LGBT organisation “Coming Out” with the support of the Russian LGBT
Network ran a series of seminars in Oct-Dec 2009 for journalists,
human rights activists and teachers of St. Petersburg.

The main questions on the agenda were related to gender and sexuality:

* What is gender and  what is its difference from biological sex?
* Is homosexuality an illness?
* Who are bigenders and intersexuals?
* What is gender identity?
* Who can become a victim of homophobia?

Participants had a good opportunity to learn about various researches
on gender and sexuality. Sadly even well-educated and cultured people
in our country are poorly informed on the subject unless they were
specifically interested before. Also participants were able to discuss
the origin and reasons of stereotypes about LGBT community, to see
different points of view on gender and sexuality matters, to think
through their own prejudices and phobias, to take a test on their
homophobia and a lot of other things.

Our coaches were culturologist Valeriy Sozaev, historian Igor
Kochetkov and human rights activist from Syktyvkar’s “Memorial” Igor
Sazhin.

Quotes of participants:

“Igor Sazhin easily managed to discuss uneasy problems. I learnt a lot
of new things, comprehended the terminology and figured out where I
was wrong. The main conclusion is: do not judge what you don’t know,
when you know try to understand, when you understand realize that we
all are different, but we live in one society and must be tolerant
towards each other” - Natalia Evdokimova, the member of Human Rights
Council of Saint Petersburg.

“I have never written before about problems in communication between
society and LGBT community. This topic is not so popular in the media
and often is not taken further than short articles about pop stars in
the yellow press. That’s why it was very interesting for me to take
part in the seminar. It opened my eyes on the real problems provided
with figures and facts faced by LGBT-community.” - Vera Ponomareva,
journalist, web-site “Kogita.ru. North-Western social news.”

There were several publications about the seminar in the media:

http://www.utrospb.ru/articles/24173/

http://www.lenizdat.ru/a0/ru/pm1/c-1080642-0.html

http://www.lenizdat.ru/a0/ru/pm1/c-1080170-0.html

The series of educational seminars will be continued in 2010 for other
target audiences.

Translated by Maria Trefilova