San Francisco LGBT community calls on Mayor Ed Lee to Boycott Russia

Russia Spills Gay Blood We Spill Russian Vodka at SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL

By Melanie Nathan.  August 07, 2013.

“Russia Spills Gay Blood We Spill Russian Vodka” read my sign today, as I joined my fellow activists from Gays Without Borders, when we poured Russian vodka onto San Francisco’s street outside City Hall and called on Mayor Ed Lee to support a City boycott of all things Russian until anti-gay laws in Russia are rescinded.

Many media outlets turned up to report the action, designed to draw attention to the anti-gay laws in Russia, which legislates against so called “gay-propaganda, to minors” in Russia.  We were also there to ask Mayor Ed Lee to ensure that the City of San Francisco abstract itself from its sister relationship with the Russian town of Vladivostok,  as well as sever all ties with Russia, to include terminating all contracts, and the boycott of Russian vodka and products at San Francisco City events.

The Mayor’s office said that the Mayor would respond to our requests today with a press release on his City website. we will update when he does.

We were asked by the press why we were there. In my comments to reporters I noted that I had brought my 8 year old daughter with me because I wanted to show that gay people are loving people, with some of us parents and that we do not hurt children simply because we are gay. I wanted to show that there is no such thing as “propaganda to minors,” such as when we wave our rainbow flags, or assert that being gay is okay to teens discovering their sexuality. The latter subject to arrest in Russia. I wanted to note that what Vladimir Putin signed into law in Russia is based on the false notion that gays and lesbians when talking about being gay or asking for equality harms children.  It is simply a lie. This is a notion that was sold to members of the Russian Duma by Scott Lively who had bragged on his website about his impact on Russian parliamentarians. He bragged that he went to Russia and influenced them to pass anti-gay laws.

It would seem that Lively, the extreme right wing radical Christian extremist,  has not learned his lesson from his jolly jaunt in Uganda.  He is now being sued by the Ugandan LGBT groups represented by The Center for Constitutional Reform under the Alien Tort Act, for his actions  (not his words) in Uganda, which, it is alleged, led to the persecution of LGBT Ugandans. He may well have done the same in Russia.  The laws now in effect seem to have given license to homophobic violence and would seem to condone the resulting persecution of gays.  It also criminalizes good people who are merely helping other gay people through support services and outreach.  How does one help a gay or lesbian Russian teen if one cannot provide any support to talk openly about sexuality. To do so would be seen to be “promoting homosexuality” to a minor.

When interviewed my 8 year old told the press: “I am proud of my 2 moms. I love them very much. Russia should let all people be free. Gay people are not bad people.”

ABC News  did a full story on San Francisco local TV, showing our action today SPILL RUSSIAN VODKA outside SF City Hall. They also interviewed a local Vodka seller ( who happened to have foreign accent) and who complained vendors will be hurt by boycotts and not for a second acknowledging that they gave a damn about gays being oppressed in Russia. He said “Putin will do nothing.”

It seems that the story gave a lot of time to  us, the LGBT activists who were there to pour that vodka- thank you!

I liked that ABC mentioned SOCHI and that we are headed fro boycotts call there to, which is what I made a point to note in my press interview today. To see comprehensive ideas on how to contribute to the anti-Russian actions please read our other articles on this website at:

Ten Actions you can take against Russia’s oppression of Gays 

Press included reporters from U.S. media, China, Australia and Europe.

I hope the word spreads to DUMP and SPILL Russian Vodka. I plan in my activism to pursue our call for the removal of the 2014 Olympic from SOCHI, Russia and to continue to press for boycotts until Putin’s Russia rescinds these oppressive anti-gay laws.

Updated at 8.30 PM PST:

President Obama Condemns Russia’s Anti-Gay laws

Ask IOL to move the Olympics from Sochi.

By Melanie Nathan, August 07, 2013.

U.S. President Barack Obama today criticized a new Russian law cracking down on gay rights activism, saying he has “no patience for countries that try to treat gays and lesbians and transgendered persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them.” READ MORE

Surely now that President Obama has set the tone, Mayor Ed Lee will take action!

MORE ARTICLES.

1. Gays to Fly Rainbow Flag Outside Russian Consulate in San Francisco | O-blog-dee-o-blog-da – August 2, 2013[…] Anti-gay sentiment and violence against LGBTI people has been a Russian habit for some time. However in recent months it has escalated with lack of basic law and order, exacerbated by Vladamir Putin’s legislative onslaught through various laws that criminalize and ostracize.  We have covered that extensively   http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2013/07/26/10-actions-you-can-take-against-russia-shocking-video-of-russia… […]
2. U.S. House Reps send Letter to Kerry about Anti-Gay 2014 Olympic Games in Russia | O-blog-dee-o-blog-da – August 3, 2013[…] 10 ways to STOP the Russian terror of Gays […]
3. HRC Leading U.S. Gays in Failing to take the ultimate stand against Russia’s anti-Gay laws | O-blog-dee-o-blog-da – August 5, 2013[…] 10 Actions you can take against Russia | shocking video of Russian Gay Teen torture (oblogdeeoblogda.me) […]
4. Gay teenager kidnapped and tortured by Russian homophobes believed to have died from injuries | O-blog-dee-o-blog-da – August 5, 2013[…] 10 Actions you can take against Russia | shocking video of Russian Gay Teen torture (oblogdeeoblogda.me) […]

Here are the pictures taken by activists, members of the community, the press and as appeared from screen shots off ABC TV News.

Ten Actions you can take against Russia’s oppression of Gays 

Thanks to Michael Petrelis and Robbie Sweeney and Patrick Connors

By Melanie Nathan
Thanks to all for the photos.
[email protected]
@melanienathan1