Subject: Our World No 3 (Ukraine gay magazine)
From: "Our World magazine" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 98 13:34:03 +0300

Dear friends!

We send you some articles from Our World magazine, which is
issued in Ukraine. It is information and educational edition aspiring
to make more social active gays and lesbians and improve the
attitudes of the society to homosexuality and homosexuals in
Ukraine.

You will find here translation of several articles from the 3rd number
(dated December 1997; the magazine is published quarterly), which
can give you the idea about the life of homosexuals in Ukraine.

Except the articles, submitted to you, in the third number we have
wrote to the Ukrainian readers about: the origin of homosexuality
(different points of view); information about the struggle of gay-
people for their human rights, their victories and failures in the
world; gay-pride movement; gay films "Folsom street fair" and "My
life in rose" shown on Molodist Kiev International Film Festival in
1997; personal life story of a gay couple from Donetsk region, and
many other information on our social and cultural life.

Below you can read the following articles:

1. Editorial article
2. Our Human Rights (pre-election campaign of Our World)
3. Information kaleidoscope: motherland
4. "Light-blue" and "Pink" (Gays and Lesbians) by Igor Kon,
   Academic
5. Domestic psychiatry about homosexualism (interview)
6. Important gay addresses in Ukraine and Russia
=================================

Gratitude to: The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Kiev, Andrei
Kravchuk (Lugansk), Alexandr Bogoley (Kiev), Yuriy Zilovets
(Donetsk), Dima Lytchev (Moscow), Rex Wockner, International
News (USA), Stephen Hunt (Infreader) (USA)

We shall be very grateful to you for the information and financial
help.

Our postal address: Andrei Maimulakhin, PO Box 62, 348051,
Lugansk, UKRAINE
Our e-mail: [email-masked]
Our telephone/fax: + 038 (0642) 47-94-22

Editor: Andrei Maimulakhin

Sincerely,

Our World magazine
=================================

1. EDITORIAL ARTICLE

Lately we continued work with the magazine and other concerning it
projects. Including are a lot of our efforts were directed on
spreading of the information about life of gay people in Ukraine
abroad.

But, certainly, our activities first of all are aimed on motherland.
Here, paradoxical, it is much more difficult to find understanding and
response to our efforts.

Here, in my opinion, the deal is not in the design or poligraphy of
the edition, but in general in absence of interest to the serious
information "on the theme". And at the end - it is problem of our
social passivity which is the ground for all our problems.

In the meantime magazine has become accessible in two regional
libraries too - Odessa and Kirovograd. Together with dispatch of the
third number, we asked libraries to create in their subject catalogues
unit "Homosexuality". It will help interested easier to find the
literature on the given subject. Such unit can address the reader, for
example, to our magazine. And with the further progress of
democracy in our society - to the increasing information on the
given theme.
=================================

2. OUR HUMAN RIGHTS (PRE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN OF OUR
WORLD)

In March, 1998, there is held the election of the Supreme Rada (the
Parliament) of Ukraine.

Magazine Our World begins pre-election campaign!

The purpose of our action is to find out the attitude of political
parties and some candidates for deputies to the problems of
observance of the human rights, concerning the people of
homosexual orientation in our country.

We are going to poll potential parliamentarians on the following
items:

1.  Do you consider that in Ukrainian society there exists the
problem of non-observance of the human rights concerning gays
both lesbians, taking into account such facts as: existing in public
consciousness homophobia; openly shown in life intolerance to
homosexuality and homosexuals; absence of measures, preventing
the facts of the insult, in the legislation; a humiliations on this
ground?

2. Do you consider that it is especially necessary to protect the
social group, gays and lesbians, from oppression? For example,
with special anti-discrimination law, forbidding any oppression,
restriction of the rights and freedom, insult of the person by another
person or public organization, based on sexual orientation of the
first one.

3. Do you consider that it is necessary to introduce the institution of
partnership, permitting the conclusion of civil unions for same-
gender couples, with granting to such couples the civil and property
rights of heterosexual families such as, for example, right on the
common property, inheritance etc.?

