When discussing the state of LGBT rights in Ukraine, the old cliché about a picture being worth a thousand words certainly holds true:
This photograph, taken by Reuters photographer Anatolii Stepanov, depicts Svyatoslav Sheremet, the head of Gay Forum of Ukraine, crouched on the ground in the fetal position while being beaten by masked thugs. Unbelievably, the beating took place during a press conference in which Sheremet announced the cancellation of Kiev’s first-ever gay pride parade (and members of the media apparently stood around and watched, “documenting the attack“). MSNBC also posted a photograph of a bloodied Sheremet in the aftermath of his attack, seen below.
According to Gay Star News, Kiev police advised leaders of the city’s gay pride parade to cancel the march just 30 minutes before its scheduled start time, warning that a horde of 500 “ultra-right football hooligans” was heading toward the starting point intent on stopping the parade by force. Max Tucker, Ukraine campaigner at Amnesty International, told Gay Star News that the Kiev Police Department had made it clear from the start that they were opposed to a pride march through downtown Kiev: “Their reluctance to commit to the event and to put adequate security measures in place to protect demonstrators left organisers fearing for their safety.” Amnesty International also reported that a senior Kiev police official recently told pride organizers that “he was not prepared to put his officers in harm’s way for the LGBT community.” In response, the organization issued a statement calling on the Ukrainian government to respect and protect the human rights of LGBT people.
To make matters worse for Ukraine’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered population, an anti-gay law similar to the one recently passed in St. Petersburg, Russia has been proposed in the Ukranian parliament. The bill was passed by the Committee on Freedom of Expression and Information and recommended to the full body; it would effectively ban all public discussion of LGBT issues (which are now considered “gay propaganda” under St. Petersburg’s new law) and criminalize LGBT human rights work in the country. Offenders convicted under the proposed law would face steep fines or up to five years in prison.
A vote on the proposed law could take place as soon as this week.
More photographs of today’s vicious homophobic attack in Kiev can be found here.
Former Soviet countries are amongst the most homophobic in the western world.
Russia is particularly horrifying.
Still a VERY long way to go in these places.
Heartbreaking.
My God … My thoughts are with Sheremet. This is just horrible.
Sodomic sin – it’a direct road to the hell. This is jewesh desease. Normal healthful white people agains this. If you not agree – you are sick or jewish.
OCW – you’re ridiculous. Beating Gays to a bloody pulp is okay with you obviously, since you don’t say one word about it. Bigot. Hater. All are words that fit you very well.
Don’t think the police weren’t in on this thing. East bloc countries are amongst the worst for homophobia. Think of environments where russian orthodoxy and stalinism have flourished for centuries (not at the same time, but the latter just temporarily superseded the former) and these countries fit the bill. Russia (and the Ukraine and Belarus) are still feudal countries to my mind.
“Orthodox Church warrior,” your vile, bigoted views are utterly repugnant. When hate-filled people like you leave appallingly homophobic, anti-Semitic comments like you just did, you make the jobs of the TWO team and others fighting religious extremism that much easier every time you let your fingers fly. I’m thankful that, far from being “orthodox,” appallingly bilious beliefs like yours are on the extreme fringe — a fringe that’s growing smaller and more marginalized every day.
you can ignore the Orthodox John…a dying branch of the church, that folder like a house of cards to communism (most of the priests in Russia were in the pay of the Communists, and were informants) and which failed over and over to withstand the onslaught of Islam. Where it still dominates, it does so over nations that have negaive or tiny birthrates, and none of them have developed successful modern societies (Russia, Ukraine, Greece). They are a sad lot, stuck in amber as far as their thinking goes, and famously anti semetic (think of the writing of the old w***e, John Chrysostome)….to be insulted by a “orthodox church warrior” is something of a compliment.
Orthodox Church warrior
Yet another bigot with appalling grammar.
There seems to be pattern emerging…
The American and western society is society of biorobots and slaves to a Satan. In total that to them remained is only to accept a 666-mark and to go for a Satan to a hell. Poor people. Neither brains, nor understanding, nor spirituality.
Hello to you from Kiev, downs. Who from you will arrive on the football Euro-2012 championship – will be beaten even more cruelly. Remember the 45th year as we drove you. Let’s drive and now. Earth of Sacred Russia prepares for a bloody slaughter-house of football pigs which we didn’t call.
Are you drunk?
Until I see evidence to the contrary, I have to call Poe on OCW.
OCW has been put on moderation.
1) I think you must be drunk…or stoned out of your mind
2) We call it soccer, not football…and most of us would rather watch paint dry than soccer. Don’t expect to many Americans at the EUROPEAN championships. (duh)
3) 45th year? What on earth are you even talking about?
4) Spirituality…like the bigots who were beating that man? That is your idea of spirituality? Or the priests in silk and gold who informed on you while you were under the Soviet yolk, and are cowards on moral issues now? :)
Really…you are funny. Maybe if we were more like you, we could have social and economic success like Russia and Ukraine! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL :)
There is a reason the rest of the world does not respect Russia or Ukraine…and people like you are that reason.
