The Radical Association Certi Diritti, Agedo, Arcigay, Famiglie Arcobaleno, Equality Italia, Arcilesbica, and Rete Genitori Rainbow are launching the SOS RUSSIA campaign to support organizations fighting for the human rights of LGBTI people in this large Eurasian country.
The situation in Russia is particularly dramatic: LGBTI activists are constantly subjected to police violence during demonstrations, hate crimes have reached extremely worrying levels, while the state continues to pass laws that make the lives of LGBTI people impossible.
A few weeks ago, Putin enacted a law that penalizes nationwide the "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations in front of minors," effectively making it impossible to utter the words "gay," "lesbian," "bisexual," "transsexual," and "intersex" in any public setting. The latest victims of this law were four Dutch directors who were shooting a film about a love story between two people of the same sex.
But the work of LGBTI rights organizations is hampered by another law that requires all organizations receiving funds from non-Russian entities to register in a special registry. Failure to register "foreign agents," which in the Russian context is tantamount to being considered traitors to the homeland, carries severe penalties.
Associations that defend the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people in Russia refuse to be considered agents of foreign powers, as this would mean proving right those who maintain that homosexuality is a degeneration imported to Russia from the West.
Russian LGBTI organizations, however, are fighting to protect the rights of Russian citizens and help their country comply with its Federal Constitution, which requires respect for the human rights of all. This situation has led several LGBTI organizations to pay hefty fines (up to €25,000) and to suspend all projects undertaken in collaboration with non-Russian organizations, subsequently having to return the advance payments.
To help Russian LGBTI organizations survive and continue their valuable work, the Radical Association Certi Diritti, Agedo, Arcigay, Famiglie Arcobaleno, Equality Italia, Arcilesbica, and Rete Genitori Rainbow have decided to launch a national solidarity campaign to raise at least €10,000 by the end of August. To donate, simply follow this link: http://www.sosrussia.it.
All Italian associations committed to defending human rights worldwide are invited to join the initiative by sending an email to [email protected].
You can contribute by paying just €2 through Paypal by clicking here
Or you can make a bank transfer to Current Account IT 34 E 08327 03221 000000003165
made out to: Associazione Radicale Certi Diritti reason: SOS Russia
