Yesterday I went with my partner to celebrate IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) at the XXL Club in Southwark and to launch a fantastic new project called
'A Day in Hand', which included photos of many same sex couples and indeed of same sex friends holding hands in various places around the world. The website is here
http://www.adayinhand.com/ It is being called a 'Silent Revolution' as it makes the point that LGBTIQ people are visible everywhere and that the most obvious way that we have of expressing our love in the open is to hold hands. The point was made by several speakers that there are many countries where such actions are not only illegal but in 8 countries could lead to death.
The excellent Sue Sanders of Schools Out and LGBT History Month spoke along with David Watkins, who is the main inspiration for the project, which ties in very well with IDAHO. A young black gay poet spoke about his experience of a homophobic attack because he was holding his partner's hand on the riverbank near the Tate and he recited a poem of his which has appeared on Channel 4 and on various radio stations. The infamous Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence joined us and told us about the 30th anniversary of the world celebration of the foundation of the order in San Francisco a few months ago. I did not speak at the event but I introduced myself as a European Parliamentary Candidate for the Greens in London and distributed many of our campaign leaflets - people were in general supportive and many said that they would vote Green on June 4th either in London or in the South East.
One of the photos on display was that of Peter Tatchell holding David's hand outside the South Bank Centre in London just before he left for Moscow. Of course, the events there were mentioned and the fact that IDAHO has never seemed more relevant. There is a report on events there and how they impacted (or not as the case may be) on the Eurovision Song Contest there on Saturday. Peter was praised as someone who is always prepared to put himself on the line for the LGBTIQ community worldwide. I made it clear to many of the people there that there are two openly gay candidates on the London European Parliamentary list for the Greens and of the importance of getting the LGBTIQ community to vote on June 4th against the BNP. The photos were amazing and as Sue said it is incredible that such a collection has been put together in only three months. But it is an ongoing project and one well worth supporting. One of the highlights of the launch was a radio recording from BBC Radio Solent, where two straight radio presenters decided to hold hands together and walk down the main street in Southampton. The reception they received was very positive but as they both said later, it gave them an idea of what same sex couples have to experience on a regular basis.
The final photoshoot was of all of us holding hands, including two lesbian wheelchair users and their dog - a truly inclusive vision. Don't see the photo on the website yet but my partner and I are in the second row on the far right.
Police Violence Clouds 'Best Ever' Eurovision 18 May 2009 / Anna Malpas / The Moscow Times
Russia won high praise from organizers and participants alike for its hosting of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday, complete with hovering swimming pools, Dima Bilan "flying" over the audience and a live speech from an astronaut in the international space station.But international reaction was clouded by the violent suppression of a gay rights protest earlier in the day that threatened to tarnish a national image that Russia had spend millions of dollars trying to buff.The winner, Norway's "Fairy Tale," performed by Belarussian-born Alexander Rybak, 23, won a record 387 votes, against 218 for second-place Iceland.The event was reported around the world alongside stories about the gay rights protest in Moscow. The New York Times gave scant coverage to the contest in a story about riot police breaking up the gay rally. Britain's Sunday Herald newspaper headlined its story, "Inside: Eurovision, The Campest Show on Earth. Outside: Riot Police Round Up Moscow's Gays."For Russia, hosting the contest was a costly prestige project. The exact price tag remains unknown, but Channel One director Konstantin Ernst, who organized the event, said it totaled more than 24 million euros ($32.3 million).
A government official told Vedomosti this month that the show cost more than $42 million, a figure in line with promises made when Russia won the right to host the contest last year. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov announced at the time that the Russian government would give 1 billion rubles (then worth about $40 million), while the Moscow city government, which oversaw the crackdown on the gay rally after banning it, said it would allocate 200 million rubles ($8 million).President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have described Russia's victory last year that gave it the right to host the event as important for the country. Putin even sent Dima Bilan, last year's winner, a telegram saying his achievement was "another triumph for all of Russia," coming after Zenit St. Petersburg winning the UEFA Cup football final and Russia winning the World Ice Hockey Championship.With such high expectations, Eurovision 2009 was under unprecedented media scrutiny, with a record 2,238 accredited journalists.
Gay rights activists said Russia ruined its reputation internationally with the police clampdown on the rally."In the minds of most European people, this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be linked to the violent suppression of a wholly peaceful protest," British activist Peter Tatchell said Sunday. He was detained at the march but released without charges."The universal reaction from journalists, politicians and members of the public [in Britain] is utter revulsion at the scenes of police brutality and suppression that they saw on the television news," Tatchell said.He said he was "disappointed" that no contestants spoke out against police brutality. "They were under huge pressure from their own managers and from the Russian organizers not to bring any politics to the event," he said.Gordon Heuckeroth, an openly gay singer in The Netherlands' entry, De Toppers, had said he planned to go to the rally but did not show.
The organizer of the protest, Nikolai Alexeyev, said he believed that he was detained overnight to keep him from disrupting the final. "I think the main idea was to keep me and other people in the police station to prevent us doing anything during Eurovision," he said.The strategy misfired, Alexeyev said: "I can tell you the image of Russia after all that is totally spoiled. Obviously, this is not a democratic country that respects human rights."European Broadcasting Union, which owns Eurovision, has declined to enter the controversy. "As guests in Moscow, we feel obliged to organize the event within the limits of local law. If organizers of other events decide differently, that is up to their judgment," the association's spokesman Sietse Bakker said last week.
At a news conference after the final, Bakker called the event "the best Eurovision Song Contest we have ever had."However, one of the first questions from reporters was about the police action against the gay rally."I think it's a little bit sad that they chose to have the protest today. They spent all their energy on that parade, while the biggest gay parade in the world was tonight," Rybak, this year's winner, said in an answer that skirted around the police violence.
Talking on the sidelines of the contest, former State Duma Deputy Alexei Mitrofanov criticized the treatment of the protesters. "I think it was completely unnecessary. They shouldn't have done it. In what way could 30 young men be a public danger? It's not even as if they blocked any roads," he said.The Eurovision final ran smoothly -- most of the time, anyway -- and was warmly received by the audience.Hours before the 11 p.m. start, the Olimpiisky Sports Complex was surrounded by flag-waving fans. Sporting Union Jack flag face paint and a beaded Russian headdress, Helena Davidson from London praised Russia for its handling of the semifinals. "It's putting on an amazing show. I can't wait for tonight," she said.Moscow police said there were no incidents at the event. Officers were courteous as crowds maneuvered through multiple barriers and metal detectors.
The show began with last year's winner, Bilan, suspended from a wire in the roof and swooping onto the stage, where he launched into his Eurovision song, "Believe."The hosts were popular comedian Ivan Urgant and pop singer Alsou. Making his English-language debut, Urgant seemed relaxed in his interaction with the audience. "Are you enjoying my flawless British accent?" he asked the crowd to screams of approval.There were a few hitches: Bilan couldn't free himself from his flying harness and had to be helped by a backing dancer. The screen flickered as Azerbaijan announced its votes and a bizarre interval act involving performers splashing in suspended swimming pools drew a muted reaction. The linkup with the international space station had unclear sound at times.Because of the time difference with Western Europe, about a third of the audience drifted away before all the votes were announced, leaving conspicuously empty spaces. Nevertheless, Norway's victory with "Fairy Tale" was greeted with deafening cheers.In his acceptance speech, Rybak switched between English and unaccented Russian, repeating, "Thank you so much, spasibo bolshoye, Rossiya."
