YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, on the first day of Russia’s presidential election, civil society groups hosted a solidarity protest for Russia’s LGBT+ community outside of the Moscow-Taipei Coordination Commission on Economic and Cultural Cooperation’s (MTC) office in Taipei. The protest, organized by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), was part of All Out’s “Global Speak Out” campaign, which included coordinated protests in ten other countries across the world.
The global solidarity battle by All Out is a response to severe restrictions on LGBT+ people in Russia. Next July, Russia passed a law banning sex-affirming surgeries and hormone replacement therapy, as well as changing one’s lawful sex. Russia’s Supreme Court ruled in that the “international LGBT+ action” is “extremist”, meaning that all LGBT+ individuals and their allies in Russia can be targeted under the law. A person was given a five-day prison sentence in January of this year for wearing rainbow-colored earrings because the rainbow flag is regarded as an “extremist party symbol.” Furthermore, acts that display these images are punished by up to four years in prison. For the past month, Russia has been escalating its crackdown, leading many to flee the region.
The anti-LGBT+ legislation passed last year is a continuation of “anti-propaganda” rules that were intended to expel Russia of “American progressive values,” such as the 2013 laws. Given the poisoning of imprisoned political opposition figure Alexei Navalny on February 16 this year, and with questions about whether the election will be free and fair, Putin is expected to continue his 24-year-long rule for another six years, plunging the chances for changes in Russian LGBT+ rights even further into impossibility.
TAPCPR’s International Speak Out was attended by activists, diplomats, and scholars. TAPCPR secretary-general Chih-Chieh Chien (簡至潔) explained that since Putin assumed power in 2000, LGBT+ rights have been severely violated and criminalized. TAPCPR lawyer Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) stated that “injustice anywhere in the world is a threat to justice everywhere”.
Victoria Hsu, a prosecutor for TAPCPR. Photo courtesy of TAPCPR.
The Tongzhi Hotline Association’s representative even mentioned Chinese solidarity with Ukraine in their remarks, condemning Russia for its conquest of Ukraine alongside LGBT+ persecution. Demonstrators demanded that Russia “stop oppressing gender diversity” (停止壓迫多元性別), “stop invading Ukraine” (停止侵略烏克蘭), and in general to “respect human rights”. Ironically, TAPCPR’s show took place at the same time as Taiwan’s standard demonstration outside of the MTC office. A Russian trans migrant in Taiwan, who remained unidentified despite security concerns, even read a written statement.
TAPCPR has called for testimonials on its website that call for an end to discrimination against LGBT+ people and warfare, and urged people to share information about All Out’s campaign on social media and to sign petitions. Russian LGBT+ refugees can then sign the petition urging protected passage for those in threat. This petition can also be supported by interested readers.
