Russia’s ‘Enthusiasm for Homophobia’ Explained
The Moscow Times suggested this week that rising homophobia in Russia is being provoked by authorities deliberately encouraging gay hatred as a ‘political distraction’ and described gay people as a ‘new class of “enemies of the state”.
Comparing homophobia explicitly to anti-Semitism, Times (American) writer Andrew Kornbluth said ‘homophobia is a psychological coping strategy’, with gays being viewed as representing a new ‘form of political dissent”.
“On a deeper level, at a time of general decay and crisis, homosexuals, “flaunting” their individuality, are seen to be the most “insolent” violators of collective solidarity,” he suggested, “And therefore the most likely culprits for the collective’s corrosion.” (Moscow Times )
The Moscow Times article appeared just as Berghain resident Tama Sumo urged clubbers ‘to speak out against homophobia no matter what, and no matter where it comes from’, in an interview with Boiler Room.
“It’s horrible to experience such (homophobic) attitudes in general,” she declared (when quizzed about ‘several artists being bashed for making homophobic comments in public’, presumably referring to Mario Basanov aka Ten Walls.)
‘And considering the roots of house and techno, it is sad that racism, homophobia or sexism have found their way into this club culture,” she added. (Boiler Room)
