Post 4

Dear reader,
As you have probably heard, today we had a screening of documentary “Young and Gay in Putin’s Russia” by VICE magazine. The description to the movie is:

“When Russian President Vladimir Putin banned gay "propaganda" in June last year, Russia's LGBT community went from being a stigmatized fringe group to full-blown enemies of the state. Homophobia becoming legislation means it’s now not only accepted in Russia but actively encouraged, which has led to a depressing rise in homophobic attacks and murders.The main aim of the law, which essentially bans any public display of homosexuality, is to prevent minors from getting the impression that being gay is normal. This means that, if you’re young and gay in Putin’s Russia, you’re ostracized and cut off from any kind of legal support network.”

It’s the second time I was watching it but still I couldn't stay emotionless during the screening. It shows all the horror gay people (especially teenagers) have to go through living in Russia. Keep in mind that my message here is that people suffer and we do need to stop it. I do not say that Russia is the only country that ignores the rights of its citizen, no; there are many other countries in the world that have the same issues. I want to talk about Russia because it is MY country, I was born there, I grew up there, and my whole family lives there. Anti-gay law does not directly affect ME but it affects people I deeply care about. This law is not the first one that to some extend limits people’s rights. And I am afraid it is not the last one. Who knows, maybe next time I will be oppressed and who will stand up for me? Gay people haven’t done anything wrong but they suffer only because their views do not match ours. So, what if my view will become one of those unaccepted ones (let’s use our imagination and, say, substitute the word “gay” with “atheist”)? Just ask yourself this question, reader.
You all know Niemöller’s poem: 

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
There was no one left to speak out.

Also, if you missed the screening but want to watch it, here is the link.