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Russian centre in Nepal stops screening gay film
Russia News.Net
Tuesday 16th February, 2010 (IANS)
Nepal's sexual minorities are stung by the refusal of the Russian Cultural Centre in Kathmandu, run by the Russian government, to screen a documentary on gay rights even though the auditorium at the centre had been booked in advance by Nepal's pioneering gay rights organisation Blue Diamond Society (BDS).
BDS had planned a premiere of 'The Struggle Within', a documentary featuring five people who were discriminated against by the state and public due to their sexual orientations, at the Russian Cultural Centre Monday.
The documentary, made by trade unionist Manoj Pandey, chronicles the hardship faced by a lesbian couple who were fired by the Nepal Army in 2007, a second pair who were thrown out by the Maoists from their People's Liberation Army in 2005 and a transgender worker at a restaurant in Pokhara city who was sacked.
The film was made with support from the European Union, which has been supportive of the gay rights movement in Nepal and has funded schemes to help persecuted gays stand on their own feet economically.
However, the screening of the film was prevented 'at the last moment' by Russian officials.
Russian Culture Centre officials told BDS the show would have to be halted since 'sexual and gender minorities issues are against Russian law and religion'.
'It's very unfortunate that Russian Culture Centre tried to impose Russian law and religion on Nepali soil,' BDS founder and Nepal's only openly gay member of parliament Sunil Pant said, condemning the incident.
'We condemn the Russian Culture Centre's unfortunate decision which is against the Supreme Court's decision and against the Nepal government's policy that is inclusive of sexual and gender minorities.'
The gay rights movement in South Asia received a boost three years ago when Nepal's Supreme Court recognised homosexuality as a natural phenomenon and asked the government to end all discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgenders.
Nepal also became the first country in South Asia to give its nod to same-sex marriages.
Nepal's sexual minorities took part in the historic election in 2008 and are now participating in the process to draft a new constitution that will be promulgated in May.
The BDS is asking the coalition government of Nepal to issue directives to foreign organisations like the Russian Culture Centre to obey Nepal's laws on Nepal's soil and stop discrimination against any Nepali citizen, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.
It is also asking trade unions to look into the matter.
Pant this year started Nepal's first gay tourism agency that is offering gay wedding packages at the foot of Mt Everest and other exotic thrills.
Russian gay rights activists are rallying behind the Nepal organisation.
Russian gay activist Nikolai Alekseev, who heads Moscow Pride and GayRussia, called the incident unacceptable in a democratic society.
'Russia is known for its official institutionalised homophobia,' Alekseev said in a statement from Moscow. 'I can only advise Nepali activists to go to court and challenge this homophobia.'  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Baruh
02-16-10, 11:04 AM |
Russian centre in Nepal stops screening gay film
Dirty perverts want more rights...
Alekseev will go to hell. Bible says to men: don’t sleep with men - that’s a vileness.
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Mahmud
02-16-10, 12:21 PM |
Frankly speaking, all gays are perverts. Modern society is ruining itself by denying that fact. Mass media are trying to instill tolerance into people. But how people can be tolerant to perverts ?
Nobody wants his children being attacked by gay-rapist.
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Roberto Tozzi
02-16-10, 01:03 PM |
Russia is the only country that is still able to resist so called
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Robertino Mazzi
02-16-10, 01:08 PM |
Russia is the only country that is still able to resist so called western values. Viva la Russia ! While Americans and Europeans prefer to love each other into anus and be proud of that, Russia supports the fundamental Christian values.
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WASOBIA
02-16-10, 06:36 PM |
At last we have important country who stand against evil
Long live Russia for upholding moral value against so called western evil value. By the way you all dirty gay and lesbian, if no reproduction would there be children to take your place when you gone? You sick dirty individuals you want to impose your value on we who love morality. God will not allow evil to prevail. You may win sympathy of your agents in the media but you cant change us because we condem the dirty and evil practice.
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Manisha and Bhumika
02-17-10, 12:28 AM |
We are third genders and proud to be so in our country that is in the west
We are third genders from Nepal. We third genders, gays and lesbians have been part of our society always. Lenin recognized people like us during his time but Stalin took the rights in Russia when he came to power. In Hindu and Buddhist religion we are accepted like everybody.
We also don’t like gay or lesbian who rape child but we equally don’t like ant straight man or women who rape child.
But we like and accept and we are liked and accepted in our country that is straight man or women and gay man or women and third genders.
God don’t teach hatred but teaches to love.
Hope you will learn god’s massage one day.
And we are not from west, you guys are from west for us and don’t impose your values on us either...
Manisha and Bhumika
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Manisha and Bhumika
02-17-10, 12:29 AM |
We are third genders and proud to be so in our country that is in the east
We are third genders from Nepal. We third genders, gays and lesbians have been part of our society always. Lenin recognized people like us during his time but Stalin took the rights in Russia when he came to power. In Hindu and Buddhist religion we are accepted like everybody.
We also don’t like gay or lesbian who rape child but we equally don’t like ant straight man or women who rape child.
But we like and accept and we are liked and accepted in our country that is straight man or women and gay man or women and third genders.
God don’t teach hatred but teaches to love.
Hope you will learn god’s massage one day.
And we are not from west, you guys are from west for us and don’t impose your values on us either...
Manisha and Bhumika
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Nicolas
02-17-10, 06:56 AM |
Initially Lenin was a British spy and professional (!!!) revolutionary sponsored by Rothschild family. But despite all that he strongly hated all perverts (gays, lesbians and also probably those who call themselves 3rd gender, though in Lenin’s times there was no even such a conception like 3rd gender). Lenin was a straight man and had wife Nadezhda Krupskaya. Lenin knew that the only place in Russia where the was a possibility of encountering gay or lesbian was The British or American Embassy. In Russia there were no gays and lesbians those times because Russian people were Christians. Stalin was also an Orthodox Christian and would never expect that 50 years after his death Russia would be attacked by dirty perverts and somewhat called 3rd genders.
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Tony Plair
02-17-10, 07:45 AM |
I'm proud to be gay
I’m proud to be gay and proud to tell everybody around me that my lover Danny shoves his long penis into my deep anus. GAY-PRIDE FOREVER !!!
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