Russian-speaking gays and lesbians start life from scratch in New York

More and more Russians are seeking political asylum in the United States. According to Radio Liberty, in 2015 there were 1454 of such applications, which is half as many as last year, and two times more than in 2012. And this is an absolute record for more than twenty years.

According to immigration lawyers, this surge is associated with the mass exodus of gays and lesbians from Russia, after Vladimir Putin signed a law banning the promotion of non-traditional relations among minors in 2013.

This law triggered a barrage of criticism from human rights defenders and international organizations, including the UN, but most Russians support it. So according to public opinion poll, which was conducted by researchers from the Levada Center, 58% of Russians would like to isolate a society of gays and lesbians. And only 24% believe that they should be left to themselves.

The situation in Ukraine, Belarus and other CIS countries is not much better: skinhead attacks, persecution, arbitrariness of law enforcement, the absence of any hope that the situation will be corrected.

Not surprisingly, in such circumstances, many members of the LGBT community are leaving. In the US, gays and lesbians can count on tolerance and friendliness. The turning point was the decision of the Supreme Court legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states of the country, Photo of Barack Obama appeared on the cover of the LGBT magazine “OUT”so he became the first president of the United States who agreed to film for such a thematic publication. The editors of the magazine called this article “The Historical Moment in the Historical Year”.

But despite the fact that in the US, gays and lesbians from the post-Soviet countries can breathe freely and not be afraid of persecution, they, like other immigrants, have a hard time at first. They are on the same thorny path as other immigrants: looking for housing and work (often illegal at the beginning), struggling with the high cost of medical services, attending free English courses, building a new social circle.

Escape across borders

Roman Morozov arrived in New York just a month ago. His story is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster - with surveillance, foreign diplomats, illegal border crossings, security agents and family drama.

To escape from persecution, Roman Morozov had to flee through Belarus and Ukraine. Photos from the personal archive

The novel was born in the Russian outback, in the town of Kovrov, Vladimir Region, and in At the age of 20, he decided to take a very bold step by Russian standards: he told his parents that he was gay. They took it hard, but Morozov was sure that gays should not hide, otherwise in Russia you will not be able to prove that you are “the same person as the others.”

Dealing with public censure after his “coming-out”, Morozov engaged in social activities, and two years ago with his friends organized the “Gay Liberation Front” in Russia.

"We carried out campaigns against homophobes in Russia, including against the singer Valeria and the LG company, whose face she was <...> We helped as much as we could beaten up by a gay man from Minsk to Mikhail Pischevsky. Misha recently died from his injuries in the hospital [the athlete who beat him has already been released - Forum],” says Roman.

But Facebook Groups, Morozov with like-minded people went outside, some staged single pickets. In September 2015, a gay activist decided to run for the Council of People's Deputies of the city of Vladimir. Such a thing in the history of local elections has not yet been. In the election commission, everyone was surprised; the media staged a harassment on him.

“Journalists, if you can call them that, They were vying with each other to figure out what the worst thing to call me was. “Sodomite” is the mildest word. Many residents kept up with them and tried to pull me down the stairs during house-to-house visits. Neighbors wrote letters to me in the mailbox and stuck notices with unpleasant text on my door,” Morozov describes his election campaign.

As a result, the gay activist failed to collect a sufficient number of voter signatures, and he was denied registration. Roman thought that in Moscow it would be much easier for him.

“But I was wrong. I am gay, and Russia does not need me, no matter what city I am in. At that moment, I was already in a relationship with a guy, and we were looking for housing in Moscow. Horror! The apartment owners, seeing us together, simply refused rent a flat. We miraculously rented a room where they didn’t ask us why we only use one bed,” the activist shares his impressions.

Soon Roman was summoned to the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to a gay activist, they were going to open a criminal case on him under the article: “Public appeals for extremist activities on the Internet.”

"On the FSB officer’s desk was a folder with printed comments, dialogues from the social network Vkontakte, my articles and polemics with readers. On these same pages, important details were highlighted with a marker and numbers were written - articles from the Criminal Code, as I immediately understood. Basically, there were Articles 280 and 282 everywhere [they deal with humiliation of human dignity and calls for extremist activity],” says Roman.