4. Will you actively act for equal social, legal, economic, family etc.
rights for all citizens of Ukraine, including the people of homosexual
orientation?

With results of the research we shall offer to our readers the list of
political parties, associations, candidates for deputies that:

- positively answered on 1-st item of our poll-list, recognizing the
necessity of solution of the this problem;

- denied a presence of this problem for the social group of sexual
minorities, along with these which either obviously or implicitly
refused to express on the given questions.
=================================

We urgently need in your financial support for leading questioning of
the candidates in the deputies of the Ukrainian Parliament about
their attitude to the problems of observance of human rights of the
people of homosexual orientation in our country. It is very necessary
project. It will enlighten real position of Ukrainian future deputies of
the Parliament toward human rights of gay and lesbian people.

On the results of this questioning we'll give information to our
readers which will help them to make right decision during the
election. Also this information will be given to mass-media.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------
 | We need your help!                                            |
 | Donation can be sent through Western Union bank system        |
 | to city Lugansk, Ukraine                                      |
 | Please inform Mr. Andrei Maimulakhin about your bank transfer |
 | code by                                                       |
 | postal address: Andrei Maimulakhin, PO Box 62, 348051,        |
 | Lugansk, UKRAINE                                              |
 | e-mail: [email-masked]                            |
 | telephone/fax: + 038 (0642) 47-94-22                          |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
=================================

3. INFORMATION KALEIDOSCOPE: MOTHERLAND

Dateline December 12, 1997

THE NEXT "ODYN Z NAS" (ONE OF US) GAY MAGAZINE.

The fifth number of "Odyn z nas" (One of Us) gay magazine was
published. The issuing was renewed after a problems connected
with the change of the publisher. Some readers who have
subscribed "Odyn z nas" before didn't receive magazine because of
money were left on the bank account of previous publisher.

APOSTOLIC MISSION "THE RISING SUN"

Apostolic mission "The Rising Sun" has a motto "The Unity is in
Christ". It is a Christian society for gay-believers. The Mission have
began it's activities in April, 1997. Nowadays it includes 30
members.

The appeal of "The Rising Sun" says, 'It's an unique Christian
mission in Ukraine which supports those who were rejected by all
religion communities. Our aim is spiritual and moral support to
everyone. We strive for kindness, participation and understanding.
We can help you to realize that you have the right to believe, to
love, and to have hope. As well as Christians all over the world, in
spite of your sexual distinction."

"The Rising Sun" exists for voluntary donations of Brotherhood
members. Mission needs your financial support and any help!
Address: Brothers Leonid Shvedov and Vyacheslav Karpukhin, 13
Suvorova str., v. Zlatoustovka, Volnovakhskiy district, Donetsk
region, 342351, Ukraine

ADONIS IN ZAPOROZIE

In October 1997 the Adonis Charitable Fund was established in
Zaporozie (one of Ukrainian cities). The main goals of the fund are
social and psychological support of gays and lesbians, improvement
of public opinion concerning homosexuals.

IN BRIEF

It was held the first gay discothec in Zaporozie. It was present about
50 gays and lesbians.

Also it was gay discothec in Kharkov. It was present about 50 gays.
Population of Kharkov is more than a million and a half.

A new "Stars" yellow-press magazine was started to be published in
Kharkov. Half of the materials are devoted to homosexuality.

The concert of the famous TV-program maker and a poet Kostya
Gnatenko took place in Lvov. Most of the songs were about gay-
love.

Some of the topics of Ukrainian TV-program "Taboo" (1 + 1 TV
channel) were connected with homosexuality. Editor of "Odyn z nas"
gay magazine and transsexual were invited to take participation in
this program.
=================================

4. "LIGHT-BLUE" and "PINK" (Gays and Lesbians)
by Igor Kon, Academic

Part 1

Concerning the Soviet society's attitude to sexual minority since
1933 it is possible to allocate four basic periods:

1934-1966 - criminal prosecutions, discrimination and hushing up.

