Homosexuals In Russia

Stalin’s early promises compromised of socialism and a life free from exploitation in regards to his social policies. However, he soon realised his error and reverted to a more conservative form of rule, whereby the interest of the state was given priority. Many describe his soviet social policy during the 1930s as a ‘Great Retreat’, it was named this as his policies saw a return to earlier social policies under the Tsar and former leaders. It is debatable as to how far his actions were a retraction of previous decisions…and the areas impacted were women, family, and education. A common theme of the great retreat was the gender role in society.

Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1933. One of the new laws Putin has put in order is an anti-blasphemy law that limits the freedom of speech and expression relating to religious customs or beliefs. The Russian community, in particular the rural and conservative population from which Putin draws most of his support, support the new laws that are in place. The law states that it seeks to “protect the younger generation from the effects of homosexual propaganda”. It says the

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

“Sex was something mysterious which happened to married couples and Homosexuality was never mentioned; my mother told me my father did not believe it existed at all ‘until he joined the army’. As a child, I was warned about talking to ‘strange men’, without any real idea what this meant. I was left to find out for myself what it was all about.” Mike Newman, who was a child during the 1950s America recalls how homosexuality was perceived during the post-World War II era (F). This sexual oppression was not only in Newman’s household, but in almost everyone’s. While the civil rights movement began in the mid-1950s and ended late 1960s, the LGBT community started to come out of the closet slowly. The gay rights movement stemmed from the civil rights movement

During the 1980’s indulging in homosexual activity was considered in crime, people were imprisoned when caught doing so. But in 2003 some parts of the United States, suspended the law, and made homosexuality legal, soon European countries such as Canada, Belgium, and Netherlands passed an act which approved of homosexual weddings (Bonvillain 2006). If one digs deeper into this issue, where these debatable, one can find that it roots back from religions. Most religion disapprove of homosexuality but in religions such as Hindu, for sexuality, scriptures of homosexual activity only stated that it was normal and natural, to be attracted to the same sex (Bonvillain 2006). But in today’s society the main issue is regarding the issue of males being attracted to each other, an example of this issue is ‘Homophobia of men’. Homosexuality is considered to be a cultural construct, which apart from the ‘lesbian identities’ gave rise to the ‘gay identities’ (Herek 1986). It is common for normal men, to avoid influencing with homosexual men, as they fear what the public might think of them being judged as not ‘masculine’, where as its more normal for woman to associate with lesbians or homosexual women, as they are not being judged by the rest of the females (Herek 1986). Studies showed, that the social construction of gay identities meant that there was something psychologically wrong with that person,

This paper addresses human rights abuses against members of the LGBT community in Russia. The LGBT community has been a marginalized group of society in Russia in many ways throughout history, however the legislation that was recently passed in Russia goes a step further to strip these individuals of their human rights and dignity. The legislation is inconsistent with several human rights provisions in international treaties that have been ratified by Russia: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR); Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment (CAT); and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC); European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR); and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). There are also several articles in Russia’s own constitution which are incompatible with current human rights abuses against the LGBT community, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the Yogyakarta Principles.

In spite of the fact that homophobia existed before the Cold War, there wasn’t much attention towards targeting homosexuals until then. The end of World War II began to bring forth the intense persecution by not only excluding homesexuals in the military, but by also excluding them from civil service. President Truman’s want to aid Greece and Turkey, expressed in his address, was rooted from fear that Communist forces in those countries will take over the U.S. This implemented an executive order of a loyalty program in the government, in which the State Department attempted to partake in. The State Department began to fire homosexual employees, even though Truman’s executive order did not refer to one’s sexuality. Moreover, Joseph Mccarthy’s claim of Communists in the State Department gained mass

They were saw as impure to the Germans that had wanted a pure race and thought that they got in the way of the German nation (1). Before the war, Nazis kept lists of questionable homosexuals on lists called "Pink Lists." Nearly 1.2 million known homosexuals were in Germany in 1928 (Persecution 1). At the beginning of the war, brown-shirted troopers raided gay associations and congregations (Mosaic 1). Instead of being organized like the Jews, homosexuals were simply rounded uo and taken to the concentration camps. While in the concentration camps, homosexuals were treated especially harsh (Persecution 1). They were forced to wear pink triangles on their clothing to be easily recognized and for easy humiliation (Brittanica 1). Some homosexuals were raped and others endured brutal medical experiments. To find an easy fix to homosexuality, doctors would try to make them release more male testosterone or put them through castration (Persecution 1). Because Hitler hated homosexuals so much, he even sent suspected gay SS men to camps in their uniforms. Nearly 15,000 homosexuals were killed during World War II (Holocaust 1). Although lesbian bars were shut down, there was no precise killing of them (Brittanica

During the 1960’s to be gay in the United States was essentially a crime. It was the time of the “Lavender Scare,” in which thousands of people were fired from the federal government for no other reason than their sexuality. The fear stemmed from Cold War concerns that homosexuals would be a “security risk,” exploitable by communists (Sherouse) (Sears). Dozens of anti-gay legislation was in existence, specifically prohibiting employment of “homosexuals and other sex perverts” in civil service positions, and subsequently creating a president of discrimination throughout the country (Sears).

Invention is the greatest idea of our time. Whether it is medical, scientific, social, or mechanical, a new invention of the day seems to be part of our everyday lives. Homosexuality is really no different. It may not be your everyday invention, but it clearly is and people throughout time to try and identify the first “known homosexual” in time. Some people wanted this new idea of homosexuality to just go away, but as time has gone on, it will not be going away anytime soon. It is getting to be more prominent in society and this paper takes the stand that in Canada especially, homosexuality is not seen by society overall as something different. Of course it is still not

In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people

‘Struggle for Gay Rights in the Middle East’ is an article that was written by Hala Gorani for CNN. One of the situations mentioned in the article is how the Egyptian police invaded a homosexual hangout on the river Nile called the Queen Boat. Some of the people who were involved in the hangout were arrested and imprisoned for sin. The article also notes that when governments raid homosexual gatherings, they do it for political instead of ethical reasons.

Homophobia is transporting Russia back in time to the late 1800s and early 1900s—the epoch of the racial issues in America. With several gay rights being legalized, it seemed that Russia had begun to accept the LGBT community into their society. But the violent and repressive actions towards gay people and their supporters have proved that Russia is not becoming any more tolerant of gays. It is unsure if Russians even view gays as humans. The present status of the Russian homophobia problem is starting to spiral out of control. Given Russia’s oscillating history with the LGBT community, it’s nearly impossible to predict whether or not Russia will accept or kill the gay people. Based on the current situation, it seems like the former will

The realization of the homosexuality in the modern western world as a cultural, sexual and a social category has been a result of complex power relations that surround sexuality and gender. The acceptance of homosexuality in the society has met its fair share of resistance and skepticism. The view that homosexuality can be in the same league as heterosexual has led it to be viewed as a normal behavioral and moral standard (Gallagher & Baker, 2006). Inasmuch as the skeptics may not want to accept the existence of homosexuality studies show that the habit is rampant today with many gay people coming out in the open. Of interest is the political acceptance of homosexuality with passing gay rights so that it can be recognized by law. This move has given homosexuals the ability to engage in legal entities like marriage (Gallagher & Baker, 2006).

On the other hand, in “Support for Homosexuals’ Civil Liberties”, the author states “traditional gender role attitudes and support for homosexuals’ civil liberties are found to negatively co-vary over time.” Religious attitudes differ in both their approaches to the roles of men and women in family settings and their approach towards homosexuality. The author explains that typical household is a male, who