On April 24, 2010 22 cities in Russia will become quieter as they will take part in the Day Of Silence. Day of Silence is an international protest against discrimination, harassment and abuse faced by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBTs) and the silencing of these problems.

This year Day of Silence will take place in Arkhangelsk, Voronezh, Vladivostok, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Kemerovo, Kirov, Krasnodar, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Perm, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Samara, St. Petersburg, Severodvinsk, Syktyvkar, Cheboksary, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen.

Most cities will take part with a Silent Flashmob. Participants with their mouths taped shut will pass through the streets of their cities giving out leaflets and speaking cards to the passersby:

"Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, an international youth movement protesting the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) and allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?"

In St. Petersburg a street action by organization Coming Out was cancelled due to the lack of time to consider during its preparation the new circumstances that became evident after April 18, when participants of the Soap Bubbles celebration were attacked by neo-Nazis and football hooligans who mistook it for an LGBT event. In this regard director of the organisation Coming Out Igor Kochetkov (Petrov) sais: "We saw who confronts us: We understand clearly that those security measures that we used last year may not work this year. While developing and introducing new measures within a few days is impossible. Coming Out became first organisation to carry out street actions of the LGBT community in St. Petersburg. It is still the only organisation that is able to carry out mass street LGBT actions. Thus our decision is based on our experience and on the data already collected within a social investigation of the events of April 18. On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, we organise RainbowFlash which I believe will be even brighter than last year. I hope to see you all there."

Valery Sozaev, coordinator of the Day Of Silence sais: "Homophobia does not hurt only LGBT. Very often it turns against heterosexuals as well. Homophobic name-calling in schools for instance is often directed against heterosexual kids as well, just because they don't conform the stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. That is why traditionally not only LGBTs partici[ate in the Day Of Silence, but also heterosexuals who understand that homophobia, harassment and violence are bad." Valery Sozaev hopes that this event will contribute to the ending of silence and hatred that face LGBT people.

In 2008 Russian LGBT network carried out research on discrimination and civil rights violation of LGBTs. According to the research 56% of LGB experienced various forms of discrimination, offending their human dignity treatment, insults and physical violence because of their sexual orientation. Even larger number of people are forced to lead a double-life, hiding their sexual orientation. There are grounds to suppose that in the T-community almost everyone experiences transphobia and discrimination because of their gender identity. Day Of Silence is one of the ways to make harassment and offences against LGBT people unacceptable.

Let us remind that Day Of Silence is carried out in Russia since 2008. Three cities participated in it then: St. Petersburg, Novokuznetsk, Yaroslavl. In 2009 there were already nine cities participating in the Day of Silence. In St. Petersburg there were over 100 participants then, they went with their mouths taped shut all along Nevsky prospect in a Silent Flashmob. That 4 times exceeded the number of participants in the 2008 Day Of Silence.

Day of Silence in Russia website: http://dayofsilence.lgbtnet.ru

For more information:
Valery Sozaev
nuntiare@gmail.com
+7-906-229-25-60