1987-1990 - the beginning of open public discussion of the
problem from the scientific and humanitarian point of view by
scientists and journalists.

1990-June 1993 - entrance of the sexual minority's
representatives on the arena of struggle, moving on the foreground
problems of the human rights, transformation of the problem from
medical to political, appearance of gay organizations and editions.

>From the cancellation of Article 121.1 of the Criminal Code of
Russian SFSR till the present time - some improvement of the
situation for gays and lesbians, beginning transformations of
homosexual underground into gay subculture, struggle against
homophobia, for complete liquidation of repressive legislation and
for sexual equality.

It is worth to note that the first antihomosexual campaign in the
Soviet press was very short, already in the middle of 1930-ths the
complete and absolute silence on this topic was established.
Homosexualism simply was not mentioned anywhere in any way,
having become in literal sense "not named". Conspiracy of silence
was distributed even to such academic subjects as phallic cults or
antique pederasty.

In 1974 I published in academic magazine Bulletin for Ancient
History (No. 3) article "Concept of Friendship in Ancient Greece".
The article was especially scientific and the talk in it was not about
same-gender love but about evolution of concept and institution of
friendship. But to speak about it, not concerning the theme of
homoeroticism, is just impossible. Certainly all members of the
editorial board perfectly knew about Greek pederasty. Nevertheless
two scientific ladies have required that this word as well as
homoeroticism was not mentioned at all. Eventually on advice of the
Chief Editor professor S.L. Utchenko, who fervently supported the
article, there was used euphemism "these specific relations".

In the mass media to speak about "it" was impossible at all, unless
with indistinct hints. In the collection of Russian translations of
Marcialus' 88 poems, basically those where was mentioned
pederasty or oral sex, were skipped. In translations of Arabian
poetry love verses, inverted to boys, used to be re-addressed to
girls, and so forth.

Gloomy conspiracy of silence strengthened even more the
psychological tragedy of Soviet gays: they not only were afraid of
prosecutions and blackmail, but could not even develop the
adequate self-consciousness to understand who they are.

The medicine hardly helped them. In the Soviet books on
sexopathology homosexualism was regarded as dangerous "sexual
distortion", illness that is subject of treatment. Even most liberal and
educated Soviet sexopathologists and psychiatrists, having
supported decriminalization of homosexuality, but rare exceptions,
till this day consider it as illness and reproduce in their works the
numerous absurds and negative stereotypes of mass
consciousness. In the directory on sexopathology homosexualism is
defined as "pathological inclination". Except the biological reasons,
in opinion of the authors "Strong pathogenic factor, promoting the
formation of homosexual inclination, can be a suggestion by the
parents and tutors the unfriendly attitude to opposite gender".

In the beginning of 1980-th years to medical homophobia was
added pedagogical one. In the first and only USSR's manual on
sexual education for the teachers by A. Khripkova and D. Kolesov,
issued in circulation in 1 million copies, homosexualism is defined
not only as dangerous pathology, but as well as "an encroachment
on normal state in the field of sexual relations... Homosexualism
resists not only normal heterosexual sexual relations but also
system of cultural, moral achievement of the society. Therefore it
deserves condemnation both as the social phenomenon and as the
mentality and the line of behavior of the particular person.
Preventive maintenance of homosexualism is one of the important
tasks of sexual hygiene of a boy, teenager, young man. It consists in
preventing influences of all those factors which can set up a boy,
teenager, young man against female gender, in the controlling
nature of mutual relations with the representatives of their gender, in
careful selecting the workers for educational institutions such as
boarding-schools".

Soviet gays greedy caught each grain more or less authentic
information on their problems. With greatest efforts and risk for
themselves they got old works of Freud and foreign books.

