News
Gunmen open fire at Moscow gay nightclub
‘It’s getting scarier each day’


Two men with guns tried to gain entry into Central Station, a gay club in Moscow early on Nov. 16, 2013. (Photo courtesy of Sattarov Karimjon)
Two men early on Nov. 16 opened fire on a gay club in the Russian capital after security personnel refused to allow them to enter.
Arkady Gyngazov, who was managing Central Station in Moscow during the incident, told the Washington Blade during a Skype interview from the Russian capital on Monday the men tried to enter the club around 5 a.m., but were turned away because they were “aggressive.” He said they returned with guns a short time later and started shooting.
Gyngazov told the Blade he was not at the club when the shooting happened, but he estimated 500 people were inside during the incident.
He said the men destroyed Central Station’s surveillance camera and left bullet holes on the building’s facade. Gyngazov told the Blade nobody was injured because patrons were not arriving or exiting the establishment during the incident.
“That’s why they didn’t kill anybody,” Gyngazov told the Blade.
The incident took place a week after gay MSNBC host Thomas Roberts co-hosted the annual Miss Universe pageant that took place in Moscow. The shooting also occurred against the backdrop of ongoing outrage over the Kremlin’s LGBT rights record that threatens to overshadow the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place in Sochi, Russia, in February.
President Vladimir Putin in June signed a vaguely worded law that bans gay propaganda to minors. A second statute that prohibits foreign same-sex couples and any couple from a country in which gays and lesbians can legally marry from adopting Russian children took effect in July.
A 2012 law requires LGBT groups and non-governmental organizations that receive funding from outside Russia to register as a “foreign agent.”
Activists maintain the widely publicized deaths of two men in Volgograd and on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East earlier this year underscore the fact that anti-LGBT violence remains a pervasive problem in the country.
Members of the Russian HIV/AIDS service organization LaSky earlier this month were attacked with air guns and baseball bats during an event at the group’s St. Petersburg office. The two men who attacked Dutch diplomat Onno Elderenbosch inside his Moscow apartment on Oct. 15 drew a heart with an arrow through it and the LGBT acronym in lipstick on a mirror in his home.
LGBT activists and their opponents clashed in St. Petersburg during an Oct. 12 gay rights rally. The city’s police in June arrested more 40 LGBT rights advocates during a similar event.
Authorities in May arrested 30 gay activists who tried to stage a Pride celebration outside Moscow City Hall. Officials in Murmansk nearly two months later detained Kris van der Veen and three other Dutch LGBT rights advocates for violating the country’s gay propaganda law while they were filming a documentary on Russian gay life.
‘Gay club here’ sign placed above Central Station
Gyngazov did not confirm media reports that indicate a Kremlin-controlled railroad company owns the building in which Central Station is located. He said its owners last month placed a large neon sign above the club’s entrance that reads “gay club here” and contains arrows pointing toward the door.
“I’m sure [the attack] is connected to the situation here in Russia with gays and with the advertisement that the owners of the building put in big letters on the building,” Gyngazov told the Blade. “It’s not allowed in Russia because of the law and the aggressive people, homophobes. They have to know that it’s a gay club and it’s dangerous for our clients.”
Gyngazov said patrons have been attacked outside Central Station since he began working at the club in 2010, but nobody had previously opened fire on the building. He told the Blade the police promised to investigate the shooting.
“I’m not sure because when it’s about gays, usually they don’t want to do anything,” Gyngazov said. “Police doesn’t work here, especially if you’re [gay.]”
Gyngazov said he quit his job after the shooting because he is afraid.
“I decided to leave it because it’s getting more dangerous,” Gyngazov told the Blade.
The Associated Press on Monday reported Russia’s sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, told the Russian newspaper RBK that lawmakers should have waited until after the Olympics to pass the country’s gay propaganda law. This statement comes on the heels of reassurances from Putin that gays and lesbians will not experience discrimination during the games, even though Mutko and other Russian officials said authorities plan to enforce the gay propaganda law in Sochi.
Gyngazov, who volunteers for Spectrum Human Rights, which monitors the Kremlin’s gay rights record, became visibly scared as he discussed the future of LGBT Russians after the Sochi games.
“It’s getting scarier each day,” he said.

