Dear friends,

With all my heart I congratulate you with the opening of the Festival! You were working so hard during last months in order to organize it, so it started at last! You put much effort into the preparation of this event: not only physical, but also emotional, which is the most important thing. I hope all your sleepless nights and meals missed will be repaid during these wonderful days, saturated with splendid events!

I believe this Celebration of diversity will touch hearts of many people in our town and country. Diversity is essential condition for development of civil society. But only society which is civil is able to be diverse and to celebrate this. And when external conditions tend to begin to “equalize” everybody again, it is essential to remind all the people of good will that each person is unique. And this uniqueness makes all of us pertaining to different minorities.

Being different is not bad. Indeed, the experience of everybody’s dissimilarity creates stable society, having future prospects. And it’s the concern of each human of good will: not only to realize the diversity of our word, but also to protect this diversity, defending the Rights of each human. Human rights are not only beautiful words, these are very real and tangible things, these are all people’s concern. And when they are in danger, it is the responsibility of everybody to raise their voices to protect human rights.

It may be done by different ways, but sometimes the way of art becomes the easiest and the most accessible to all. So I welcome the participants of the Festival: artists, painters, directors, performers, poets… and all, all, all. Civil society begins with the personal responsibility of each human, and your participation in this Festival is the display of your civil stand. I am grateful to you for your courage and resolution to speak about diversity and human rights through your art.

I also thank especially all volunteers who participated in preparation of this wonderful Celebration or who will help to carry out it. It is possible that you were interested only in art, but art is part and parcel of human rights. And all you’ve done and will do is your input into development of all our society.

In conclusion I thank those who gave the Festival financial and informational support. In first turn, these are the Consulate General of Netherlands and the Consulate General of Sweden in St.-Petersburg.

One more time I congratulate everybody with opening of the Festival! Have a wonderful Celebration!

Valery Sozaev
The head of the LGBT organization “Coming Out”
September 17th, 2009