In an opinion piece posted on openDemocracy Russian LGBT+ activist Diane Garshina wrote about the local queer community’s response to the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The government’s actions are appalling, violence is never the answer, and we, as the Russian people, obviously did not choose this. This is not our war,” writes Garshina.
“But it is impossible to escape the thought that, somehow, you have let the unforgivable happen right under your nose; that right now, on the other side of the Ukrainian border, people are fleeing their homes and fearing for their lives because of troops carrying your flag. The helplessness that comes with that realization is too overwhelming to bear,” says Garshina.
“Making proclamations might appear fruitless, because the Russian government has consistently been deaf and blind to the pleas of its people. However, it is also a way of uniting the community, of encouraging people to take a stand. The ultimate goal is to move each individual to believe that, if you yell loudly enough, if you do not let yourself stop, if you join in the chorus of other voices just like yours, eventually you will be heard.”
READ MORE HERE:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/5050/a-message-from-a-russian-lgbt-activist/