Epidemic of AIDS has worsened the situation even more. The first
information about it in the Soviet press sounded so: in the USA
there appeared an unknown disease, carriers and victims of which
are homosexuals, drug-addicts and Puertoricans. Brought up in a
spirit of official internationalism, Soviet citizens in any way could not
understand - why Puertoricans? All about homosexuals and drug-
addicts is obvious - God punishes them for their sins, but why
Puertoricans? God cannot be a racist!

It has become even worse later. In 1986 then assistant of the
Minister of Public Health Services and Chief Sanitary Doctor of
USSR academician of medicine Nikolay Burgasov publicly declared:
"In our country there do not exist conditions for mass distribution
diseases: homosexualism, as a dangerous sexual distortion, is
pursued by the law (Article of RSFSR Criminal Code 121), there is
carried out constant work to explain the harm of drugs".

After him the Minister of Public Health Services of RSFSR professor
psychiatrist A. Potapov on pages of the same Literaturnaya gazeta,
answering questions about drug addiction, on his own initiative "has
coordinated" it with homosexualism and also has added: "My
colleagues in Paris have told me as in one of parks of the capital a
furious crowd killed two homosexuals. Under the very eyes of
police". The representative of the most humane profession did not
give any appreciation of this event, then have moved on to how in
Belgium there limits a pornobusiness, and has meditatively have
concluded: "See, how the life forces". Anybody has not noticed
abomination of that told at all...

When the AIDS already appeared in USSR, Chiefs of state
epidemiological program V.I. Pokrovsky and V.V. Pokrovsky in the
public statements accused first of all the homosexuals, having
represented them as carriers not only HIV but also any other evil.
Also it is impossible to reproach epidemiologists with it: in Soviet
medical institutes homosexualism "was not taken". Even on pages
of liberal magazine Ogonek, that published the first article about the
people sick with AIDS, the first Soviet victim of the terrible disease
- homosexual engineer, infected in Africa, - was described with
undisguised disgust and condemnation.

Since 1987 the question what homosexualism is and how there
should be disposed to gays - whether to consider them as sick
criminals or victims of fate - has become widely discussed on
pages of mass, especially youth, press (Moskovsky komsomolets,
Komsomolskaya pravda, Sobesednik, Molodoy kommunist,
Literaturnaya gazeta, Ogonek, Argumenty i fakty, SPID-info, Yunost,
Parus, some local newspapers), on radio and TV. Though these
publications were rather various on the level and orientation, they
had huge importance. From journalistic sketches and published
letters of homosexuals, lesbians and their parents the common
Soviet people for the first time have begun to learn about broken
lives, militia's arbitrariness, judicial reprisals, sexual violence in
prisons, camps, in army, at last about tragical inescapable
loneliness of people, doomed to live in constant fear and unable to
meet similar to themselves. Each such publication caused the
whole flow of the inconsistent responses, which the editions at
every step did not know what to do with.

What about scientific information the affairs were poor. True, in a
manual for the doctors on gender psychohygiene of children by
Dmitry Isaev and Viktor Kagan, published in 1986, there was
section "Formation of Sexual Orientation", where adolescent and
the youth homosexuality was considered not as "sexual distortion"
and consequence of "seduction" by the adults, but as an aspect of
normal psychosexual development. In the last (1989) edition of my
book Psychology of Early Youth (circulation - 800 thousand
copies) I for the first time could include some pages about
adolescent and youthful homosexuality, emphasizing that "intimate
erotic experiences of teenagers and young men are practically
outside of sphere of the pedagogical control" and that "behind
sexual problems there always stand human problems". In the
previous editions of the book (1979, 1980 and 1982) this theme was
not mentioned at all. In 1988 came off the press, at last, my
Introduction in Sexology, where were stated the modern theories of
sexual orientation and also were adduced the data, proving
illegitimacy and harmfulness of discrimination homosexuals, etc.

However the specific questions about the situation of homosexuals
in USSR, as well as all legal problems, were completely passed
over in the book. Without silence and compromises the book just
could not be printed in a Soviet publishing house.

