6/5/11

Pioneer Russian Gender Queer Anna Komarova about His Life and The 2011 Pride

The 2011 Moscow Pride is now history, ending much like previous years with the Russian government doing its best to crush it. But this year, unlike most previous pride events it was held in the time and place as advertised.

And this year the authorities choose to ignore international law abdicating their social responsibility. Witnesses reported seeing the police facilitate the criminals who assaulted the LGBTQ marchers then violated international law by arresting them.

But the big news is for the first time in Russia a person who identifies as Genderqueer was visible as a leader of the Russian LGBT Pride Parade. This years pride also garnered additional international media attention by the arrests of gay rights activists Dan Choi and Peter Tatchell.

I wanted to get to know this man, GenderQueer Anna Komarova. I wanted to explore what makes him tick. What makes this person live authentically day to day in his country where such audacity is often rewarded with violence and even death.

This is a interview with Russian Transactivist extraordinaire Anna Komarova.

Kelli Busey: "You do not want to be identified as female, tell us about your identity?"

In his words:

Anna Komarova: "Of course I feel myself under the transgender umbrella. My speech at the press-conference of Moscow Pride was about transgender rights including transsexuals, transvestites and genderqueers. And my sign at Moscow Pride was "Trans rights are human rights". But I was arrested immediately as soon as I took it out of my pocket. So I couldn't even to fold it out."

AK: "I don't hide my identity anywhere and I face a lot of problems. People reject my gender identity at my job. For example, they refuse to use masculine gender when they talk to me. I'm not a transsexual so I can not say them that I will reassign my sex in documents and the sex in my documents will coincide with my gender. I can't get the documents which reflects my gender status. (That's why I'm sure that it would be better to kick out any gender and sex labels from our documents. And it would be better for realization of gender equality by the way. We say a lot about gender equality but there is no one country which stopped to use gender (sex) labels in documents. That's enough if there would be an option to point your gender (sex) if you would like to do it but gender signs shouldn't be necessary in personal documents.) It's easy to lose your job if you aren't a cis-gender and if you would like to be opened in your gender identity there. It seems to me that it's almost impossible to get a job with a high status if you are a genderqueer."


KB: Were there other Transgender people at the Pride Parade?

AK: "And there was another one transgender at Moscow Pride 2011. He is a member of GayRussia since 2007. And one more MtF transgender took part in our actions a lot of times in 2010. And I hope she will take part in them in future."

AK: "I took part in TDOR in St. Petersburg in 2010. It was the first authorised
LGBTQ-action in St.Petersburg and the second one in Russia after the decision of European Court of Human Rights which said that bans of Moscow Prides 2006-2008 were unlawful."


KB: The Orthodox Church in Russia has spoken out against Pride. Are there any religious institutions welcoming to LGBTQ people in Russia?

AK: "There was a small Orthodox church which was independent from Moscow Patriarchy and which openly accepted LGBTQ. And I heard about Judaic church which accepted LGBTQ. I know nothing about both of them now. But there are small communities of LGBT Christians in Moscow and in St.Petersburg."

KB: What is it like the days before this PRIDE knowing it would end in bloodshed?

AK: "Usually I absolutely quiet at the pointed days of dangerous actions. But I'm nervous some days before them. At the day of Pride I think about my aim to realise what I planned and nothing more. I feel nothing. Maybe it's difficult to be nervous several days in a row before Moscow Pride but anyway I feel pleasant quietness inside me at the day of Moscow Pride. I'm single so I spend all my nights and mornings with my comrades before Moscow Pride."

KB: Tell us about your arrest at the 2011 Moscow Pride Parade.

AK: "I was arrested in a few seconds. Police attacked me from behind, turned out my arms and I found myself on my knees with my head near the ground. Somebody kicked my by my head 2-4 times and then I was led to a police car where counter protesters were and the correspondent of Novaya Gazeta Elena Kostyuchenko was. Elena came out at her blog at the day of Pride, took part in Moscow Pride, was beaten, was arrested, then she spent several days at a hospital and she is at home now. What about me: I got a brain concussion at Moscow Pride 2007 but this year I'm fine. So I'm glad. I think that I have to appear before a judge. Police filled all the forms when I was at the police station."

KB: Are there risks to being a activist in Russia?

AK: "I think that there is some risk to be an LGBTQ activist indeed. And I remember the soviet period of our history so I've never dreamed to be a public man. I'd like to be a photographer. But I can't hide my identity so I have to fight."

AK: "We hoped that Russia would follow the decision of ECHR. But if I knew earlier that authorities weren't going to authorise Moscow Pride even after the decision of ECHR I'd prefer to do all Prides as we did it in 2006, 2007 and in this year."

AK: "I realised once that the whole world is inside me. There is no any difference between a saint person and a murderer, between a poor person and between a rich person, between a poet and a sportsmen. A talented poet and a murderer, a poor and a rich, a sportsman and a homeless man are inside of me. Sometimes it seems to me that I'm able feel the whole world. It makes me closer to Hinduism. I'm Hindu."

AK: "I like queer theory, I reject gender and sex binary and fixed identities. I like monogamy families and I like poligamy families as well. I say that I'm a transgender, a genderqueer but really I'm totally queer."


KB: what are your plans for next Pride Parades?

AK: "What will be the next year? Nobody knows. We will see."