On the same day, a lawyer turned to a gay activist and asked him to “hush up” the case for a reward of 5000 dollars, otherwise he faces five years in prison.

Returning home, the gay actuator saw a police car near the entrance. He did not tempt fate and, after consulting with the guy, decided to spend the night in a hotel and flee the country.

Roman went to Minsk, and from there he took a train to Kiev. All the way, Morozov was thinking only about how he would pass the border control, because his name was likely already on the list of restricted to leave.

"Oh, that was something. Smiling at the border guard, I said that I was going to Kyiv for a conference. He took my passport and turned to his partner, asking if she had checked me in the database. She replied that not yet. Then the border guard said that there was no need, he seemed like a decent person,” says the gay activist.

Having reached Kyiv, Roman Morozov bought a ticket to New York and turned to human rights activists for help. “In America, I was met by an employee of the Ukrainian mission to the UN. I can't say his name. They gave me some money for the first time and rented a hotel for me for a day,” says Roman.

Now Morozov has moved to Georgia. “I’ve settled down a little, I have a room. Just recently I had 40 dollars in my pocket, but now I’m fine, I have enough for food. In the near future I am going to return to New York and meet with the Russian gay community. I have many ideas that I am confident I can implement in America,” says the activist.

Found love

Elena Holtzman, a Russian-speaking LGBT activist in New York, did not survive the persecution of Morozov. She arrived in New York from Kiev 25 years ago with her husband, immigrating along the “Jewish line”. And after ten years of marriage, she divorced.

“All my life I knew that I was a lesbian. Silence is death. But how can we say this? That was my problem. It was a tragedy for my whole family,” she says.

But over time, Elena was understood and accepted, and four years ago she married again - with music teacher Barbara, the women she met in the synagogue. The wedding was held “according to all Jewish laws,” 150 people came, no one turned away, the couple was supported by all their relatives.

“Russian-speaking people and children in the United States began to understand that if, for example, mom divorced dad, this is a problem. And if my mother married a woman, that’s normal. It’s just that in the family there are two women instead of a man,” explains Elena.

Now Elena has excellent relations with her daughter, who is proud of her mother and talks about her in school to her students.

In 2008, Elena Holtzman created an organization for Russian-speaking gays who come to America. This idea was thrown at her in “gay friendly” sinanoga Beit Simchat Torah in New York. By the way, it is there that the famous human rights activist and chess player Garry Kasparov Earlier this year, met with Russian gay activists.

Elena began her social activities by renting an office in New York and posting flyers all over the city.

“The content was something like this: if you are gay or lesbian and speak Russian, call such and such a phone number. And on paper I also drew nesting dolls with antennae. People started calling. Many were surprised and at first were afraid to talk about themselves openly,” says Elena.

With the first ten like-minded people, Elena began to attract new members through the popular American website. meetup.com. Today, there are already about 500 people in the group, “Rusa-LGBT” has branches in Washington, Boston, San Francisco. And the organization has become increasingly active in fighting for the rights of gays in Russia.

Among Goltsman’s actions are calls to boycott the Olympics in Sochi, as well as demonstrations at the UN, when Vladimir Putin spoke at the General Assembly and signed a law that discriminates against gays.

In addition, Russian gays who come to the United States do not know where to go and whom to turn to, and then Rus-LGBT comes to the rescue. The organization suggests what is the timeline for obtaining documents, how to get medical insurance and get free help from lawyers.

Now, every day, Elena and other volunteers answer dozens of emails and Skype calls. The group has broker и Facebook page.

Many people ask how to leave Russia. “We do not have the right to answer such questions and do not encourage anyone to leave. We provide detailed information to those gays and lesbians who have already arrived here and are planning to apply for political asylum,” explains Goltsman.

In addition, the organization “Rusa-LGBT” draws up a letter that gays or lesbians can attach to their petitions for political asylum as a kind of evidence of non-traditional orientation.