Central question in the second half of 1980-ths became a destiny of
Article 121  of RSFSR Criminal Code. In professional legal circles
the question about it was discussed for a long time. In the textbook
of criminal law by M. Shargorodsky and P. Osipova (1973) there
was already told: "In the Soviet legal literature there never were
undertaken any attempt to put a stable scientific base under
criminal liability for voluntary sex of man with man, and the sole
reason, which is usually resulted (moral depravity of the subject and
infringement by him the rules of socialist morals), is impossible to
admit as reliable, since negative properties of the person cannot
form the basis for criminal liabilities, and the immorality of deed is
insufficient to announce it criminal.... There are serious doubts in
expediency of preservation of the criminal liability for unqualified
male homosexual relations".

Nobody has paid attention to the opinion of the authoritative
scientists. The same destiny also expected a memo, which the
expert in field of sexual crimes professor A.N. Ignatov had directed
to the leadership of USSR's Ministry of Internal Affairs in 1979. I
unsuccessfully tried to publish the article on this topic in a magazine
Sovetskoye gosudarstvo i pravo in 1982. Generally I was not going
to write about it, understanding that nothing but troubles would
come of it. But at meeting of scientist-sexologists of the socialist
countries in Leipzig (1981) the famous sexologist from GDR Siegfrid
Schnabl unexpectedly asked, in what countries antihomosexual
legislation exists and what reasons are given for it, and then it has
appeared that it is only in USSR (Romanian representatives was
not at the meeting). I was ashamed and felt unpleasant, and after
my return I have decided, contrary to common sense, to inform the
heads and to ask what they think. Medical people on behalf of Mr.
Vasilchenko have told that they tried to raise this question, but the
leadership of Ministry of Public Health Services was always against.
The lawyers have told that they have not sufficient arguments for
statement of this question. The Chief Editor of the magazine
Sovetskoye gosudarstvo i pravo professor M.I. Piskotin has offered
me, instead of obviously rhetorical questions, to write the article
about that.

- But you will not print it!

- I do not know, but we shall try. In any case, there will be a material
for discussions.

I urgently have studied the legislation of other countries and written
the argued article. It was enthusiastically supported by the medical
professors G.S. Vasilchenko and D.N. Isaev, but lawyers were
frightened and have transferred the article in the Administrative
Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party,
where they have been told that to raise this question is "out of time".
So it all was finished.

For the benefit of decriminalization a lot of arguments was resulted:

1. Discrepancy of the Soviet legislation to norms and principles of
international law.

2. Its contradiction to common representations of modern sciences.

3. Reasons of the humanistic kind - because people are not free in
a choice of sexual orientation, it is cruel to punish for it.

4. Absence of intrinsic logic in the very legal system, chastising only
men's homosexualism.

5. Social damage owing to estrangement of homosexuals from the
society and pushing them in filthy underground.

6. Sanitary and hygienic reasons, in particular the difficulties of
struggle with venereal diseases.

7. Inevitability of abuses with application of such legislation on the
part of law-enforcement bodies.

Though this question was not taken out on pages of the press, from
the project of the new Criminal Code of RSFSR, prepared by a
commission of lawyers in the middle of 1980-ths, the Article 121
was excluded. However discussion and adoption of the new Code
were being delayed, and by that time disputes on the Article 121
moved on pages of mass press and TV screens.

There were three points of view:

1. To cancel completely the Article 121 and not to mention at all
sexual orientation in the Criminal Code because children and
adolescents, irrespective of their gender, are protected by other
laws;

This position was actively supported by lawyers A.N. Ignatov and
A.M. Yakovlev, psychoendocrinologist A.I. Belkin and some other
scientists.