Anna Komarova interviewed by Andy Thayer Birth of a Transgender Movement in Russia



gayrussia.eu Pride press conference held today at Ritz-Carlton

Anna Komarova Facebook note "My speech about transgender rights at the press-conference of Moscow Gay Pride 2011."

europeanforum.net ECHR Rebukes Russia for Gay Pride Ban

novayagazeta.ru “We need ordinary flathead families to learn about gays”

6/4/11

Why the Hell is Queerty using the same Demoralizing Sprint Transgender Image?

Why does Queerty use this problematic image to promote its otherwise excellent article warning of the danger to the freedom of the Net resulting from the proposed T-Mobile and ATT Merger?

Because Queerty like most of gay media believes it can use the transgender community at will, regardless if its damaging as long as the outcome promotes the gay agenda.

The Queerty article does a great job pointing out the duplicity of the corporate funded Gay rights organization GLAAD, but it does so by publishing a picture a cisgender led company previously apologized for!

Queerty made no mention of GLAADS refusal to confront transphobia enabling the gay agenda like its own regurgitation of this picture, instead it used the low road actually promoting its argument with the same same transphobic picture!

GLAAD isn't alone ignoring us for a buck,

Pride at Work Facebook note "Why Mergers Matter for LGBT Workers makes no issue of the inflammatory picture or ATT's role in Tennessee's HB 600. Transsexual activist Michiko Ota Eyre comments on the note and makes a very good case for her objections on Pams House Blend

Gay people, its not embarrassing to be a woman.

When will we get the respect we deserve?

6/1/11

Press Release from Law Firm Representing Nikki Araguz Widow of the Deceased Firefighter

Below is the press release issued today to Fhyllabuster subscribers

############################################

PRESS RELEASE


OFFICES OF FRYE AND ASSOCIATES
Contact Person: Angela Oaks, Partner
713-227-1717

aoaks@liberatinglaw.com

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Houston, Texas – the law firm of Frye and Associates, representing Nikki Paige Araguz in her legal quest for the sanctity of her marriage to Thomas Araguz, is disappointed with the decision from the 329th Judicial District Court in Wharton County. The decision denies Mrs. Araguz a portion of the death benefits allotted to the surviving spouse of Texas firefighters who die in the line of duty.

Our law firm asserted, and still believes, that the Texas Legislature's 2009 amendment to the Family Code in Section 2.005 (which allows a court ordered sex change to be used as proof of identity for the purposes of obtaining a marriage license) effected a legislative override of the 1999 Littleton v Prange case (which said that legal sex, for the purpose of marriage, is determined by a presumption that chromosomes are established at birth and cannot ever be legally changed).

Our assertions were presented to the District Court in our written response along with the affidavits from our legal expert and our medical expert. These three documents -- all public records -- will be posted on the homepage of our www.liberatinglaw.com web site by Friday, June 3rd.

An appeal with the Texas Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi, Texas, will be filed by our firm on behalf of Mrs. Araguz in a timely manner.

################################

5/30/11

Russian Governments Assassination and Beatings Not Stopping Elena Kostyuchenko

Another Novaya Gazeta reporter attacked by Russian authorities. Elena Kostyuchenko was beaten and hospitalized at the 2011 Gay Pride.

According to TV reporter Olga Bakushinskii's personal Journal, a eye witness saw the police and 'counter demonstrators' act comradely after arriving on the same bus.

Just don't bother searching for news of the Pride on the Russian TV. It's mission states it does not report on controversial topics. Just as the Kremlin demands.

In 2009 I wrote a commemorative about continuing assassination of the reporters of the last remaining Russian free press newspaper, the Novaya Gazeta. In 2009 it was a fluke I even saw the Russian article. There were very few news reports from Russia.

Times have changed and we remain unafraid. But reporters still remain the target of the Russian governments hate. The difference now is we do not have to wait to mourn to celebrate a life of someone who dares to be faithful to humanity.

Meet Elena Kostyuchenko,peace activist and reporter . Elena who recently announced her love for Anna Annenkov writes in her Journal why she wanted to attend the Pride Parade. For this she suffered a concussion.

I hope Putin reads this. I would be honored if planetransgender would companion Novaya Gazeta as the most hated by the Kremlin. Hey Putin, got balls? Come take a shot at me. But leave your thugs at home. Just you and I Putin, behind the shed.

Please sign the LETTER TO (Russian)POWER: GIVE EQUAL ACCESS TO ELECTIONS FOR ALL POLITICAL FORCES

5/29/11

Russian Revolution Begins with LGBT Русская революция начинается с ЛГБТ


Русские диктаторов и тиранов продолжать угнетать их лесбиянок, геев, бисексуалов, транссексуалов и Queer соотечественников, но больше не могут ли они сделать это безнаказанно.

Russian dictatorial tyrants continue to oppress their Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgender and Queer countrymen but no longer can they do it with impunity because now the world watches.

You are about be a witness to the brutality of the Russian government. The men attacked by the police are LT Dan Choi, Nikolai Alexeyev and others The ruse offered by the city for cancelling the 2011 Moscow Gay Pride Parade's permit was concerns for public order. Unbelievably the Russian government claims to be protecting the Pride participants. You decide.



I urge you to add your name to the Americablog open letter to Hilary Clinton.