Covert Homosexuality in a Russian Metropolis

A Right to be Gay (Aug 1996) Until recently it was a crime to be gay in Russia. Now, there is a newfound - although strictly limited - freedom for Russia’s homosexual contingent. Subscribe to Journeyman for more: Today, gay people can revel until dawn in nightclubs teeming with lipstick drag queens and male dancers clad in silver pants. As the bass reverberates around the room, two doctors arrive from St Petersburg’s most respected clinic. Igor reveals, “I feel free here, I can talk to other people, and at work I can’t do that.“ Despite Yeltsin’s reform, homosexuals live in fear of persecution. The communist concept of a superior Socialist man still engenders a deep seated revulsion against men who deviate from the norm. A homosexual human rights group breaks into its own clubhouse after it was illegally closed down by marauding police. Boys who were beaten up during the raid are too scared to complain in case their families are made to suffer. A group of friends sitting in the sunshine by the river discuss homosexuality. 21 year old Sergei proudly admits to gay bashing. They all agree that gay people should not “show off in public“. It is only in selective clubs that gay people can flaunt their sexuality in safety. The fear is that even this limited freedom might be taken away. For more information, visit Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: A Film By Lighthouse Pacific (Mark Davis) - Ref 0252 Distributed by Journeyman Pictures