2. To cancel the criminal liability for homosexual contacts under the
mutual consent between the adults, but to keep the second part of
the Article 121, concerning children and the minors; that was the
position of many people of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

3. To leave everything as it was; it was demanded by right
nationalistic and some religious organizations.

The Article 121 mentioned fates of many thousands people, and not
only its direct victims. As it was already told above, in 1930-1980-
ths in USSR under it annually about 1000 men were sentenced and
sent in prisons and camps. At the end of 1980-ths their number has
become considerably less. Under the data of the Ministry of Justice
of Russian Federation, in 1989 under the Article 121 in Russia there
were sentenced 538, in 1990 - 497, in 1991 - 462, in the first
half-year of 1992 - 227 persons. Truly, it is not known how were
distributed the convicts on items 121.1 and 121.2, and whether the
people, were already being in places of confinement, enter into this
number, the number of whom can be considerable. Under
information of MIA till the moment of cancellation of Article 121.1 on
27 of May, 1993 in places of deprivation of freedom there were 73
men, convicted exclusively of the voluntary sexual relations with
adult men, and 192 men, served sentences' terms in the aggregate
under this and several other articles.

It is not only about groundlessness and severity of punishment. The
Soviet penitentiary system, more than elsewhere, produced sexual
violence itself, involving in it new and new victims.

Criminal sexual symbolics, language and rituals everywhere are
closely connected to the hierarchical relations of authority,
domination and submission, they more or less are stable and
universal in all closed men communities. In the criminal
environment real or symbolical, conventional (it is enough to say,
not knowing their sense at all, certain words or to execute a certain
ritual) rape - first of all means establishment or maintenance of the
relations of power. The victim, however he had resisted, would lose
man advantage and the prestige, and the violator, on the contrary,
would raise them. With "change of authority" former leaders, in turn,
are being raped, and by that irreversibly are lowered in the
hierarchy downwards. So here it is not about sexual orientation and
absence of the women at all, but about the social relations of
domination both submission, based on rough force, and sign
system consecrating them, which is imposed to everybody coming
again and is transferred from generation to generation.

The most probable candidates on violation are young prisoners.
With medical and sociological research of 246 prisoners, having
had homosexual contacts known to camp administration, each
second has told that was raped already in the chamber of the
preliminary conclusion, 39 percents - on the way into reformatory
and 11 percents - in the camp. The majority of these men had no
any homosexual experience before, but after rape, made them
"lowered", it was no way back for them anymore.

Here is an example, described by Elena Svetlova in the newspaper
Moskovsky komsomolets:

"I was told: 'He will not with talk to you'. He has agreed. A short nice
lad, who was not spoilt by black robe at all, short haircut almost 'to
zero'. Recently he had sixteen. In the confinement - eight months.
Term - three years. Was arrested for pocket theft. In reformatory
has no any friends. He is absolutely lonely. It would never have
entered anybody's head to regale him with mom's cookies or
brought home sweets. He would smoke a cigarette himself -
nobody would take a puff after him. He is 'lowered'. In investigatory
isolator co-cellmen has committed an outrage upon him.

- In a hut (the cell of investigatory isolator on a slang) there was five
them, three under Article 117 (rape) and two adults. They had
closed the peep-hole. After the third blow I had lost consciousness.
Then it happened... What could I do?

- How long were you there?

- Three days and a half.

- Whether couldn't you cry for help, ask to transfer you in another
cell?

- No. It's useless. In prison is the 'internal telephone'. In that
moment when I was been sending, on prison yards they have cried
out about me...

- And how is to you be living here?

- Now it's O.K. They look another way, don't greet. But don't beat,
no.

- Have you told about the misfortune yourself?

- No. The chairman of group has told 'We know everything'. They
from that 'hut' had found out who would go with me 'by stages' and
transferred".

"Look another way", "do not greet" are still trifles. As a rule the
"lowered" are given to the full to feel themselves outcasts. Quite
ordinarily their bowls are punched, they sit separately, by the last
table.

