MOSCOW, May 17, 2011 (GayRussia) – With timing best described as “impeccable”, Moscow City Hall announced this morning that Moscow Gay Pride on May 28 is banned. Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The reasons given by the deputy mayor of Moscow, Ludmila Shvetsova, is because of “the impossibility to provide security” – and a high number of letters of protests received by the City Hall against this event.
“The reasons for banning the Moscow Pride this year are exactly the same reasons used in the past years – and for which the European Court of Human Rights judged against Russia for violating the European Convention on Human Rights, Pride chief organiser Nikolai Alekseev.
“Russia has decided to mark the Day Against Homophobia by showing, once again, its homophobic policy towards its LGBT citizens.
He revealed that an application would now be made directly to the Russian President.
“We will apply today to President Dmitri Medvedev for permission to hold our Gay Pride March next to Kremlin, an area which is solely within his jurisdiction.
“The ban does not change anything to our intention to hold our rally as planned,” he insisted, adding that if anything untoward happens on May 28 the responsibility will lie with the “the illegal and irresponsible decision” taken at Moscow City Hall.
“Today, we realised that former homophobic Mayor Luzhkov has a successor at the City Hall,” Mr. Alekseev added.
The Gay Pride rally was scheduled to be held in Bolotnaya Square, in front of the Office of the European Commission.
On May 17 LGBT activists of St. Petersburg, the city where the notorious "propaganda of homosexuality" law was recently adopted, held an officially authorized peaceful manifestation dedicated to the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia.
IDAHO in St. Petersburg Celebrated Despite Attacks
Today St. Petersburg LGBT community commemorated International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia by holding an officially authorized mass rally.
Over 300 people gathered in Petrovsky (...) 
On May 17, LGBT people, their parents and children, friends and peers in many cities around the world are letting colorful balloons fly in the sky as a symbolic move to combat homophobia in commemoration of IDAHO.
On May 17, LGBT people, their parents and children, friends and peers in many cities around the world are letting colorful balloons fly in the sky as a symbolic move to combat homophobia in commemoration of IDAHO. RainbowFlash is taking place in:
Russia:
Tyumen, Tomsk, Omsk, (...) 
Writing on her Facebook page yesterday, the queen of pop promised “to support the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to any one who is or feels oppressed.”
Writing on her Facebook page yesterday, the queen of pop promised “to support the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to any one who is or feels oppressed.” Describing herself as a “freedom fighter,” she said she will “speak during (her) show about this ridiculous atrocity.”
Just two days earlier, the (...) 
The Russian city’s Legislative Assembly has adopted today a law that makes any reference to homosexuality a legal offense.
The Russian city’s Legislative Assembly has adopted today a law that makes any public reference to homosexuality a legal offense.
The law prohibits the so-called propaganda of "sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism and transgenderism" to minors, equating it with pedophilia
Similar laws have already been adopted and implemented in other Russia’s cities and regions: 2006 in (...) 
For the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2011, the international photo project "Walk with Pride" developed by Charles ’Chad’ Meacham and Sarah Baxter goes global.
The exhibition was shown simultaneously in more than 20 locations around the world, including at the European Parliament.
Find out more about Walk With Pride
Taipei (...) 