I notice that TWO seems to be getting more anti-gay kooks posting. I know it’s always an up and down trend. Does it connect to various anti-gay religious kook websites directing traffic here?
Daniel, it’s funny you should say that, because I’ve noticed the same thing recently and wondered about that as well. I wish I had an answer for you, but since Mike Airhart — who knows *MUCH* more about the technical end of things than I do — is on this thread, he might have an idea! :-)
Um, orthodox church warrior? I’m going to have to inform you of something that might cause your head to explode.
Y’know that guy Jesus? He was Jewish.
To say that the Christ was Jew is to undersign for history ignorance. It isn’t surprising. After all you have no other information except the Bible. You in information vacuum. In difference from the legends of the Orthodox Church conducting continuity from apostles and the Christ. Orthodox Church – completeness of truth; a lot of things from this that was handed down stored in a type of legends of Orthodox Church.
[...] the heels of two very disturbing LGBT-related stories coming out of the former Soviet republic of Ukraine comes another disheartening development: [...]
All gays are angry but you don’t understand that you can f.ck in your a.s as much as you want but please do not organize such a stupid gay parade . It’s disgusting for normal people.
Crawl back under your bridge, bigot troll.
But Mike, you’re not normal!
No, it’s you come back under your bridge. Everyone has the right to freedom of speech.
actually Mike, there are such things as hate speech laws in various places…we need more of them appearantly.
Mike said, “. . . please do not organize such a stupid gay parade. It’s disgusting for normal people.” And then said, “Everyone has the right to freedom of speech.”
The reason we have a Constitutional right to freedom of speech is to assure that you cannot claim a right not to be disgusted.
Ok everybody do not get mad this is only my opinion. I do not support gay parades at all, they should be banned because they are a bad example to all including children.
Of course, Mike. You are free to broadcast your tomfoolery, just as we have the right to point said tomfoolery out. See how it works?
By the way, what truly is disgusting are the depraved acts your cult commits. Especially toward children (and don’t think I didnt see you attempt to whitewash that scoundrel).
You’re one to talk about what’s bad for children, Mike, considering a certain affiliation of yours.
@Daniel I’m sure there’s some anti-gay site out there that posts links to TWO asking their followers to SHOW THEIR CHRISTIAN LOVE TO THEM :I
@Mike, don’t like Pride Parades? Don’t go to one. There, problem solved.
What’s with the sudden change in tone, Mike? This morning you were speaking crudely about gay sex and calling LGBT people “disgusting” and abnormal, but now, after many of us have called you out for it, you’re all conciliatory? Convenient…
And by the way, regarding “No, it’s you come back under your bridge.” — first of all, huh? Second of all, I’m Communications Director here at Truth Wins Out. You’re on *our* bridge. ;-)
And while we’re on the subject of the effect on children, how about the poor children holding the bigoted hateful signs (given to them by their parents I’m sure) at the parades?
Mike, you’re either really stupid or lying. “Freedom of Speech” doesn’t mean you get to come on a website owned by other people, say truly nasty and hateful things and no one gets to say that you’re a nasty bigot. You came on, showed that you’re a nasty (and stupid) bigot and you got called on it–that’s freedom of speech. That you’d then get all whiny that people are attacking you (especially after you said such hate filled things) shows what a coward you are.
Mike said ” I do not support gay parades at all, they should be banned because they are a bad example to all including children.”.
You’ve got it exactly backwards. Gay pride parades are a good example to all including children. They show people the world is better off when gay people positively accept who they are rather than becoming self-loathing violent anti-gay bigots or pretending to be straight, marrying and destroying the lives of a heterosexual and any children they might have
WOW!!! i thought Ukraine is preparing rapidly to become a part of EU, but these kind of things create a black mark on ukraine’s intergration into EU. I am happy that a conservative and developing country like India( my country)has held numerous pride parades throughout the country, but this kind of unhuman incident has never happened. COME ON GAY UKRAINIANS you can DO IT… THIS IS THE TIME<< if you keep mum they would become more powerful,, unite all LGBT ukrainians and fight against this s**t GUYS. SUPPORT FROM INDIA :)
The guys that are the most homophobic are the ones that are the most gay themselves. To be gay doesnt mean that you are less masculine or that you are weak. To be gay means that you are stronger then most men and far more brave. To be gay means you are a real man. Sure there are all types of gay guys, But I will tell you this. Some gay men I know are on more steroids and have more muscle, could crush your skull with theirs hands. They are hot a*s bitches. And the homo-phobic guys out there are just weak and cowardly. They are threatened and insecure with themself and this is why they hate the word GAY and are threatened when they see a girly man walking around. Because it represents something they dont want to be
That’s wonderfull it seems like some places haven’t been infected by political correctness yet. I miss the good old queer beatdowns and some places in this world continue this proud tradition.
Yeah, Zoro, like good ol’ Iran. Isn’t that place great?
Zorro likes queer beatdowns because he’s trying to beatdown his own same sex attractions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/homophobic-maybe-youre-gay.html?_r=2