Russian Flash Mob Highlights Chechen Atrocities
Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…
Gay rights activists in Russia held a flash mob demonstration in St. Petersburg in honor of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. Their main goal was to call attention to the current persecution of gay individuals in Chechnya.
According to Associated Press for LGBTQ Nation, about 100 activists attended the demonstration. Although Russia has decriminalized homosexuality, demonstrations still often get broken up or disrupted. This particular flash mob reportedly went off without a hitch, however, with none of the protesters getting arrested.
Reports from Chechnya reveal that gay men are being tortured and killed by police. Although Chechen authorities are denying these claims, many people in Russia are calling for these claims to be investigated. The demonstrators in St. Petersburg would like for Russia to grant asylum to gay individuals from Chechnya.
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Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.