Hi everybody,
For my first blog I want to write about the radical
reactions of Russian youth that have followed the hugely controversial “Family
Values Bill” passed on 11th June this year (the Guardian). The bill
has made talking about homosexual relationships in public, providing children
with any information about homosexuality and attending gay pride events illegal
and punishable by a range of terms of incarceration. A cyber-bullying phenomenon has arisen which involves
Neo-Nazi gangs of young men creating fake identities on gay dating websites to
lure gay teenagers to specific locations, the gangs then film themselves abusing
(both psychologically and in some instances physically) these individuals.
These videos are then uploaded on the internet.
Here is a video of one such instance that was reposted by an
activist wishing to raise awareness about this desperate situation (contains
English subtitles).
To link Gewirtz’ five faces of oppression into the situation,
it would seem that all five come into play. Individuals are rendered powerless
physically and verbally (because their words are unauthentic under threat),
exploited by having their private identities shared on a global scale,
marginalised by ideologies shared by the gang and legitimated by the
government. Cultural imperialism comes into play insofar as homosexuality is a
cultural construction that in this case is being repressed by the state. Physical
violence and threats of violence here are evident and need no explanation.
In such a stifling environment, which forms of social
justice will be suitable and comprehensive enough to remedy these human rights
violations? Relational justice whereby power can be distributed through the
implementation of procedures has in other gay rights instances worked to
improve equality, such as the legalisation of gay marriage in many countries. However
because the bill passed in Russia is in essence a denial of recognition, I
would suggest Gewirtz’ “justice as recognition” is most appropriate. Justice as
recognition incorporates the philosophical stance of immanent universalism –
the belief that “we are all different and therefore we are all the same” –
under which the diversity of sexual orientations is recognised and not
considered in any negative light.
According to a survey
conducted in June this year (Levada, March 12, 2013) only 16% of Russians
believe that homosexuality is natural and has the same right to existence as
heterosexuality, shedding some light on just how entrenched homophobia is in
Russia at the moment. Compared to a 2005 survey that found 51% of Russians in support
equal rights for gay and straight people (Maneav, August 7, 2013), it’s clear
that homophobia is a phenomenon subject to change – this offers hope that the current
situation is not permanent (MacLeod, August 21, 2013). In the case of
cyber-bullying, one possible combat strategy is support for the presence of
minority voices on the internet. Kirill is a Russian gay teenager living in Novosibirsk, the third
most-populated city in Russia, who has created a twitter account (https://twitter.com/ru_lgbt_teen) on which he posts
comments about his mental stability, his experiences of homophobic bullying and
his wishes to seek asylum (. Kirill has been interviewed by Vice (a popular online
underground culture magazine), enabling his voice to be heard by an even wider,
English-speaking audience.
References
Grekov, I. (August 2013). Russia's Anti-Gay Law, Spelled Out in Plain
English. Policy Mic. Sourced from: http://www.policymic.com/articles/58649/russia-s-anti-gay-law-spelled-out-in-plain-english
Gewirtz, S. (1998). Conceptualizing social justice in
education: mapping the territory. Journal
of Education Policy, 13 (4), pp. 469-484.
Levada Center.
(March 12, 2013). The fear of the other: The problem of homophobia in
Russia. Sourced from: http://www.levada.ru/12-03-2013/strakh-drugogo-problema-gomofobii-v-rossii
MacLeod, A. (August 21, 2013). The communist roots of
Russian homophobia. National Post.
Sourced from: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013/08/22/angela-macleod-irons-the-communist-roots-of-russian-homophobia/
Maneav, G. (August 7,
2013).The roots of Russian
homophobia: Tolerance towards homosexuality in Russia has varied throughout
history. Sourced from: http://indrus.in/opinion/2013/08/07/the_roots_of_russian_homophobia_28097.html
Meet
the gay Russian teenager using twitter to combat homophobia. Vice Magazine. Sourced from: http://www.vice.com/read/meet-the-gay-russian
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