Belarus bans gay pride, police beat defiant marchers
City authorities in Minsk, Belarus, banned the May 15 gay pride parade and
when a group of 40 people marched anyway, police attacked "like a group of
wild dogs" and beat them.
In blocking the march, officials cited a national law that prohibits
public events within 200 meters of subway stations and pedestrian tunnels.
Slavic Gay Pride co-organizer Nikolai Alekseev called the ban "absurd,"
pointing out that "there have been many marches and parades in the past
using the same route."
Organizers vowed to challenge the ban before the United Nations Human
Rights Committee, and about 40 people decided to defy it.
The first attempt to march, at 1:10 p.m., was aborted at the last moment.
In a text message from the scene, organizers said: "Risks too big.
( Co-organizer Sergei ) Androsenko cancelled the 1:10 p.m. plan and
postponed to later."
At 1:24 p.m., local activists live-blogging the drama via the servers of
UK Gay News reported: "Several police buses and even military troops have
gathered next to the place where Pride organizers were supposed to meet
media to take them to the start of the march. 'It is not possible to do
anything around ( here ) but we did not give up yet,' organizers said
defiantly. There are about 60 journalists waiting to cover the Slavic
Pride."
Finally, at 2:53 p.m., "a short-lived march took place with 40
participants," activists live-blogged. "Violent crackdown from anti-riot
police. A big mess."
By 3:08 p.m., the bloggers had the full scoop. They wrote: "Minsk had its
gay pride march. For just 10 minutes, 40 Belarusians and Russians waved a
12-meters-long rainbow flag for a short march of approximately 200 meters.
They were at first met by a large group of journalists, photographers and
TV crew. But when they reached the first crossing point, they were trapped
by several vans of anti-riot police. Suddenly, the doors of the vans
opened and anti-riot officers ran towards the participants. 'I never saw
anything of the kind,' said Nikolai Alekseev. ... 'They were brutal and
violent,' he added. Another participant who did not want to be named said,
'It was like a group of wild dogs.' The march ended with most of the
participants being arrested and violently beaten. A few managed to escape
but the police ran after them."
"I've never run so fast in my life," Alekseev said afterward. "After we
ran away from the anti-riot police, ( activist ) Ira Fet and I took refuge
in the small room of a VIP building where they keep the trash. We stayed
there for 20 minutes while I was receiving calls from media outlets."
Co-organizer Androsenko initially managed to escape the police rampage but
was later nabbed with other participants while sitting in a cafe. Reports
varied, but at least 12 marchers and 18 skinhead counterprotesters were
detained.
At least two pride participants suffered serious enough injuries to
require medical treatment while in custody, the live blog reported.
"We are outraged to see so much police violence against a peaceful event
and we can only admire the courage of these 40 heroes who took part to
this march today despite knowing the risks," said Louis-Georges Tin,
president of Paris-based IDAHO, the International Day Against Homophobia
and Transphobia.
For remarkable video of portions of the police attack, see
tinyurl.com/belwilddg.
Other Belarusian pride week events included parties, exhibitions,
seminars, films and a news conference.
A May 14 screening of the Canadian documentary "Beyond Gay: The Politics
of Pride" at the Crowne Plaza Minsk hotel was delayed when anti-gay
protesters laid "siege" to the hotel, organizers said on the live blog.
At 7:55 p.m., they reported: "Hotel is now under siege. It is not possible
to enter, and not possible to leave." At 8:25 p.m., they reported: "Police
have called the anti-riot police to remove the protesters. ... Hotel
security reports that they already found some protesters inside the
hotel." By 8:40 p.m.: "Police and riot police have cleared the entrance to
the hotel and have cordoned it off. Participants are entering."
Then came the bomb threat. At 9:40 p.m., the bloggers reported: "Bomb
alert at Crowne Plaza. Film interrupted. Police asked to stop the film and
relocate to another room within the hotel. So, we are having a break and
relocating."
The movie and the 100 attendees relocated and the film finished up at
10:50 p.m., the bloggers reported.
Canada defunds Toronto gay pride
Toronto's gay pride festival got $400,000 in funding from the federal
government last year but gets nothing this year.
Industry Minister Tony Clement told local media the government isn't
against gays but, instead, wants to fund events outside of big cities this
year.
Pride Toronto isn't convinced homophobia wasn't a factor, pointing out
that the tourism minister who handed over the money last year, Diane
Ablonczy, was thereafter reassigned to different duties.
Austria to issue gay stamp
Austrian Post will issue a gay stamp June 25 in conjunction with Vienna's
15th Rainbow Parade.
"To our knowledge this is the first time in the world that a postal
authority is issuing a special stamp on a gay/lesbian occasion," said Jona
Solomon, co-president of HOSI Wien, or Homosexual Initiative Vienna.
Designed by gay activist and graphic designer Christian Högl, the
55-euro-cent stamp will go on sale June 25 and become valid for use on
July 3. The amount is the cost to send a standard letter or postcard
within Austria.
Austrian Post also will place a mobile post office in downtown's
Schwarzenbergplatz on July 3 to service pridegoers at the parade endpoint.
"Austrian Post is again writing philatelic history with this stamp," said
HOSI Secretary General Kurt Krickler. "We hope that many postal
authorities in the world will follow and dedicate stamps to LGBT themes."
Pope criticizes gay marriage in Portugal
Pope Benedict XVI denounced gay marriage May 13 in Portugal, which soon
will become the 10th nation where same-sex couples can marry.
Speaking in Fátima, the pontiff said protecting "the indissoluble marriage
between a man and a woman ... respond ( s ) to some of today's most insidious
and dangerous threats to the common good."
A bill legalizing same-sex marriage is awaiting Portuguese President
Aníbal Cavaco Silva's expected signature.
Gay marriage also is legal in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway,
South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Mexico City, Connecticut, Iowa,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C.
Saskatchewan mulls letting marriage celebrants reject gays
Saskatchewan's Court of Appeal heard submissions May 13 and 14 on
government initiatives that would permit marriage commissioners to refuse
to marry same-sex couples.
The Canadian province's justice ministry hopes the court will declare
constitutional one or the other of two proposed laws that it asked the
judges to review under the rarely used Constitutional Questions Act.
One measure would allow marriage commissioners to opt out of performing
any marriage they object to for religious reasons. A second bill would do
the same thing, but would apply only to commissioners who were appointed
before same-sex marriage became legal in the province in 2004.
The provincial Human Rights Commission and the Court of Queen's Bench
previously ruled against a marriage commissioner who refused to perform
his duties because of personal objections to homosexuality. Other, similar
lawsuits are ongoing.
Canada's Parliament made same-sex marriage the law of the land in 2005, by
which time courts already had legalized gay marriage in nine of Canada's
13 provinces and territories -- everywhere but Alberta, the Northwest
Territories, Nunavut and Prince Edward Island.
Assistance: Bill Kelley
