OMG, this is what really fricken pisses me off about

a growing number of certain immigrants and I am getting sick and tired:

Russian-speaking Christian fundamentalists, mostly immigrants from the former Soviet Union, have formed a ferocious anti-gay movement in the western U.S.

You know what? Come to this country, but don't come here and try to make life miserable for those who don't meet your cultural standards from back home.

I resent so many of these Slavic immigrants who are actively trying to repress the civil liberties of gays and lesbians and others.

I'm not sure how anyone else feels about this, and I know this isn't the most progressive thing to say......but go the hell home if you don't approve of this country's diversity. Gays and lesbians have enough on our plates trying to deal with American fundies.

I am very pro-immigration (and I've been very consistent about this, including being opposed to the wall on the US/Mexico border). But I draw the line when it comes to working against U.S. civil liberties. Sorry.


======================================================

Anti-Gay Movement of Immigrant Fundamentalist Christians Threatens Western States

By Casey Sanchez, Intelligence Report. Posted October 5, 2007.

In recent months, as energetic Russian-speaking "Russian Baptists" and Pentecostals in these states have organized to bring thousands to anti-gay protests, gay rights activists in Sacramento have picketed Slavic anti-gay churches, requested more police patrols in gay neighborhoods and distributed information cards warning gays and lesbians about the hostile Slavic evangelicals who they say have roughed up participants at gay pride events. Singh's death was the realization of their worst fears.

"After a couple years of fundamentalist and Slavic Christian virulent anti-gay protests at almost every Sacramento gay event in the region," said local gay rights activist Michael Gorman, "what the gay community has feared for some time has finally happened." :puke:

http://www.alternet.org/rights/64336/

Have them charged with a hate crime, and once they serve their sentence deport their hate filled asses back to Mother Russia! In the mean time have someone start taking photos of these "good christian folk", and distribute them both in the GLBT community and online.

It says in the article that 700 teenagers showed up to a protest. Thats an awful lot of people to be passing their pictures around - and that is just the teenagers. I can't even begin to think of how many adults there are for each teen.

K/R for this, every GLBT person in CA needs to read this article and be aware.

(There are very high concentrations of Russians in a lot of Gay enclaves - West Hollywood has a lot - not saying any of them are the people from the article. We need to make sure that not all Russians are grouped with the hate filled ones while at the same time being careful to know your surroundings and where to go if your in need of help)

It pisses me off so much I don't even know what to say. All I can come up with are cuss words. Where do these jerks get off doing this crap?

The adults pack that philosophy in their suitcases and bring it here.

I read most of the article. I had to stop because it angered and hurt my sense of what is honestly right and wrong. I can't even form the words to articulate my anger and disgust at these people - any person or group who would behave in such a vile manner.

The first time I heard the word, homosexualist, was in Miami a few years ago. It disgusted me then and it disgusts me now.

These people are the abomination. What did that guy in the article say about abominations? Well, these so-called Chrisitan people are an abomination like thieves, adulterers and murderers! I've no use for them. Whatever positive they may be offering to our society is totally, without a doubt, negated by these acts.


Edited for misspelled word.

First generation immigrants are likely to not understand civil liberties, but it's probably a generational thing like learning the English language.

But I share your frustration when I see immigrants who one would think come to America to be free, but instead expect us to operate like their oppressive governments, and vote for people like Republicans because apparently they appear more familiar to them.

As far as their organized efforts go, I would hope that law enforcement would label this organized crime and deal with it immediately.

My dislike of these people is completely independent of where they come from and their immigration status.

:shrug:

born here and learn their bigotry from their parents/other relatives.

But I still think there's something fundamentally wrong with moving to a foreign country (especially one known for it's freedom) and trying to impose one's cultural beliefs from back home on people in one's new homeland.

It's just wrong and I think it's a fair issue.


(and hopefully you read the entire story I posted so you get a fair indication of what's going on)

while i sympathize with the poor of any country, bangladeshi/indian/pakistani immigrants in my neighbourhood (all of nyc) are very homophobic.

it makes me very conflicted with the whole situation.

but i didnt move so far away from home to deal with the same level of homophobia.