The 2025 Silver Pride Resource Fair and Tea Dance was held at the Eaton Hotel on Wednesday, May 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)










District of Columbia
Sinners and Saints bar vandalized in suspected anti-LGBTQ hate crime
Blade spoke with General Manager Blair Nixon after incident

On Thursday, shattered glass, broken doors, and homophobic slurs were discovered in the entryway of Adams Morgan queer bar Sinners and Saints (2309 18th St. N.W.) Images of the destruction were posted to the bar’s Instagram, and news of the break-in began to spread.
The Washington Blade sat down with one of the co-partners and general manager of Sinners and Saints, Blair Nixon, to discuss the break-in and the overwhelming response from the LGBTQ community.
“Our door was broken-so the glass was shattered,” Nixon told the Blade when describing the damage done to the space. “They wrote a slur on our wall, and unfortunately-we’re not sure to the extent that it was, but there’s a bunch of inventory missing from our liquor closet. It does seem like it was targeted because of what they wrote on the wall.”
Nixon, who has been with Washington’s only QTBIPOC (queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color) bar since its opening last August, explained that upon learning of the break-in, fear was his first reaction.
“It was really scary,” Nixon said. “To know that somebody was in our space, vandalizing it-it was very scary and honestly, devastating.”
He went on to say that if it weren’t for the restaurant above Sinners and Saints, La Grotta, they wouldn’t have known until hours later.
“We found out because of the restaurant upstairs that we’re partnered with,” he said. “The electricity to the entire building was turned off-including apartments and the restaurant above us. Whoever broke in went into the closet that’s outside of the building and turned the electricity off to the entire building. When the restaurant owners got there, they tried to figure out why there wasn’t any electricity. They went downstairs and saw the shattered glass, the door broken, and the slur on the wall.”
Once Sinners and Saints staff arrived to survey the damage, they posted the images to their Instagram and called the Metropolitan Police Department. Nixon was grateful for both MPD and the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs’s quick reaction.
“We were really happy with the response,” Nixon said. “The mayor’s office reached out relatively quickly, and I had a conversation with them, and the police came shortly afterwards, and they did a really good job. So we’re very appreciative of the response. They took a statement, they looked at the damage, took photos of everything, and made a report.”
“They actually sent, like, the entire department,” he added. “There were multiple police officers, multiple detectives, and the LGBTQ liaison came a little bit later. In general, I just really appreciated the response overall.”
The Blade obtained a copy of the filed police report, which described the break-in as a felony-more specifically, MPD considered it a second-degree burglary. MPD’s report also classified the break-in and subsequent graffiti as having “a hate bias or motivation” against sexual minorities who own and frequent the bar.

