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MOSCOW: Riot Police Arrest Lt. Dan Choi and Other Gay Activists

PHOTOS: Reuters

Moscow's riot police violently dispersed an "unprecedented" gay rights rally that Russian and international activists attempted to stage near the Kremlin. Former US Army Lt. Dan Choi, British activist Peter Tatchell, Chicago-based Andy Thayer and French Black gay academic and activist Louis-Georges Tin were among those arrested.

"[M]embers of an ultra-Orthodox group had gathered near the Kremlin" to ambush the protesters, reports AFP.

An AFP correspondent saw the police then move in and violently wrestle both activists and members of the religious group to the ground before leading them off in handcuffs to waiting security vans. "We have come here to prevent this event from happening," Orthodox group member Leonid Simonovich-Nikshich said as scuffles raged around him. "God burned down Sodom and Gomorrah and he will burn down Moscow too if we let things like this happen," he told AFP.

Members of the religious group wore black robes and brandished Christian Orthodox cross. An AFP correspondent saw one man rip up a picture of Elton John—the openly gay icon of the global gay and lesbian community.

Eighteen gay activists and 14 anti-gays were arrested, reports UK Gay News, which live-blogged the violent protest.

The gay activists were released this afternoon. Choi also tweeted during his detention and release. More at UK Gay News ...

Russia has been criticized by the State Department for widespread human rights violations. Dozens were arrested when Moscow's riot police violently dispersed a gay rights march in May 2009. The nation's first officially sanctioned LGBT rights protest was November 2010 in St. Petersburg. That was also interrupted by extreme violence.

Choi uploaded video via mobile while in police custody. Watch that, video from the protest and the AP"s report WHEN YOU JUMP ...

READ: Hillary Clinton Statement on Intl Day Against Homophobia

Today is the sixth annual International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). Activities are being observed around the world.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released this statement on behalf of the Obama Administration:

In every part of the world, men and women are persecuted and attacked because of who they are or whom they love. Homophobia, transphobia and the brutal hostility associated with them are often rooted in a lack of understanding of what it actually means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). So to combat this terrible scourge and break the cycle of fear and violence, we must work together to improve education and support those who stand up against laws that criminalize love and promote hate. As we mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia this May 17, let us resolve to redouble our efforts.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am proud to reaffirm our support for LGBT communities at home and abroad, and to call for an end to discrimination and mistreatment of LGBT persons wherever it occurs. Whether by supporting LGBT advocates marching in Belgrade, leading the effort at the United Nations to affirm the human rights of LGBT persons, or condemning a vile law under consideration in Uganda, we are committed to our friends and allies in every region of the world who are fighting for equality and justice. These are not Western concepts; these are universal human rights.

Despite these gains and hard work, there is more to do to turn the tide of inequality and discrimination against the LGBT community. If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, know that the United States stands with you and we are unwavering in our commitment to ending this cycle of hate.

IDAHO and the United Nations Declaration for the Universal Decriminalization of homosexuality were launched by French Black gay activist Louis-Georges Tin. Background HERE and HERE.

Hundreds of Cubans Rally for Gay Rghts in Havana

Hundreds march in the streets of Havana, Cuba as part of the worldwide series of events leading up to International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on May 17. The event was organized by Mariela Castro, the island's lead campaigner for gay rights and niece of Fidel Castro.

The Associated Press:

"We have made progress, but we need to make more progress," said Mariela Castro, a campaigner for gay rights on the island and the leader of Cuba's National Sexual Education Center. She is also the daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro. Workshops and debates held Saturday dealt with issues such as adoption by gay and lesbian couples and whether to legalize gay marriages, a step Mariela Castro has been pushing for years, so far without success.

There have been some recent changes: Two years ago, the state announced its health care system would cover sex reassignment surgery (SRS) for transgenders.

On the other hand: Although the communist nation has allowed IDAHO events for the past two years, authorities have refused to issue permits for gay Pride. In 2008, police shut down what would have been the nation's first gay pride march.

In related news: The Havana Times publishes an interview with a young Cuban lesbian who discusses what life is like for an openly gay person on the island. 

"In the street there’s always someone who says something that isn’t particularly pleasant, mainly men, though there are also women who are homophobic.  I have friends who have had problems in the street and have even been stopped by the police. There is still much misunderstanding about homosexuality.  It’s necessary to continue working so the problem is brought out into the light. I think the need is for everyone to enjoy their own sexuality, without prejudice. I’m brave enough to conduct myself like I am.  So sometimes we walk down the street holding hands and from time to time we show signs of affection."

