin Drag Queen and DJ Barbie Breakout sews her mouth shut in protest of Russian anti LGBT law and actions.
Here a report and short interview of Barbie Breakout in “Die Welt“.
The american pastor who worked on spreading anti-gay hate in Russia and Uganda
Yesterday the website of ‘The New Yorker‘ published a brief news blog article about the work of American pastor Scott Lively and the small success Ugandan LGBT rights activists recently had when the U.S. justice ruled against Mr. Lively’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit that the Ugandan activists filed in the U.S. against him. Lively is known for his anti-gay activism. He co-authored the mendacious (according to scholars) book “The Pink Swastika“, a book about the role of homosexuals in the Nazi Party (Excerpt from the preface of the book’s 4th Edition: “[…] homosexuals as the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities.”). He is also known for his involvement in the “ex-gay movement” and founded the religious group “Abiding Truth Ministries“, a group considered by the nonprofit civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.
In the blog article, The New Yorker mention Mr. Lively’s known involvement, by means of advocacy tours through Russian cities and letters addressed to russian officials, in passing of anti-gay bills in many Russian cities and his probable contribution to Russia’s recent law against LGBT “propaganda”.
A short contribution to bring to mind the pernicious advocacy of hate by certain individuals, operating not only in their own country but abroad, wherever they feel their discourse will resonate best. As a reminder, if the laws resulting from Mr. Lively’s and others’ hate advocacy in Uganda are passed, this will mean government enforced killing or life imprisonment of LGBT persons in Uganda (read about the ‘Kill the Gays’ bill here, here and here)
Other articles about Mr. Lively’s public statements: Right to sodomy is destroying human rights, Noah’s Flood caused by songs for homosexual weddings, Scott Lively pushes claim that Obama is gay.
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