Unfortunately, there were no cameras on the premises at the time of the break-in, which MPD estimates happened sometime between 2-6 p.m., but Sinners and Saints were able to obtain footage from nearby businesses.
“We did have some camera footage from the hostel next door, and we submitted that to law enforcement,” he said. “We’re just going to let them do their investigation, and I don’t want to make any suppositions about what might have happened.”
When asked what he believed motivated the assailant(s), Nixon didn’t offer a definitive answer. He suggested it was likely someone hostile to LGBTQ businesses in Washington but assured the Blade that Sinners and Saints would not back down-and that the LGBTQ community stands firmly behind them.
“I don’t want to make any statements about what we think happened. We’re going to let the police do their job. But, as the only QTBIPOC bar in D.C., I think it’s important to note that we’re still here. We’re not going to close. We appreciate the support of our community, and I think that overall, it’s really important that we’re a safe space for the underserved and marginalized communities in D.C. Given that D.C. has, you know, one of the largest queer populations-but there aren’t very many spaces for the communities that we serve-we’re very proud to serve those communities. And we aren’t going to stop.”
Nixon had one critique for MPD, but was overall with their quick response.
“We hope that law enforcement would have a greater presence in Adams Morgan,” he said. “I think that, especially from talking to other establishment owners and bar owners, there’s definitely been some increased issues in Adams Morgan, and we hope that that doesn’t continue. We talked to the Mayor’s Office about it and to the police when they came-to have a greater presence in Adams Morgan.”
Since its opening, Nixon said the support from the QTBIPOC and broader LGBTQ community felt strong-but now, after the break-in, that connection has only grown stronger.
“We opened in August of last year, and we think that D.C. in general has really responded to our mission, and the community has really shown up for us-just like the same way that we’ve shown up for them.”
That community support for Sinners and Saints, Nixon said, extends past the diverse group of QTBIPOC people buying shots and tipping 20 percent nightly. Some of the city’s LGBTQ organizations showed up, offering to help. One of those community members who reached out owns a popular gay bar just up 18th Street.
“The response has been really strong, and we definitely appreciate the support. A few of the other LGBT bar owners in Adams Morgan actually stopped by in person. We really appreciated that Dave Perruzza from Pitchers came by, and just in general that the community has been rallying around us.”
On Thursday night, Sinners and Saints opened as planned and hosted their “Sapphic Sailor Moon” party. Despite the break-in, the LGBTQ community came out to support them.
“I was working-actually bartending,” Nixon said. “I wasn’t originally supposed to be working, but I thought it was important for all the partners to be there. So everyone that’s involved in Sinners and Saints’ leadership team came out. Obviously, we were dealing with the incident, but being there the entire night, we thought that the response from the community was really strong. We wanted to make sure that we posted on social media the fact that we were still open, because a lot of people were contacting us and asking if we were going to be continuing on, if we were going to close. We thought it was really important to make sure that we were there and still open and still available.”

That community, Nixon said, includes members of the LGBTQ population who are often overlooked-which makes the attack on a space intentionally dedicated to them-particularly trans people and people of color-even more painful.
“I think that DC in general, as one of the cities with the biggest queer populations, has adopted the LGBT community in general-and it’s great. However, the adoption of people of color and the overall QTBIPOC community, you know, our trans community, hasn’t been the same. It’s super important to us to make sure that that community is protected and that there are safe spaces for them, and that’s what our core mission is. We never want that to stop. The most important thing is that the safe space for those marginalized and underrepresented communities continues. And I would hope that the acceptance of the community that we serve continues-and is just as important as the acceptance of the LGBT community as a whole.”
If you have any information about the break in, please contact MPD at (202) 727-9099. Sinners and Saints has set up a GoFundMe page for repairs. It can be accessed here.
India
Indian Supreme Court orders government to reconsider trans blood donor policy
Transgender people, MSM ineligible to donate under 2017 guidelines

