Russian Gays Talk 'Homosexual Propaganda'€™ and Life in New York

Last night, about 100 people gathered at New York’s LGBT Community Center to talk about strategies for fighting Russia’s new law against “homosexual propaganda” — a measure that bans most forms of gay public expression. Attending the event, convened by the groups RUSA LGBT and Queer Nation, were about a dozen LGBT Russian New Yorkers, including both longtime residents and recent arrivals. With their American supporters, they discussed ideas ranging from vodka pour-outs to marches in front of New York’s Russian Orthodox churches — church leaders in Russia support the law — to campaigns against U.S. corporations, such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, that have a large presence in Russia and are sponsoring the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi.

We checked in with some of the Russian attendees to see how they feel about their country’s new crackdown on gays, what should be done about it, and where to get the best Russian food in New York City.

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