We, citizens of Russia, members of Russian society, representatives of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and citizens opposed to all forms of discrimination, turn to the government representatives of the Russian Federation and ask them to put an end to the discrimination against sexual and gender minorities, to guarantee homosexual and transgender citizens protection against discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity and grant LGBT members of society their full civil rights.
According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Russia is a social (art. 7), democratic federal law-bound State (art. 1), whose policy aim is to establish conditions that ensure a dignified life and unrestricted human development, where human rights and freedoms are given supreme value, where the recognition, observance and protection of these rights and freedoms is deemed to be the responsibility of the State (art. 2). The 19th article of the Constitution establishes all citizens’ equality before the law and court: the State guarantees the equality of rights and freedoms of man and citizen, irrespective of gender, race, nationality, origin, property and official status, place of residence, religion, convictions, membership of public associations and of ‘other circumstances’. Any restrictions of civil rights on social, racial, national, linguistic or religious grounds are prohibited. Men and women have equal rights and freedoms and have equal possibilities to exercise them.
Russia recognizes and commits itself to all the principal international treaties on human rights, as well as those prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of ‘other status’,‘any other traits’ or ‘other circumstances’: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the International Pact on Civil and Political Rights, the International Pact on Economic, Cultural and Social Freedoms, the Commonwealth of Independent States Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Despite the international responsibilities assumed by Russia and national legislation requirements, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals undergo systematic discrimination from government authorities and their representatives.
As a result of the government’s discriminating politics, homosexual (gay and lesbian), bisexual and transgender individuals cannot lead an open life: they are forced to hide their sexual orientation, their transsexuality as well as sexual, romantic or familial relations with partners of the same sex. Such behaviour is primarily the result of a large number of crimes against and threats to their life and wellbeing. In the meantime, police officials refuse to make formal records of homophobia as a motive for assault, while those in official positions of power who openly call for hatred and violence and make public speeches attacking the human dignity of LGBT individuals are not held accountable. Calls for hatred and violence, harming and killing of lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals do not provide sufficient ground for the Russian authorities to label crimes motivated by homophobia as hate crimes or xenophobic crimes.
Due to the State’s arbitrariness, LGBT individuals cannot exercise basic political rights such as freedom of assembly and association. Not a single public action by sexual and gender minorities aiming to attract the attention of the State and society to the problem of discrimination against LGBT individuals and to spread tolerance was sanctioned by public authorities or their representatives. We are unable to speak about our pressing problems and needs.
The invisibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals is aggravated by the refusal to officially register LGBT organizations. Associations like the ‘Rainbow House’ (Tyumen) and the ‘Movement for Marriage Equality’ (Moscow), whose charters specify such aims as the defense of homosexual and transgender rights, the fight against discrimination, the attainment of equality, were denied state registration, which suggests targeted discrimination policies on the part of the State against LGBT organizations and the denial of their right to defend our legitimate rights and interests.
At present, Russia does not implement any government project to prevent the spread of HIV among homosexuals. Nor does the Russian government implement socio-psychological rehabilitation programs for HIV-positive LBGT individuals. This ignores the health needs of millions of taxpayers. The problems of HIV-positive lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals are worsened by the fact that there can be no registered marriages, so in case of illness in one partner, the other would not be able to visit them in hospital or make decisions regarding the treatment. For the same reason, an HIV-positive partner who is from another city or a citizen of another State cannot receive medical treatment based on his place of residence, unlike partners in a registered heterosexual union.
Russian authorities ignore the problems of homosexual and transgender teenagers. Not one single measure is implemented in Russia to prevent bullying (intimidation and harassment) of LGBT adolescents in educational institutions.
Institutional homophobia (the constant, State approved and socially sanctioned, unpunished limitations of homosexuals’ rights) leads to public officials’ use of ‘hateful language’ and calls for hatred and violence against gays and lesbians. A prominent example of this is the comment made by the governor of the Tambov region, O.I. Betin: ‘To hell with tolerance! Homos need to be torn to pieces and scattered in the wind.’ Despite LGBT rights activists’ best efforts, the official was not held legally or administratively accountable.
The position of Russian authorities, ranging from suppressive measures to promotion of open hostility and violence, leads to the growth of homophobic sentiments among nationalist groups, who then orchestrate mass assaults on gatherings of LGBT citizens. The planning of these acts of violence and intimidation is carried out by individuals identifying themselves as leaders of ‘Orthodox, patriotic and monarchistic’ organizations. They deliberately incite hatred against gays and lesbians, and actively impose an ideology of xenophobic nationalism. The attack on the street entertainment event ‘Dreamflesh’ on April 18th by the ‘Gor’kovskaya’ metro station in St. Petersburg was orchestrated by representatives of the nationalist organization ‘People’s Cathedral’ (‘Narodnyi Sobor’) and the St Petersburg branch of the Russian Imperial Union Order with its leader Boris Turovsky. Such homophobic rhetoric is also employed by members of pro-Kremlin youth organization ‘Young Guard of United Russia.’
The Russian courts, including the Constitutional Court, have not made a single decision in favour of LGBT citizens and their right to freedom of assembly and association.
Despite the international obligations assumed by Russia and its national legislation requirements, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens are being deprived of the right to enter into same-sex marriages and same-sex couples of the right to adopt children. LGBT citizens are therefore being deprived of a significant part of their civil rights.
We affirm that these policies, assumed by representatives of the Russian government, lead to tensions within Russian society and that the escalation of violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals discredits the Russian authorities both within Russia and on an international level.
The discrimination against LGBT citizens by representatives of the Russian government is not permissible. Its effects are comparable with those of genocide. Despite the goals set by the government of improving the quality of life of Russian citizens, despite the implementation of national projects and the attempts at cultivating State institutions for the defense of human rights, homosexual, bisexual and transgender individuals remain one of the least protected social groups and one of the most terrorized by the authorities.
We, representatives of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community and citizens from all around the world opposed to all forms of discrimination, demand that an end be put to the discrimination against sexual and gender minorities, that homosexual and transgender citizens be guaranteed protection against discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity and that LGBT members of society be granted their full civil rights.
Please support our demands by adding your signature to this letter.
Translation: Ksenia Sidorenko
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