On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 10:54 AM, Paige DePol < lual@serfnet.org> wrote: I agree with what you are saying, however, at the current moment Russia is currently a higher risk country for LGBT people.
I also want to be clear, I am not saying "never visit Russia", but rather given the current state of things it may be wise for some people to exercise caution. I would say the same thing for a number of countries currently, for a variety of reasons.
It would also appear that Canada, the Unites States and Australia have issued travel advisories warning LGBT persons travelling to Russia; including keeping your sexuality "covert" and not participating in any demonstrations. As detailed by these advisories there have been a number of murders and attacks on LGBT people since this law was passed.
I hope the Workshop is successful and all participants have a great time, I also think people should be careful. :)
~pmd~
Thanks for the additional information. That said, I was actually talking more about the comments against the Netherlands and such, rather than the ones about Russia. /s/ Adam
I think the OP made a good point: It is a simple fact that Russia DID pass a law which, regardless of the details of interpretation, certainly can in no way be viewed as pro-LGBT. While it is easy to get hysterical about these things, such a law could be (and, sadly, probably has been) interpreted by certain groups as “open season” on gay-bashing. The OP was simply pointing out that this might be a factor for some people when choosing if to attend a workshop in Moscow. Comparisons with other countries are simply not significant.
If the workshop were to be in London, for example, I might warn people against the food (I can say this, being a Brit) :)
—Tim |
