Coming Out

It is step by step that a human being becomes aware of his or her difference from the others. At first he or she is afraid of being different, but then becomes proud of it. These are the traits of a normal person. The world is moved by phobias towards any demonstration of differences, and step by step the human being does one thing only: he or she destroys phobias. And the more fears of the different a person vanquished, the more of the inexplicable he or she accepted in his or her life, the more civilized this person is.

[ 23/10/2009 19:30:00 to 31/10/2009 22:30:00. ]

The 2-nd International LGBT film festival “Side by Side” opens

October 23, 2009 the out-of-competition showing of Richard Oswald’s “Different from the Others” opens the 2-nd International LGBT film festival “Side by Side.

[ 10/10/2009 18:00:00 to 20/10/2009 23:00:00. ]

From 10th till 20th of October 2009 еру festival of Social Art Art-Sobes 2009 takes place in St. Petersburg.

This is a festival of visual (artistic) expressions on the topic of different views about men and women and their roles in different spheres of life and activities. “Coming Out” together with “International Queer Culture Festival” as partner-organisers of this festival invite you to join the project.

Official Press Release of the Festival:

“Okna M/G Rosta”

Grow yourself on your own!

We assume that every person is wider than any frames and suggest to reconsider the meaning of the things that are out of standards, are left over and eventually become the source of pity, exclusion and inequality. We believe that difference can become a place to invent oneself and mutual amplification.

October 11 is already a known date for St. Petersburg.

It’s the day when LGBT Community celebrates Coming Out Day.

This year we invite you to the second wind of the International Queer Culture Festival within the framework of the social festival Art-sobes, to celebrate Coming Out Day.

On October 11, 2009 we look forward to meeting you at the opening of Lida Mikhailova’s photo exhibition “Coming Out of the Closet”, where you will have a chance to make your own “coming out of the closet” as well as support those who are ready to make this hard step.

The first International Queer Culture Festival has successfully finished in St. Petersburg.

During ten days different locations of the city became sites for performances, concerts and discussions, exhibitions, places for poets to challenge each other and for night parties to be held.

The International Festival of Queer Culture is already in the ‘hot’ preparation phase when we need free hands and minds to organize events. We invite those who are interested to apply themselves in photography, organizing concerts, graphic design, marketing and advertising, translating, and much more. If you are interested in the unusual, unconventional and original - welcome!

A chief editor at a local television channel called homosexuality an “abomination” in a caustic reply to an open letter written by an insulted viewer. The viewer, St. Petersburg resident Maria Yefremenkova, had earlier held a one-woman protest against what she described as a “homophobic” broadcast that “discriminated” against sexual minorities.

Hello to everyone!

We’d like to believe that you are in a great mood and having a lot of energy for active rest. In the height of this summer we’ll be glad to invite you to participate in the city rainbow gathering which will take place on Saturday, July 4th, and will bу dedicated to the Rainbow Flag Day, i.e. the birthday of the international LGBT movement symbol. We’ll spend some hours in the fascinating trip around Petersburg.

Hello everybody!

In these summer days we have an excellent cause for celebration and merriment.

June 25th is the International day of rainbow flag.

Everybody knows that rainbow flag is a symbol of LGBT community.

But very few know the history of creation of this flag, and what its colors symbolize.…

What’s a gay pride? When, where and why did it appear? Here is the question. How does it influence the general public’s attitude to LGBT-community? Is it worth holding gay pride in Russia? These and other issues are becoming now the subject not only for discussions inside the LGBT-community, but also for the public discourse in wide sense.

АThe importance and urgency of these questions, the absence of definite answers and the diversity of opinions called forth a discussion within the project “ComingOutInfo”. The discussion was organized by the Petersburg LGBT-organization “Coming Out” on Saturday, May 30th.