PARIS, September 6  –  The first annual conference of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) will be held in Moscow as part of gay festival celebrations in May 2006 with many prominent Russian and foreign LGBT activists, academics and politicians.

Founder of IDAHO Louis-Georges Tin and head of GayRussia.Ru Nikolai Alekseev signed an agreement today in Paris.

The first International Day against homophobia was celebrated on May 17 2005, fifteen years exactly after the World Health Organisation decided to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.  More than 40 countries joined the event and organized actions against homophobia.

Last May, the Day was supported by the President of the European Parliament and it has already been recognized as an official day by the Belgium parliament.

The conference will be part of Moscow gay festival celebrations planned for 25-28 May 25 to 28 next year.

With its 13 million people population, Moscow is the biggest city in Europe.  Gay scene in Moscow is also thriving with several clubs, bars, saunas, organizations and websites, said Alekseev.

“However, up to now, Moscow has not been related to any of the major LGBT events in the world, including pride celebrations,” he said.

“The first Gay festival in Moscow is organized to fill in this gap and to help fight against homophobia in the country.”

Gay festival and IDAHO conference in Moscow will celebrate the 13th anniversary since the law against same-sex relationships was abolished in Russia (27 May 1993).  The conference will end on Saturday 27 May, and in the afternoon, the first ever LGBT parade in Moscow will take place.

Co-Presidents of IDAHO Moscow conference are Tin, Dr. Robert Wintemute, one of the leading world experts in sexual orientation discrimination issues and Alekseev, lawyer, expert on legal aspects of homosexuality.

Apart from them the scientific committee for this IDAHO conference includes Evgeniya Debryanskaya, founder and leader of Russian lesbian movement, Igor Kon, one of the most prominent Russian specialists in LGBT physiological and anthropological issues and Andrey Kvakin, professor of history in Lomonosov Moscow State University.

This IDAHO conference in Moscow will host specialists in sexual orientation issues and public figures, both from Russia and from abroad, the vice Mayor of Paris, representatives of International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA), members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Council of Europe.

The IDAHO Moscow conference will be open to all constituencies, and activists are all welcome to support the conference and the Pride to make it a global success.  However, they should register soon, especially as regards accommodation and visa issues.

Gay festival and IDAHO conference in Moscow in May 2006 will be the biggest LGBT event ever conducted on Russian soil.

LINKS

International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) website
Gay Russia website