News
Russian LGBT rights advocates visit D.C., Maine
Urge end to country’s anti-gay crackdown
Oleg Klyuenkov and Lyudmila Romodina of the Russian LGBT advocacy group Rakurs in D.C. on Nov. 8, 2013. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Two Russian LGBT rights advocates last week urged U.S. officials to continue to pressure the Kremlin to end its anti-gay crackdown.
Lyudmila Romodina and Oleg Klyuenkov of Rakurs (“Perspective” in Russian) in the city of Arkhangelsk met with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and officials with the U.S. State Department, the White House and the Helsinki Commission in D.C. on Nov. 7. They also discussed Russia’s gay rights record Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus staffers on Capitol Hill on Nov. 8.
Romodina and Klyuenkov arrived in the U.S. on Nov. 1 — the same day the Olympic torch passed through Arkhangelsk on its way to the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place in Sochi, Russia, in February.
Their trip began in Portland, Maine, where they met with the city’s mayor, Michael Brennan, members of a local PFLAG chapter, Equality Maine and other LGBT rights advocates and officials. The activists’ visit coincided with the 25th anniversary of the sister city partnership between Portland and Arkhangelsk.
Romodina and Klyuenkov returned to Russia on Nov. 10.
Human Rights First, a group that promotes international human rights, organized Romodina and Klyuenkov’s trip to the U.S.
“We’re trying to use [Russian] American partnerships in a constructive way; to take the partnership to a new level of dialogue where human rights and LGBT rights are present at the table, they’re discussed,” Innokenty Grekov of Human Rights First told the Washington Blade during an interview in Northwest Washington on Nov. 8.
Arkhangelsk law was ‘test pilot’ for national gay propaganda ban
Rakurs, which is a member of the Russian LGBT Network, is the first group that specifically works with Arkhangelsk’s LGBT residents.
The group was a feminist organization when it was founded in 2007. Russia’s Justice Ministry in 2010 denied Rakurs’ request to add the words lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender to their charter and by-laws.
A regional court later ordered the Justice Ministry to allow Rakurs to register as an LGBT rights organization.
“It took some time,” Klyuenkov told the Blade through an interpreter.
Arkhangelsk officials in 2011 banned propaganda that promotes homosexuality and bisexuality. They quietly repealed the law last month, but Klyuenkov told the Blade the Arkhangelsk statute was a “test pilot” for the nationwide ban on gay propaganda to minors that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed in June.
“The informational campaign that surrounded the regional ban in Arkhangelsk was a miniature version of the mass media campaign that surrounded the adoption of the federal ban,” Klyuenkov said. “It was quite aggressive as we were just slandered and slimed. We were accused of undermining demography of Russia, undermining traditional values, being a threat to traditional values.”
Rakurs distributed leaflets that contained information on what Klyuenkov described as the “dangers of adopting a federal law on propaganda.” The organization also sought a permit to stage a protest against the measure as members of the Russian Duma debated it, but Romodina told the Blade that Arkhangelsk officials used the regional gay propaganda ban to deny their request.
“When we received these denials for demonstrations involving multiple individuals, we went and nevertheless demonstrated in single pickets,” she said.
Lawmakers criticize IOC during advocates’ trip
Romodina and Klyuenkov’s trip to the U.S. coincided with the growing outrage over the Kremlin’s LGBT rights record that threatens to overshadow the Sochi games.
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) in a Nov. 8 letter criticized International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach over his previous comments that appeared to suggest he feels Russia’s gay propaganda ban does not violate the Olympic Charter.
Bach said in September before the lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece that Olympic values include “respect without any form of discrimination.” Putin on Oct. 28 reiterated previous Russian government claims that gays and lesbians will not suffer discrimination during the Sochi games.
“Although some Russian authorities have indicated that the law will not affect Olympic spectators and participants, we have yet to see a satisfactory explanation of what type of activities or behavior will be permitted,” the U.S. senators wrote in their letter. “If LGBT individuals or supporters were to be arrested or harassed during the Olympics, the reputation of the IOC would be damaged.”
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and more than three dozen other members of Congress last month urged U.S. Olympic Committee President Scott Blackmun to outline steps the USOC plans to take to safeguard American athletes who plan to compete in Sochi.
Blackmun on Oct. 11 described Russia’s gay propaganda ban is “inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the Olympic and Paraolympic movements.” The U.S. Olympic Committee Board of Directors the day before voted to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination policy.
Advocates oppose Olympic boycott
Romodina and Klyuenkov are the latest Russian LGBT rights advocates to visit the U.S.