Roseville, Citrus Heights, Antelope, Foothill Farms and North Highlands. My two sons graduated from, and my daughter now attends, Highland High which has a high Russian/Ukranian attendance level. We have felt the impact of these religious nuts badgering the administration over how sinful things like Halloween and the Day of Silence are. And the administration panders to them. I couldn't believe when I was reading the school rules and types of clothing that are unacceptable. Right next to mention of shirts with profanity, sex and drugs it said no clothing with anything Satanic. I called the vice-principal and asked if they would apply the same to anything religious. I got a hang up. I'm getting pretty sick of it all and each day my patience wears a bit more thin. My daughter's back pack is covered with Wiccan stuff, so I wonder if they will call about that. Thank goodness Monday will be her last day there. She's transferring to a fundamental school six miles away where they'll challenge her mind instead of trying to fill it with Jeebus.

the news about the Russian kids who wore "sodomy is wrong," etc., etc. t-shirts to class at Rio Americano HS, and when administrators told them they had to turn them inside out, the kids' parents picketed outside the school? :wtf:

I live in Roseville, so I know the area you're talking about.

They had that idiot minister from the big Baptist church on Del Paso Blvd, the one that cost his flock several hundred thousand dollars in a scam, leading them. Ya know, can't show no tolerance to them scary homofied people!!

Christian Center off of Bradshaw & 50 aren't more active!

Maybe they feel there are enough homophobic Slavic people to "handle things!"

And it's not just where we live! I have a friend in L.A. who says there are a bunch of them in Southern California as well! :puke:

:puke:

When folks come for the MONEY and bring cultural/political attitudes that're inimical to human rights, we get what we deserve: the loss of our democracy.

wrong, so to speak, with moving to a new country and then trying to suppress civil liberties/religious beliefs, etc.

I wouldn't immigrate to Israel and picket Jewish events, claiming that I thought Judaism was wrong in the name of Christianity.

I also feel less than welcoming to new residents who bring their anti-woman attitudes with them, whether being anti-choice because their church tells them to be, or assuming that women who don't wear headscarves or skirts are whores, or the cultural attitude that women should live to please men.

You want to come here with retro attitudes? Then keep away from hard fought for GLBT and women's rights and progress.

:thumbsup:

Fundamentalists exist and find each other. Bah to fundies.

They didn't bring Russian anti-gay hate. They were given ours then came here.

My wife is Orthodox Bulgarian. She hates no one.

The virus of Fundamentalist Christianity spreads over there, then it re-infects us when people immigrate here. :-(

has nothing to do with american fundamentalism.

Orthodox Christianity existed in Russia long before the founding of America.
http://books.google.com/books?id=2cP0wc_E6yEC&dq=history+of+orthodox+christianity+in+russia&pg=PA1&ots=v4EV5L3atD&sig=BqCky7NdrLCKu3lsjvliRxZb3gc&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dhistory%2Bof%2Borthodox%2Bchristianity%2Bin%2Brussia%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1

edit: I should say I say this because gays in Russia and other eastern European countries are being persecuted, not only by skinhead types and orthodox leaders but by the gov't itself.

As someone who has lived in Russia and Eastern Europe...yeah there is some gay bashing there...mostly drunken idiots with complexes of their own, but the folks in the story? Coverted fundies.

"Between 80,000 and 100,000 Slavic immigrants live in the Sacramento region, the highest concentration in the United States, and the city is home to some 70 Russian fundamentalist congregations. A third of the Slavic population considers themselves evangelicals or "Russian Baptists," a doctrine that is unrelated ideologically or organizationally to American Baptist churches. (Ironically, many of them emigrated to the United States beginning in the late 1980s to escape religious persecution in what was then still part of the Soviet Union.) Meanwhile, nearly 10% of the actual city of Sacramento's 450,000 residents openly identify as gay or lesbian -- almost 45,000 men and women. Only a small handful of cities, like Seattle and San Francisco, boast higher percentages of openly gay and lesbian residents."

(from link)

they maybe be going to branches of American churches but the sentiments they are expressing are common in their home countries among skinheads and religious extremists, and they were probably raised with parents and grandparents that felt this way. This is a chicken or egg arguement; I think it's naive to assume these people were 'converted' to homophobia when there is more than ample evidence that among the far right in Russia/eastern European countries it is common and in fact the gov't supports it. Those regions are like pre-Stonewall America, which you wouldn't notice unless you are the gay person getting bashed.