The Indian Supreme Court on May 14 ordered the central government to consult experts and address policies that label transgender people as “high-risk” blood donors, a designation rooted in assumptions rather than scientific evidence.
“Are we going to brand all transgender individuals as risky and stigmatize them?” said Justices Surya Kant and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh. “You cannot say that all transgender individuals are indulging in sexual activity.”
These restrictions stem from guidelines that the National Blood Transfusion Services, under India’s Health and Family Welfare Ministry, issued on Oct. 11, 2017. The regulations categorize trans people, men who have sex with men, female sex workers, IV drug users, and those with multiple sexual partners as ineligible to donate blood due to presumed risks of HIV, Hepatitis B or C, and require clearance by a medical officer.
The justices considered a petition that contested the constitutional validity of Sections 12 and 51 of the guidelines.
Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the central government, stated the rules, which the National Blood Transfusion Council’s panel of medical experts crafted, aimed to prioritize public health and safety without intending to stigmatize any group. The justices during the hearing noted barring trans people from donating blood reinforces their social exclusion, questioning whether these restrictions deepen existing societal biases.
“Just think of something that such feeling does not come, and health standards are not compromised,” they said, granting the government time to address these concerns while maintaining medical safety.
The justices further observed that evolving times and emerging medical technologies offer solutions to screen blood donations for infections without excluding entire groups, allowing broader participation in civic programs.
Bhati said she would relay the court’s recommendations to medical experts for consideration. She explained that donated blood goes directly to blood banks, critical for thalassemia patients and other vulnerable groups who depend entirely on these supplies for their survival.
“As a group, transgenders are considered a high-risk group the world over, with certain exceptions,”Bhati told the justices. “There is a period within which infection has to be identified, and the risk window has to be carefully considered. Nobody can claim to have a fundamental right to donate blood. These guidelines must be seen from the perspective of public health as the idea is not to stigmatize anyone.”
The Washington Blade on Aug. 28, 2024, reported Shariff D. Rangnekar, a gay man from Delhi and director of the Rainbow Literature Festival, challenged the constitutionality of India’s blood donor rules, which bar trans people, MSM, female sex workers, and others from donating blood due to presumed health risks.
The Supreme Court on July 30, 2024, agreed to hear Rangnekar’s petition that Ibad Mushtaq filed and lawyer Rohin Bhatt wrote. It questions the policy’s reliance on outdated stereotypes from the 1980s. Rangnekar notes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Israel are among the countries that have updated their blood donor policies. He urged India to adopt individualized risk assessments.
South Asian countries have varying blood donation policies for trans people and gay men, with some avoiding blanket bans and others enforcing them.
Equaldex notes Nepal allows MSM to donate blood without specific restrictions based on sexual orientation or gender identity, suggesting trans people and gay men face no categorical bans. Bangladesh also lacks a specific ban on such donors, although its policies remain ambiguous due to limited documentation.
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia ban MSM and trans people from donating blood, categorizing them as high-risk groups for HIV and other infections.
“It is not just LGBTQIA+ people whose blood can test positive for infections, it could be anybody. All blood that is transfused needs to be tested before transfusion,” said Harish Iyer, a prominent LGBTQ activist in India. “If that is not happening, we have much reason to worry. There is no test on fidelity, regardless of the sex, gender, or sexual orientation. There are open marriages and clandestine affairs that happen in every sexuality. The solution is to speak of safe sex practices and not to take anyone’s word and to test every packet of blood before transfusion.”
Iyer told the Blade that branding and banishing minorities by stereotyping them is an underlying cause of hate crimes. He highlighted that MSM and trans people for years have been seen as simply vectors of HIV, and not as people who lead happy, fulfilling lives. Iyer added the blood donor ban further accentuates this divide and further marginalizes the community.
Iyer said the government should enhance public awareness campaigns around safer sex practices and ensure that all blood undergoes rigorous testing before transfusion. Ankit Bhupatani, a global DEI leader and LGBTQ activist, told the Blade the justices’ directive represents a long-overdue recognition that India’s blood donation guidelines require scientific scrutiny rather than perpetuating stigma.
“By asking the government to seek expert opinion, the bench has opened a path toward evidence-based policy reform. The bench’s observation that labeling all transgender persons as ‘risky’ is troubling, shows judicial wisdom in identifying how these guidelines institutionalize prejudice,” said Bhupatani. “This intervention creates an opportunity to align our healthcare policies with constitutional values of equality and dignity while maintaining necessary medical safeguards.”
He said the 2017 guidelines are a form of structural discrimination.
“Such policies do not merely restrict access to a civic activity; they codify stigma into our healthcare system and reinforce harmful stereotypes about LGBT individuals,” said Bhupatani. “The international trend has indeed moved toward individual risk assessment rather than categorical exclusions. India’s policy remains anachronistic in its approach.”
“The government absolutely should implement individualized medical screening based on specific behaviors rather than identity,” he added. “The current policy creates the paradoxical situation where a heterosexual person engaging in high-risk behaviors faces less scrutiny than a transgender person in a monogamous relationship. The selective application of supposed ‘public health concerns’ reveals that these guidelines are more informed by social prejudice than medical evidence. Rigorous individual screening would better protect our blood supply while eliminating discriminatory practices.”
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