Igor Kochetkov of the Russian LGBT rights group Sphere is among those who met with Ros-Lehtinen on Capitol Hill in September. He was part of the group of human rights activists who met with President Obama during the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg a few weeks earlier.
Russian LGBT Sports Federation Co-President Elvina Yuvakaeva was part of a five-member delegation whom the State Department invited to the U.S. in September to meet with professional American sports team and organizers of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Klyuenkov told the Blade he feels “interest groups” within the Russian government have “persuaded” Putin to sign the gay propaganda law and other anti-LGBT measures. These include a 2012 statute that requires groups that receive funding from outside the country to register as “foreign agents.”
“This federal law on propaganda is part of a larger, broader policy,” Klyuenkov said. “The government is simply trying to distract the public’s attention from our societal problems, our economic problems.”
Klyuenkov and Rodomina both stressed their organization remains opposed to any boycott of the Sochi games over Russia’s LGBT rights record.
“We should use both the Olympic games and the existing relationships between our municipal entities as a platform for discussing human rights, for encouraging more dialogue within Russia between the government and civil society and LGBT groups,” Klyuenkov said.
The advocates spoke with the Blade a day before gay MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.
Roberts repeatedly criticized the gay propaganda law during interviews with the “Today” show and other media outlets in the days leading up to the pageant that Donald Trump co-owns with NBC Universal. Pageant participants did not discuss Russia’s LGBT rights record during the event.
“It’s great,” Klyuenkov told the Blade when asked about Roberts co-hosting the pageant. “I don’t think the Russian people watch Miss Universe.”
Elton John is scheduled to perform two concerts in Russia next month amid controversy from some LGBT rights advocates.
“His approach is to go over and engage and win over,” Grekov told the Blade. “Rakurs is doing the same. Human Rights First is so happy to help facilitate this visit and raise their voice.”
District of Columbia
D.C. Council approves expanded grant funding for Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs
Measure introduced by Zachary Parker faces second vote
The D.C. Council on June 9 gave its first round of approval to an amendment to the city’s fiscal year 2027 budget that calls for increasing the number and size of funding grants that the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs provides for local organizations providing services for the LGBTQ community.
The amendment, titled the “LGBTQ Community Grant Amendment Act of 2026,” was introduced by D.C. Council member Zachary Parker (D-Ward 5), the Council’s only gay member.
The amendment calls for the LGBTQ Affairs office to issue a $980,000 grant in fiscal year 2027 to a private, nonprofit organization in partnership with the office “for the purpose of supporting programs that promote the welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community.”
The organization would also initiate its own fundraising effort to expand the amount of funds beyond the amount the office would provide, enabling it to provide larger grants to a greater number of local LGBTQ organizations.
Among other things, the amendment says the organization chosen for this new role should have a “proven track record of success in grant making and fundraising” and agree to undergo an annual audit and submit quarterly reports to the office on its use of the funds it receives.
Under its rules for approving legislation, the Council must hold the second vote on the budget bill with the Parker amendment before it is sent to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature. It must then go to Congress for a congressional review that does not require approval, but could result in a vote to disapprove the measure, an action Congress usually does not take.
In a June 12 statement, the D.C. LGBTQ Budget Coalition called the D.C. Council’s initial approval of the Parker amendment, “a historic measure that establishes the District’s most sustainable model for a vehicle for investing in LGBTQ communities.”
The statement adds, “The legislation arrives at a critical moment, as LGBTQ-serving organizations face unprecedented uncertainty. Growing demand for services is colliding with shrinking resources, federal attacks on LGBTQ programs, and ongoing threats to local funding streams.”
It says the new program that the Parker amendment would create, if it reaches final approval, “creates a durable mechanism to protect and expand investments in the organizations that thousands of District residents rely upon every day.”
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said he was looking into the mayor’s position on the Parker amendment but didn’t immediately get back with a response.
Germany
German group slams White House’s LGBTQ rights record ahead of World Cup
LSVD says trans, nonbinary soccer fans safety ‘not guaranteed’ in US
A German advocacy group on the eve of the 2026 World Cup sharply criticized the Trump-Vance administration over its anti-LGBTQ policies.
The World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through July 19. The tournament began on Thursday in Mexico City with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0.
“In the USA, democracy is being gradually dismantled,” said Julia Monro of Federation Queer Diversity, a German LGBTQ and intersex rights group known by the acronym LSVD, in a statement released on Wednesday. “In particular, the human rights of trans, intersex, and nonbinary individuals, as well as other queer people, are facing massive attacks and political instrumentalization by the Trump administration.”
The LSVD statement notes sports “has a special responsibility in this situation because it conveys values worldwide that extend beyond the playing field: fairness, respect, and inclusion.”