"Not only those get in fags who, having be free, had an inclination to
homosexualism (in the camp only passive role is reprehensible), but
also in the most various occasions. Sometimes it is enough to have
a pretty appearance and a weak character. Let's tell, a group had
been brought in bath. All were washed (what the washing there: one
tap for a hundred persons, not enough tubs, shower does not work),
came into antechamber. The disposing thief is casting a look round
all with estimating sight. Deciding. 'You, you and you - remain for
cleaning', - and is badly smiling. Lads upon which is the choice,
come back in bathroom. In antechamber with roars of laughter
bursts a crowd of famous thieves. They are undressing and, blue-
gray from all-round tattoos, playing by muscles, passing where just
have disappeared our guys. The group is taking away. In the late
evening the guys come back with tear-stained faces and in the
bunch huddle in a corner. Nobody approaches them.

Their fate is determined.

But even a pretty appearance is not obligatory. About one prisoner
- small, ordinary-looking, father of family - it was found out that
he at one time served in militia, long time ago (otherwise he would
get in a special camp). Ah, cop! They 'lowered' him (raped) and he
became the fag of the brigade. After arrival on work in shop he at
once used to be taken in a shop lavatory, and therefrom he did not
leave all the day anymore. They would come to him continuously
and the inquiries were rather various. For day fifteen-twenty persons
turned out. In the end of a working day he trudged along hardly alive
behind the group...".

Under the data of A.P. Albov and D.D. Isaev, who interrogated 1100
men prisoners, the "offended" ones make 8-10 percents of all the
prisoners. One third of them are convicted of rape. Every "offended"
is obliged refuselessly to serve sexually anyone wishing, having on
the average 3-50 partners, or he is the exclusive property of
privileged group from 10-15 men. Each who would has stood up for
an "offended" or would risk to be friend of him, the same fate waits.
It is well shown in the film "Lawlessness".

Similar though some less rigid system exists also in women's
camps, where rough, manlike, and using men's names "koblas"
ruled over dependent upon them "pickers". These sexual roles are
also irreversible. If men criminals succeeded somehow in breaking
in female camp, maximum courage was considered to rape a
"kobla", who after that would be obliged to commit suicide.

Administration of prison or camp, even if wishing, practically is
powerless to change these relations, preferring to use them in its
own purposes. One secret informer recruited by KGB tells that when
he had informed the operations representative about committed or
preparing act of violation, that one told: "Sasha, well, what
difference does it make for us? For us they all are identical, but it is
better, certainly, when the raped ones are more, you see, they go to
contact to administration sooner and works as trophy horses,
because they have nothing to do but to forget all in work and seek
the help from 'wolves' from us. All in all, to hell with them, 'cocks'...".

The threat "to fag" was often used by the inspectors and guards of
camps to receive from a victim the necessary testimonies or to
recruit him. Generally speaking, customs of Soviet prisons and
accepted in them rituals, language and the symbols scarcely differ
from American or other penitentiary establishments, but the Soviet
prisons are considerably less comfortable than western, therefore
here it is still more severe and terrible.

>From there, from criminal subculture, which penetrated all parts of
the Soviet society's life, appropriate customs were distributed in the
army too. The "unauthorized relations", "dedovshchina", tyrannical
authority "seniors" above recruits, quite often include obvious or
latent elements of sexual violence.

Article 121 like the sword of Damocles hung also above these who
were not in prisons. Militia and KGB had the lists of all true both
suspected homosexuals, using this information with the purpose of
blackmail. These lists, certainly, still exist until now.

As same-gender love, in any form, was outside of the law up to the
end of 1991 gays and lesbians had no place to communicate as it
befits people, to openly meet similar ones to themselves. Certainly,
in big cities there always were known places, "cruising places",
where they gathered. However fear of an exposure and blackmail
made most of such contacts impersonal, anonymous and unitary,
deprived of human affection and psychological intimacy.

Extensive and impersonal sex sharply increases the risk of infection
with venereal diseases. Under the data of Ukrainian and
Byelorussian venerological centers, in 1980-ths formed more than
30 percents of all patients with syphilis, and in Latvia - even over a
half. Being afraid of exposure, people avoided to see doctors or did
it too late. In Moscow the late terms of hospitalization with syphilis
were marked at 84 percents of homosexuals. It is even more
difficult to reveal a source of their infection. Under the data of
Moscow epidemiologist, general director of Association on Control
of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, professor Konstantin Borisenko,
percent of revealing of infection sources of syphilis for homosexual
men did not exceed 7,5-10 percents, whereas for the others it
makes 50-70 percents.

