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St. Petersburg Set to be Second Russian City to Host a Gay Pride

 Date set for June 26 - parade planned

MOSCOW and ST. PETERSBURG, February 8, 2010 (GayRussia.ru)  –  The first Lesbian and Gay Pride to be staged in St. Petersburg will be on June 26, the chief organiser of Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, told the Russian news agency Interfax today.

“Given our experience in organising public actions and campaigning for LGBT Rights in Moscow, a group of activists from St Petersburg asked for our support in conducting the first Gay Pride in St. Petersburg – and we responded to their request,” Mr. Alekseev  to the news agency.

He said that the event was supposed to be announced at the end of this month during a press conference, but the encouraging remarks by the  St Petersburg Ombudsman, Alexey Kozyrev, this morning led to the group unveiling its plans earlier and build on what they called “the positive momentum”.

Speaking a press conference in St. Petersburg, Mr. Kozyrev said that gay parades could be staged in St. Petersburg.

Mr. Kozyrev said that Russian legislation gives people the right to freedom of assembly and marches and envisions gender equality, including for people of non-traditional sexual orientation.

“If there is a right, why not hold it [a gay pride parade],” he said.

And he added that he believed the Moscow authorities are “too tough” on the idea of staging a gay pride parade in the Russian capital.

“It seems to me that Moscow is fighting to its own detriment,” he said.

Maria Efremenkova, who chairs the organising committee of the St Petersburg Lesbian and Gay Pride Festival said this afternoon that “everyone has the right to freedom of assembly, and we intend to make use of this right for the LGBT community in the northern capital of Russia”.

“I am glad that the gay pride movement, which started in Moscow in 2006, is now gaining momentum beyond Moscow,” she added.

Ms. Efremenkova said that “the request for holding St Petersburg LGBT Pride festival will be made two weeks before the event in accordance with the Russian legislation, but in case the event is banned by the Governor of the city, we will still go in the streets to exercise our constitutional rights.

“We are very determined – and any denial from the city authorities will be appealed though the Russian Courts and up to the European Court of Human Rights.

“We welcome the declaration of support of the St Petersburg Ombudsman to our planned event and we hope that the Governor the St Petersburg will not act in contradiction with the constitution like the Mayor of Moscow.”

The European Court of Human Rights is expected to give a decision later this year in the ban of the Moscow Pride in 2006, 2007 and 2008.  Based on the Court precedent against Poland in the ban of the Warsaw Gay Pride, the Russian authorities are left with only little hope to win against the organisers of Gay Prides in Russia.

Mr. Alexeyev said that the plans to hold Moscow Gay Pride in the capital have not changed.  “The fifth anniversary of Moscow Gay Pride will be held on May 29 – and we expect foreign activists and politicians to attend, as in previous years since 2006,” he said.

SEE ALSO

New St. Petersburg Ombudsman Not Against Gay Pride Parades.  St. Petersburg human rights ombudsman Alexey Kozyrev says gay pride parades could be conducted in St. Petersburg.  (Interfax, February 8, 2010)

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