IDAHO and the United Nations Declaration for the Universal Decriminalization of homosexuality were launched by French black gay activist Louis-Georges Tin. R20 profiled Tin HERE and HERE. Doug Ireland at Gay City News interviews Tin and reports on the global events around IDAHO.

Sarkozy Demotes Rama Yade, Black Cabinet Minister Who Sponsored UN Gay Rights Resolution

An update on Rama Yade, the charismatic young black French human rights minister who was a major player behind the recent United Nations gay rights declaration. Ironically, Yade was sidelined in a dramatic cabinet reshuffling that gives France an openly gay cabinet minister. The Independent:

President Sarkozy also took the opportunity to settle a few scores and punish ministers who had defied or disappointed him. Rama Yade, 32, the strikingly beautiful, Senegalese-born junior foreign minister for human rights, was one of the great symbols of M. Sarkozy's "ouverture" to racial minorities, women and youth when she was first appointed in 2007. She has since angered the President by taking an independent line on Libya and China and refusing to be sent into internal exile to the European Parliament.

So much symbolism was heaped on Mme Yade's appointment, and her personal popularity is so great, that the president dared not fire her outright. The move to sport—and the abolition of her old human rights job—will however be interpreted as a punishment.

Openly gay writer and television presenter Frédéric Mitterrand, nephew of the late President François Mitterrand, becomes the new culture minister.

You May Enjoy ...
French Black Gay Activist Behind UN Declaration [R20]
US Refuses to Sign UN Gay Rights Resolution [R20]
Louis-Georges Tin and IDAHO [R20]

French Black Gay Activist Behind United Nations Declaration

There is a brilliant footnote to the United Nations declaration that calls for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. The resolution is the brainchild of French black gay activist Louis-Georges Tin.

The founder of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) tells UK Gay News, "We are proud of the historical Declaration that was read. This is an historical event. For the first time ever, such a text has been read in the General Assembly of the United Nations."

Tin was profiled on this blog in November 2006 and in The Advocate by journalist Doug Ireland. The French activist said then he would launch a global campaign for a United Nations referendum to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide. It took two years to materialize but how sweet it is ....

The activist secured the help of Nobel prize-winners such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and, worked closely with the French government and French Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade, seen above. "We have worked a lot on this issue, for us it is a great achievement," Tin adds. "I also want to remind that it is a long-term battle."

Bravo to Louis Georges-Tin.

Tin's Pride [UK Gay News]

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Louis-Georges Tin and IDAHO [R20]
Meet Krystian Legierski [R20]

Louis-Georges Tin and the Intl Day Against Homophobia

Later this month, the Paris-based International Day Against Homophobia will launch a global campaign for a United Nations referendum to decriminalize homosexuality worldwide. In the current issue of The Advocate, Doug Ireland interviews Louis-Georges Tin, the 32 year old author, activist and professor who founded IDAHO. This may sound daunting, but Louis-Georges says there is precedent:

In 1994, a citizen of Tasmania who had been condemned for having same-sex relationships won his case in what was then the UN Commission on Human Rights. The commission said his arrest was a breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the right of privacy. We will just ask the UN to extend the jurisprudence to other countries—75 in the world!—where homosexuality is forbidden.

Tin says he is working with South Africa, a member of the UNCHR, to sponsor the resolution. he thought SA would be a natural choice because it was the first country in the world to include non-discrimination against gays in its constitution and "show that LGBT rights is not just a Western issue."

You can't help but admire Louis-Georges. He is half a world away, but, trying to find a legal framework so that all of all gays and lesbians can live and love without fear. Bravo.

More International Black Gay Activism:

Meet Krystian Legierski (Rod 2.0) UN Condemns Cameroon (Rod 2.0) Homophobia and Racism in Estonia (Rod 2.0) Meet Raul Garcia Lao (Rod 2.0) African Gays (Rod 2.0) WWJD? Support Gay Rights (Rod 2.0) Tutu "Ashamed" of Gay Priest Ban (Rod 2.0) Johannesburg Pride (Rod 2.0) Zuma Endorses Same-Sex Bill (Rod 2.0) South African Marriage Update (Rod 2.0) Zuma: Anti-Gay Remarks "Misunderstood" (Rod 2.0) Zuma's Homophobic Weekend (Rod 2.0) Zimbabweans Come Out ... Slowly (Rod 2.0) Zimbabwe Anchor Comes Out (Rod 2.0) Zimbabwe Gay Asylum Plea (Rod 2.0) Yaoundé 9 Free? (Rod 2.0) Yannick Noah on 'Gay List' (Rod 2.0) "I Have a List of 50 Names" (Rod 2.0)