“This must apply to everyone, including trans* and nonbinary people,” says LSVD. “Those who love sport must also protect those who can only experience it under difficult circumstances.”
“The public visibility of queer people is being pushed back, companies and organizations with diversity strategies are being pressured, and laws for trans*, intersex, and nonbinary people are being tightened,” added the group. “This is not a fringe issue, but directly affects everyday life, mobility, and safety. The way minority rights are treated is a measure of the state of a democratic society. Inhumane measures must not be normalized. The international community must not remain silent as attention on the host country, the USA, increases. The Trump administration could exploit this media platform for further inhumane purposes, in order to transfer its homophobic agenda to other countries.”
LSVD also stressed the “safety of trans* and nonbinary soccer fans is currently not guaranteed in the USA.”
“We advise all queer fans to inform themselves carefully beforehand and to take precautions for their safety,” it said.
The Council for Global Equality is one of the more than 100 organizations that issued a travel advisory for the U.S. ahead of the World Cup.
LSVD in its statement pointed out the German government in 2025 issued a travel advisory for trans and nonbinary people who are planning to visit the U.S. The warning specifically noted President Donald Trump’s executive order that banned the State Department from issuing passports with “X” gender markers.
InterPride, the organization that coordinates WorldPride events, issued a travel advisory for trans and nonbinary people who planned to travel to the U.S. for WorldPride that took place last summer in D.C.
“Due to an executive order issued by the U.S. president on Jan. 20, all travelers must select either ‘male’ or ‘female’ when applying for entry or visas. The gender listed at birth will be considered valid,” read the InterPride advisory. “If your passport has ‘X’ as a gender marker or differs from your birth-assigned gender, we strongly recommend contacting the U.S. diplomatic mission before traveling to confirm entry requirements.”
LSVD notes the German government reiterated its 2025 travel advisory ahead of the World Cup.
“Anyone traveling with a different gender entry, with an ‘X’ marker in their passport, or who does not conform to the state’s expectations during checks, must expect problems in the USA,” said LSVD.
Virginia
Gay 1920s-era Hollywood star to be honored in Staunton, Va.
Billy Haines became acclaimed designer after anti-gay policies ended his acting career
A project is underway in Staunton, Va., to honor William ‘Billy’ Haines, who was born and raised in Staunton before becoming an out gay 1920s and early 1930s-era Hollywood movie star whose acting career ended around 1934 when he refused demands that he conceal his sexual orientation and end his relationship with his male partner.
Haines left the movie business around that time to start what became a highly successful interior design and furniture business in Los Angeles that he led until his death in 1972 at age 72, and which remains in business today, according to the Arcadia Project, a Staunton-based nonprofit initiative.
In a statement released last month, Arcadia Project announced it is working to revitalize a long-vacant movie theater in downtown Staunton that it plans to rename after Haines. It says a fundraising campaign is under way to support efforts to reopen the theater and the larger building in which it is housed as a “dynamic mixed-use cultural center.”
The statement notes that Haines left Staunton at age 14 and resided in Hopewell, Va., and Greenwich Village in New York City until 1922, when he was “discovered” by a talent scout and sent to Hollywood.
“Between 1922 and 1934, Haines appeared in 54 movies during his meteoric and highly successful career,” the Arcadia Project statement continues, noting he transitioned from silent movies to talkies and was fully open about being gay. “But when Hollywood’s moral crackdown of the 1930s demanded that he end his relationship with his longtime partner Jimmie Shields, Haines refused,” it says.
“For LGBTQ people – then and now – Haines’s choice resonates deeply. Rather than deny who he was, he reinvented himself as an interior designer to the stars,” according to the statement.
It says he helped invent the so-called Hollywood Regency style home and designed homes for Hollywood legends such as Joan Crawford, Gloria Swanson, Carole Lombard, George Cukor, and Jack Warner as well as for political figures like Ronald Reagan when he was governor of California.
“As there is no monument, marker or public recognition for Haines in his hometown of Staunton, Va., Arcadia Project, in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ community in Staunton seeks to commemorate him inside a new cultural center,” the statement says.
It quotes Arcadia Project Executive Director Pamela Mason Wagner as saying, “Naming the movie theater in Haines’ honor is more than an act of historical recognition – it is a powerful statement about visibility, belonging, and whose stories are valued in our community.”
The statement says project leaders hope to open the cultural center in early 2027, with a fundraising campaign seeking to raise $250,000 to renovate the theater.
“If the full goal is not reached, a smaller space within the building will be named for Haines, scaled to the amount of funds raised,” it says. “We truly hope friends and admirers of Billy Haines everywhere will want to participate.”
Donations for the project can be made through this site: www.thearcadiaproject.org
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