“We give a letter stating that the person is a member of our community. Of course, we cannot write on paper that Ivan Ivanov is gay. We cannot say one hundred percent. But letters from us are received by the most active members of our group - those who participate in the life of the community: they go to rallies, to the cinema, to parties, and so on,” says Goltsman.

In the future she would also like to help new arrivals with housing, or at least give the guarantee letters that are needed for renting apartments. But inThe organization’s funding survey is still up in the air—Elena has just begun to formally draw up the documents.

No entry for unauthorised people

In New York, there is another Russian-speaking group of mutual assistance for gays and lesbians. Russian Speaking LGBT Support Group NYC. there is Facebook page, they also meet every Wednesday in New York, at the premises of the American human rights organization Project Reach. “We are happy to cooperate with Russian immigrants. The young people who came here might never have met together. They help each other, and this is very important in a foreign country,” says project director Don Kao.

15 people from CIS countries come to these meetings in the China Town area.

“The group is closed. For safety reasons, because the club members have recently arrived in the United States and cannot yet overcome their fear. They are afraid of a lot, and they can be understood,” says Alexey Gorshkov, one of the organizers, about the group’s work.

To become a member, you need to get a recommendation from the person who brought you to the group.

“We cannot help someone with money. But we help with information. We have specific Russian-speaking people in medical centers who come to our group and talk about help. Including psychological ones. There are contacts for free lawyers. And for those who work officially, we provide contact information for accountants,” lists Gorshkov.

The group has one more rule: straight people are not allowed.

“We cannot guarantee that every new participant is definitely gay or lesbian. But, of course, we kind of scan people, and if suspicions arise, we can discuss it,” says Alexey Gorshkov.

One of the participants, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Forum that people with traditional sexual orientation joined the group in order to formally check in, dive into the environment and under the guise of an oppressed minority get political asylum.

“One girl came and participated in our group discussions for several months. They tried to test her along the lesbian line, so to speak. It turned out that she is not a lesbian. But she was somehow able to pass the interview [and convince the immigration officers that she was a lesbian]. Now, as far as I know, she is drawing up documents for a green card,” says this anonymous participant.

Sober look

Alexey Gorshkov - the one who organizes meetings of Russian-speaking gays in China Town - notes that many Russian gay men come in “rose-colored glasses” and first are euphoric.

“Unfortunately, many Russian gays they are captured by temptations, including experiencing new sensations in their sexual life ... In New York, you can get special pills that protect you 95% from HIV infection. And this is how the sense of security is erased,” he notes.

In addition, it is equally difficult for gays and straight people to overcome the hardships of immigration. “I know that about ten people have not been able to settle here and have gone back to Russia. America is not for everyone, and even gays have a hard time here,” Gorshkov explains the importance of a sober look at things.

Before coming to the USA, he worked at a university in Perm, engaged in gender and LGBT studies. Gorshkov did not hide his orientation, and almost immediately fell victim to a law banning gay proganda among minors.

Alexey Gorshkov student handed over to the security service. Photos from the personal archive

“I taught preparatory courses at the university. Schoolchildren, that is, future students, attended classes. And then one girl comes up to me after the lecture and asks suspicious questions. Like, what are you, gay? Etc. A few days later, an employee of the Russian FSB appeared at the university,” recalls Gorshkov.

According to him, the schoolgirl who was interested in his personal life was the daughter of an employee of the local FSB department. He came and had a conversation with Gorshov, explained that he was already on the “black list,” and offered cooperation - to collect information about other gays.

Clouds continued to gather over Gorshkov. In the center of the city, several young people attacked him with a friend.

“One of them said that we are p...s, and we have no place in this city. We were silent. And at some point they attacked us. After the attack, I had six stitches on my face,” recalls Gorshkov.

He did not seek justice in law enforcement. The university began to circulate rumors about the dismissal of Gorshkov.

"I was scared. They followed me, FSB officers called me on my mobile phone and asked what I was doing. I moved to live in another apartment, with my friend. At the university they began to call me a foreign agent. I realized that I couldn’t live like this and decided to leave Russia,” says the former associate professor.

