Gayrussia.ru is an LGBT rights organization based in Moscow, Russia. It has organised numerous public actions in Russia, the most famous being Moscow Pride and Slavic Pride. It also sponsored the documentary Moscow Pride '06. In November 2008, Project GayRussia.Ru extended its advocacy work into Belarus where it launched the Slavic Gay Pride movement with its local partner Gaybelarus.by.
Its website www.gayrussia.ru features Russian LGBT news in English and World LGBT news in Russian. It is also used to advertise the organization's campaigns and advocacy work. The website www.gayrussia.ru is frequently read by those seeking news about LGBT rights issues in Russia. As of March 2023, the website appears to be unreachable.
GayRussia.Ru tracked and revealed the homophobia of various Russian politicians and public figures, including the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov. The page also gives practical advice for visiting Russia.
Main goal
The organization, headed by Nikolai Alekseev, was created to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Russia. It does this by campaigning publicly in an attempt to get LGBT issues into the media and change Russian public opinion on them.
In February 2009, the organization revealed its motto: "Gay Equality, No Compromise."
Organization
Origins
Project GayRussia.Ru was launched in Moscow on 17 May 2005 by Nikolai Alekseev on the first International Day Against Homophobia. He founded the organization because no progress had been made since the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in Russia in 1993.
Structure
As a non-registered organization, it operates under article 3 of the Federal Law on public association which states : "Public organisations created by citizens can be registered in accordance with the current Federal Law and acquire the rights of registered legal body or can function without state registration and acquiring of the rights of registered legal body." The organization does not receive any funding and it has neither a bank account nor any property.
Key people
Nikolai Alekseev is the current leader of Project GayRussia. Among other activists are Nikolai Baev who writes articles and attends international LGBT conferences, Irina Fet who attempted to marry her partner in Moscow on 12 May 2009, Anton Sutyagin who coordinates the organization in Belarus and Yuri Gavrikov who is in charge of the logistics of the campaigns. Dmitri Bartnev is the organisation's lawyer. Gayrussia.ru is run by a rotating group of approximately 20 to 30 activists.
Membership
Project GayRussia.Ru is a Member of the IDAHO Committee (the International Day Against Homophobia), InterPride (the International Association of LGBT Pride Organizers), the EPOA (European Pride Organizers Association). It is also the founding member of the Slavic Pride movement.
Campaigns
Project GayRussia.Ru has launched five main campaigns since its founding. One was successfully closed in 2008. The most famous ongoing campaign is for Freedom of Assembly which is often referred to by the media as the "Moscow Pride battle".
Campaign for Freedom of Assembly
As of July 2009, not a single LGBT public action on a street has been authorized in any city of Russia.
In July 2005, Project GayRussia.Ru launched the Moscow Pride Initiative which was announced by Nikolai Alekseev during a press conference held in Moscow. The mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov said on several occasions that he will not authorize any public action by gays in the streets of the Russian capital. Moscow Pride took place despite the bans on 27 May 2006, 27 May 2007, 1 June 2008 and 16 May 2009. Activists were arrested every year in front of members of the main international media. Reports of the events were made around the world.
Project GayRussia.Ru also extended its campaign outside Moscow and attempted to organize street public actions in Tambov in October 2008, and Ryazan in April 2009.
The organization systematically appealed any of its banned actions through the Russian courts before sending it to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Not a single case was won in Russia. Russian judges denied taking into consideration the different cases set as a precedent by the European Court when making their decision. In the case of Bączkowski v Poland the Court ruled that the ban of the Warsaw Pride in 2005 was a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, which was ratified by the Russian Federation in 1998.
As of July 2009, 168 banned events are pending consideration in seven different cases at the European Court.