Hi from Russia

[predator_boy]

Hi, I'm from Russia, Catholic. I belong to a minority in all senses of this word: in Russia Catholics are a minority; in the Church I'm a minority because I'm a free-thinker; in the society I'm a minority because I'm attracted by men and in the gay society I'm a minority because I'm attracted at the same time by women (so I'm a bisexual):lol:. My experience of "coming out" is not encouraging: neither my friends nor my parents know my real identity (and I don't plan to tell it to them as I plan to marry and I don't want my prospective wife to suspect me), but in Church once I tried to confess it, and the priest even didn't give me an absolution, so angry he was. Well, see u all later in this forum...:pray:

[Daniel]

Hi PBoy,

Welcome to the SF forum. I think you'll find many here who have similar interests: I've been practicing meditation and yoga for some time now, though I must say that I was never interested in sports or party-life!

I've been following news of the gay rights march/parade in Moscow and can surmise from this how difficult having same-sex attract must be for you in your country.

Thank you for reminding me about Teilhard de Chardin. He is buried North of New York City (where I live) at St.Andrew's on Hudson. It's interesting to reflect on his work joining Christian theology with the natural sciences in light of the efforts made by Christian conservatives to dress up old ideas in new clothing- Intellegent Design being it's current form. In light of this, Chardin's ideas are just as provocative today as the day they were written.

I hope to you hear more from you here. Welcome!

[predator_boy]

I've been following news of the gay rights march/parade in Moscow and can surmise from this how difficult having same-sex attract must be for you in your country.

I should say that it's not;) In Moscow we have many gay places (clubs, bars, etc) and there are many gays that do not hide their sexuality. But normally the society (and especially the Church-oriented groups) are opposing the "publicity" of homosexuality. I don't have problems living with a boy. Normally it's a kind of histeria, instigated by mass-media (both Russian and Western) and somehow connected with electoral campaign. Gays had problems when there was communism:-)

As for the gay march I support neither side: gays shouldn't have chosen the sacred places of Moscow to express their sexuality and the Government shouldn't have been so rough.

[Daniel]

As for the gay march I support neither side: gays shouldn't have chosen the sacred places of Moscow to express their sexuality and the Government shouldn't have been so rough.


What you mention about 'sacred places in Moscow' caught me eye. This may be something that hasn't come out in the reporting here. What do you mean by sacred places? Marching past a church? In a national square?

Has the Western media made things difficult for Russian gays in any way? We have our own campaign in the media here regarding an Anti-gay marriage amendment to our Constitution (It is not likely to pass). It is being used as a way of energizing the conservative base for elections in November.

From what you relate, it sounds as though Russian culture wants to have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. Something very much like our own military.

[Jennifer5]

Welcome PBoy!:)

[Lydia]

welcome, Predator Boy.

Are monkeys one of your favourite animals, by any chance? :)

[predator_boy]

Daniel, what I meant is that gays are quite free in Russia, just like any other group of people that are not involved in illegal activities. When I'm reading the Western press about Russia or even the articles by Russian gay activists I'm always surprised: where do they find the information about the so called oppression of gays? I've lived in Russia since my childhood and I've never had any problems in going to gay places or loving boys. It seems to me that these guys are just leading an anti-Putin campaign or something. Another question is (which is in no case connected with the legislation or the State's politics) that moral values of most religious communities in our country do not accept homosexuality as it is. And these people may pronounce anti-gay speeches or organize anti-gay marches, etc. But the same things exist in most countries of the world. We can't prohibit the religion to follow its dogmas and scriptures. As citizens we all have equal rights. (I'm not discussing gay marriages here, it's a disputable issue in most european countries). But what happened this time: gay activists decided to start their march in a very sacred place in the centre of Moscow, which is revered both by believers and atheists - "the eternal flame", monument for the WW II heroes. It's a site prohibited for any social or political activities and is open only for presidential official celebrations of the Victory Day. I wonder why gays decided that they have more rights to march in this site than any other group or a political party? And of course, a march devoted to exposing one's sexuality in such a revered, even religious place, insulted feelings of the majority of our society (even the most popular Russian gay singer, who always speaks in favour of gays, took a grave view of the march).

Jennifer5, hi, thanks;)

Lydia, well, we are all children of monkeys;)

[Mia14]

You're a great addition to our group, predatorboy!

[Zerbie]

Howdy, P-boy, good to officially meetcha!