Being gay is faddish in today’s Russia

Pavel is strongly opposed to such a statement. He says that he started showing interest in men when he turned 13. He calls his homosexuality a “natural thing.” I asked him what sort of thing or person influenced him into trying it out for the first time. “You know, I was watching a series called Faculty on MTV. Two of the characters ended up being gay. So I decided to give it a try too,” said he. At 23 years of age, he has slept with more than a dozen men. He never had sex with a woman.

“Homosexuality is not a disease, it has to do some peculiarities of a person’s upbringing,” said Dr. Irina Upatova, a psychotherapist. “A child forms his behavioral stereotypes before reaching the age of 7. Growing up in a single-parent family, without a father or father figure, a child may later feel the need to experience this kind of love. Sometimes men become homosexuals after being raped. No doubts about it, the Russian media actively sparks enthusiasm for homosexual relationships. You may rest assured that a pubescent boy will try it out if he’s being told all the time that gay love is fun. And he’s likely to favor men over women if his first sexual experience with a woman is a failure. Having said that, I believe that treating homosexuality is pointless if it’s not related to some kind a mental deviation, and an individual feels comfortable about the way his sex life is arranged. On the other hand, the media should take a more careful approach and stop popularizing the lifestyle,” said Dr. Upatova.

Russian government officials at all levels are now holding a lively debate about steps that should be taken to encourage population growth in this country. Meanwhile, some of them at times practice homosexual relationships instead of taking action to curb the spread of the lifestyle. Besides, in Krasnoyarsk some “pretty grown-up guys” look for the green boys and seduce them on purpose, according to accounts by some of the gays in that city.

Where does the future hold for a nation where being abnormal is faddish? How on earth will the Russian women conceive in some 20 years if 10% of today’s males are gay and the number keeps growing? “I feel sorry for you girls. There’s only 6 men for 10 women in this country. One out of those six is a gay, another one is a drug addict, two more are alcoholics, and the last but one is a waste of space, an impotent. I guess you can figure out the rest,” said Pavel before bidding his good-byes.

Reference information courtesy of Argumenty i Fakty

Under the Soviet criminal code, sodomy had been a crime since 1934. In accordance with Article 121 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic, men found guilty of committing acts of sodomy were to be sentenced to 5 years in prison. In 1993, the Russian Supreme Soviet repealed the article to meet the requirements for the admission of Russia to the Council of Europe. In 2002, the State Duma faction called People’s Deputy came up with a motion to reintroduce criminal prosecution for sodomy. Yet the motion was rejected by a majority of 294 votes against 54 votes.

Russians reportedly show the least amount of tolerance toward the following social groups: HIV-patients, transsexuals, gays.

Source: Argumenty i Fakty

Translated by Guerman Grachev

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