Gay rights activists clasp hands as they march during a tradition May Day rally in St. Petersburg, Russia, Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The poster reads, “We demand the abolition of the homophobic law!”
Photo: AP / Dmitry Lovetsky
(via brentpruitt)
In the tradition of stonewall
NYC Pride Parade March, June 1994
Queer kiss-in protests met with opposition and arrests in Russia
Watch the protest and arrests on video
From the Russian LGBT Network:
Today, 19 December 2012, Russian LGBT activists in different cities took to the streets protesting against a new amendment (article 6.13.1) to the Administrative Offences Code of the Russian Federation which creates administrative responsibility for so called ‘propaganda of homosexualism”. The protests were took place despite the fact that the State Duma moved the first reading of draft law at the very last moment to 22 January 2013.
In Moscow 20 activists from Russian LGBT network and Equality March gathered for a series of one-man pickets with banners “We are against article 6.13.1”, “For freedom of views and believes, against totalitarian law” and other. The pickets took place from 9:00 till 11:00 near the Russian State Duma building. And although at the same time the pickets of so called Orthodox activists took place nearby, there were no one arrested.
At 12:00 LGBT activists approached the Duma to hold a “Propaganda of love” protest act involving couples kissing in front of the Duma building (homosexual as well as heterosexual ones). In several minutes the Orthodox activists started to throw eggs at the LGBT activists, some of aggressive men attacked the couples. The police arrested 18 people around 12:30. Among them were 11 participants, 5 Orthodox activists and 2 journalists. All arrested were handed into a prison truck, where they were kept for more than two hours without being informed about the reason of their arrest. Now they are still in the police station.
In Saint Petersburg there were also one man pickets. 5 LGBT activists from “St.Petersburg LGBT-organization Coming Out” and from the “Straights for the LGBT equality Alliance” protested in Malaya Sadovaya Street. The police watched the pickets but arrested no one.
In -35C frozen Tomsk Russian LGBT network activist Natalia Mizina protested in front of the regional Administration building for 30 minutes. She wasn’t arrested as well.
There was an approved protest rally in Samara. It’s interesting that the city government rejected the rally in the proposed place but approved it in the Safono’s boulevard near a school. Six people took place in a rally, there were about the same number of policemen and journalists. Some of people passing by took side of the activists. No one was arrested in Samara despite the fact that there is a law prohibiting so called “propaganda of homosexuality”.
In Arkhangelsk there were 3 pickets near the Regional Deputy Assembly for the Russian LGBT network campaign “Against article 6.13.1”.
Photos by Misha Japaridze/AP
From Russia With Love
Queer activists are pelted with eggs, shoved, harassed and arrested at ‘Kiss In’ demonstration.
Hands Around the Capitol, political demonstration
1996 NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt: Photography Retrospective
Photos by Brent Pruitt
Twenty years ago today, the New Museum was draped in black in recognition of Day Without Art—the national day of action and mourning in response to the AIDS crisis. The LED sign from “Let The Record Show…” was installed in the Museum’s Broadway window and programmed with current statistical information on the AIDS crisis by Gran Fury and ACT UP. Please join us today as we recognize Day With(out) Art with a special screening of Jim Hubbard’s United in Anger: A History of ACT UP.
(via artqueer)
Gay Liberation Front pickets Barney’s Beanery regarding their posting of “Fagots [sic] Stay Out” signs. 1969.
[Barney’s Beanery Owner] John Anthony put up a sign among the old license plates and other ephemera along the wall behind the bar that read “FAGOTS [sic] – STAY OUT”. Though the owner was known to be antagonistic towards gays, going as far as posing (in front of his sign) for a picture in a 1964 Life article on “Homosexuality in America” over a caption where he exclaims “I don’t like ‘em…”, the sign was ostensibly put up as a response to pressure from the police who had a tendency towards discriminatory practices against homosexuals and consequently establishments that catered to the group.
The owner died in 1968, and efforts continued to have the sign removed. A coalition of gay activist groups organized a zap of the restaurant on February 7, 1970, to push for its removal. The sign came down that day. The sign was put up and taken down several times over the next 14 years, and the restaurant’s matchbooks also bore the line, but the practice ended in December 1984, days after the city of West Hollywood voted itself into existence. The then-mayor, Valerie Terrigno, the entire city council and gay rights activists marched into Barney’s and relieved the wall of the offending sign. It was held by Morris Kight for many years and now rests in the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives.
Queer Nation protest at Basic Instinct movie premiere