Let's give them one of those islands that are only slightly above sea level. Then when the waters rise over them from global warming, they can all pretend they're being raptured.

is because of orthodox christian priests preaching against them. That and skinheads. Religion is a major influence part of this.
some articles at this link attest to the atmosphere there.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/

:kick:

I worked with a Ukranian immigrant, a young guy who was very nice. He'd met a girl here who had been adopted from Russia and had gotten her pregnant and they were getting married. We worked side by side for about 3 weeks. One night halfway through the shift, he and girlfriend disappear. It turns out that the idiot redneck b*tch that worked on the machine beside ours had taken dislike to him. Because they only had one car, his pregnant girlfriend would accompany him to work and sleep in the car during his shift (about 5 hours). Well, the morans we worked with made the assumption that they were homeless. The bottom-feeder I mentioned above went to personnel and told them that the guy was poorly groomed and stunk. So management confronted him, and needless to say he got pissed and took his girlfriend, and quit. Pure and simple racism, no way around it (he did NOT stink and he wasn't poorly groomed at all. The reason for her sleeping in the car was in case anything happened with her pregnancy, and it was a graveyard shift anyway).

It pisses me off because the Russian/Ukranian immigrants are subject to racism in the town I am from. And then for them to turn around and apply bigotry to American citizens (because this is the prevalent attitude toward gays in their home countries) makes me doubly sick. I'm with you, Cboy4, they can go the fuck home. I live in a town with a humongous hispanic population, and I love it, because it's such a right-wing reactionary cesspit that I feel like standing at the county line with a sign that says "welcome to america, make yourselves at home!". But these orthodox and or skinhead types can kiss my ass. I remember when some of my favorite ice skaters went to Russia for a competition last year, there was a lot of concern among fans for the ones that were obviously gay because there was so much crap going on there at the time. Here is an article on their last Pride March...when I saw the videos of the one last year I was moved to tears by the unbelievable bravery of their activists. The march had been outlawed and the marchers were arrested and dragged off.
This one sounds like it hasn't gone any better.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6696329.stm

A gay rights demonstration in Moscow degenerated into violence for the second year running as right-wing and orthodox extremists attacked gay rights activists and supporters of the unauthorised demonstration.



Of course, there is a fundie org in Charlotte that's life mission is to drive Pride (and gays) right out of Charlotte.

great link here:
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/

"An exclusive video shot by an European Parliament officier. Showing the Tatu duo, European MP Marco Cappato arrested by Russian officials, Gay Pride participants assualted by naziskin and member of the Orthodox Church in front of the accomplice Russian Police."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv70fu-Ehxw

another one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LM9XEVf8HE
the guy from "Right Said Fred" was attacked as well. He said "We were shocked by the way the Moscow police appeared to be colluding with the crowd and in fact allowed them to attack us."

another one of Richard Fairbrass (Right Said Fred) getting punched
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_j0m1N0JKY
Thank god for youtube.

the guys in the blue cammies are the Russian state police, same guys who roughed everyone up last year, still trying to find that video

also, an article on last year's march
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/02/russia13495.htm

Russia: Investigate Attacks on Gay Pride March
Freedoms of Assembly and Expression Must Be Protected
(Moscow, June 2, 2006) – Russian authorities must launch a full investigation into the violent attacks on peaceful gay pride activists in Moscow on May 27 and prosecute those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. The investigation must also encompass the police response to the attacks. Human Rights Watch called on the authorities to drop charges against participants in pride events for taking part in “an unsanctioned demonstration.”

On May 27, several dozen Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, accompanied by Russian and foreign supporters, sought to hold two successive protest rallies, one to lay flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall, and the second a vigil at City Hall in support of freedoms of assembly and expression. Organizers of Moscow’s lesbian and gay pride festival decided to hold these events after a court upheld Mayor Yuri Luzkhov’s ban on a pride march planned for that day.

At the sites of both events, hundreds of anti-gay protesters, including skinheads, nationalists, and Orthodox followers, attacked the participants, beating and kicking many, while throwing projectiles and chanting, “Russia free of faggots! Death to sodomites!”

Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's son, about ten or twelve years ago. He was a young adult Russian immigrant, a "skinhead wannabe" and flat-out told the police that "we don't need his kind here in this country." And yet he had only been in the USA for a few years!!!!! Who the FUCK was he to decide what "kind" "needed" to be in the country he wasn't even born and raised in, whereas the minority "kind" he hated were born-and-raised American citizens!!!

Fuck these people and their bullshit, send their goddamn asses right the hell back where they came if they don't like the culture here.