Now Gorshkov is just looking for a job, dreams of going back to university, but in the USA, and looks at life in an American pragmatic way. “I don't look back. New York is my city. I haven’t had depression yet and I hope there won’t be one. But if anything happens, I’ll go to a psychotherapist,” Alexey says quite seriously.

Success Story: Lev Trachtenberg

Lev Trakhtenberg in New York is a celebrity, radio host, blogger, producer and writer. He moved to the USA back in the early 90s, and for a long time did not dare to tell his wife about his lover. I turned to a psychotherapist for help.

“It was a different time then. An American woman doctor said: do not say anything under any circumstances, you will ruin your whole life. I left the office, immediately called Russia and admitted to my wife that I was gay and had always been,” recalls Lev Trakhtenberg.

Three years ago, Lev and his chosen one got married in New York. The witness was the daughter of Trachtenberg.

“Seryozha and I have been together for five years. Of course, most of the people around us, our housemates, understand perfectly well that we are in a relationship. But I have never heard any ridicule addressed to me. Maybe because we communicate with good people. It’s 2015, and we’re in New York, not Voronezh,” says Lev.

Lev Trachtenberg with her husband. Photo facebook.com/lev.trakhtenberg

The producer says that she and her husband have come a long way to legalize Sergei in the United States, and urges others not to be discouraged by difficulties and to be patient. “I know a lot of young Russian gays who came to America. And they all rose somehow - some have already received a green card, some are applying for citizenship, some are finishing their studies in college, everyone is working. In the USA, a system of assistance to visiting gays has been established, there are public organizations, and this is a great thing,” Trachtenberg reassures.

He advises not to be afraid and be sure to contact support groups and make new acquaintances. “I myself have helped visiting children more than once. I can always share information and answer questions. It's my duty. We simply have to help each other,” says the producer.

Lev also believes that it is important to go to gay pride parades in order to educate and educate society and fight for their rights. However, he is against excessive posing and semi-nudity in public. This, according to Lev, causes a backlash - everyone is presented as horny, cutesy and painted clowns. It is important that everyone sets a worthy example.

Passwords and attendances

One of the most popular organizations in the United States that helps LGBT immigrants is Immigration Equality. All information is duplicated on the fund's website. Russian. The Foundation provides free attorneys for immigration asylum cases. The site also includes a telephone hotline for emergencies, such as arrests or deportations.

Now Immigration Equality works very slowly due to the influx of applications. To get free legal assistance, you will have to wait several months. At the same time, the organization does not guarantee that it will take up the cause.

Many Russian gays and lesbians constantly visit gay center in new york. Every week on Thursdays, the center hosts gay immigrant meetings (in English and Spanish). “We can offer you very popular individual and family programs. For example, there is a project in which expectant mothers [lesbians] participate. Women discuss problems and share experiences when they meet at the center. Many people also ask: Do we provide free housing for immigrants? Unfortunately no. But we have contacts of other organizations. We will be happy to give them,” the center’s coordinator, Mary Steyer, told the Forum.

Organizations that help visitors to gays and lesbians

http://rusalgbt.com/ — Russian organization, the website has all the necessary contacts;

https://www.facebook.com/russianlgbtsupportgroup/?fref=ts&__mref=message_bubble — support group for Russian gays and lesbians;

http://www.lambdalegal.org — only English-speaking employees work here;

http://nylag.org — this organization has employees who speak Russian. You can contact Irina Mitishchenko - [email protected];

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org — a very popular international organization, there is a Russian-speaking translator;

http://www.hias.org — the organization provides legal assistance, coordinator Alexander Milch.

Companies that specialize in medical care

http://www.survivorsoftorture.org

http://callen-lorde.org

http://blantonpeale.org/index.html

http://www.gmhc.org

https://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org - an organization that helps HIV-infected people can also partially pay the rent.

Work and education

For those who have the right to work in the United States, there is list companies that invite representatives of the LGBT community to vacant positions. Among the huge corporations are Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Microsoft, Google, Apple, Sony, Ford Motor Company and others.

In New York, you can find legal work on the website of the city hall. View full list of jobs available here.

There are also special assistance programs in getting an education for gay immigrants.

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