The street-toilet contacts are dangerous also in other respects. The
organized groups of hooligans, sometimes with private support of
militia, provoke, blackmail, plunder, severely beat and even kill
gays. Thus they hypocritically represent themselves as defenders of
public morals, naming their actions "a repair". As homosexuals are
afraid to inform militia about such cases, the large part of crimes
against them remains unpunished, and then militia officers accuse
them that they are nurseries of criminality. Murders with the purpose
of robbery at every step are represented as a consequence of
ostensibly characteristic for homosexuals a special pathological
jealousy and etc.

The continuation follows.
=================================

5. DOMESTIC PSYCHIATRY ABOUT HOMOSEXUALISM

Interview with Yu.V. Kukurekin, MD, Head of the Department of
Lugansk Regional Clinical Psychiatric Hospital, Chief of Regional
Center of Medical and Psychological Help to Family.

Andrei Maimulakhin: Dr. Kukurekin, tell please about how our
psychiatry treated homosexuality before, let's tell, ten years back?

Yury Kukurekin: 10 years back psychiatry unequivocally classified
homosexuality as perversion, i.e. sexual distortion. If the person
with homosexual tendencies had got to the psychiatrists, to him
there would put the diagnosis: psychopathy, the perverse form. It
was considered as hard disorder.

In a terminology the words "homosexualism" were applied,
"homosexual". The term "the person with homosexual orientation"
was unknown. But just in it there reveals that the given property is
typology of a person. Nobody reflected that in each of us there are
incorporated two elements. Both female and male. In the different
people they only are combined in various proportions. All of us are
accentuated persons, i.e. each of us has personal features.

AM: What normative documents related to homosexualism were in
that time, which the psychiatrists used?

YK: There weren't any special instructions. The doctors use the
reference book  International Classification of Diseases (ICD). In 9-
th issue of ICD in the section "Psychopathy and Disorder of Person"
under code 302 listed "Sexual distortions": 302.0 -
Homosexualism, Lesbianism, Pederasty. All in a heap! By the way,
"Sexual distortions" in it section are between "Psychopathy" and
"Alcoholism".

AM: Tell, please, what techniques were applied for treatment of
homosexuals?

YK: Psychotherapy. From rationalistic up to hypnotherapy. But such
treatment was applied when the patient considered himself the
pervert and wanted to get rid of homosexual tendencies. One of the
most known of our psychotherapist - Ya. Golend from Gorky
(Nizhny Novgorod). In his work, especially with transsexuals, there
were large successes.

But I should notice that a sexual inclination is very proof and gives
in to correction hardly. I bring an example.

Some years ago on reception came big and handsome young man
- a student of an institute. The history was the following:

This lad was friend of the girl who liked him very much and also
wanted marry him. They had sexual contacts, but young man did
not display a special activity, did not aspire to them. It disturbed his
girlfriend a lot and she achieved his confession - he had
homosexual contacts. On her initiative he has addressed to doctor.

We have carried out treatment long, about one year: psychotherapy,
hypnoses, and the affair has moved from a dead point, they have
got married and, apparently, became a happy couple...
After this 7-8 years have passed and, casually having meet this
already woman, I have learned a continuation of the history - they
were divorced. After some time the husband has told to the wife:
"It's OK, it's perfect, but, excuse me, I want a man..."

As a matter of fact, our influence on a patient was coding. Codes
are not eternal. The biological basis breaks from within, supersedes
psychiatric stratification.

AM: And if call-up medical commission in army found out the
homosexuality of the person, what threatened to him?

YK: In the military-service card of him there would put a mark 7B -
is only suitable for non-combatant service in wartime, also he would
be sent to psychotherapy.

AM: In that time even voluntary homosexual acts between adult
men used to be punished by the Criminal Code. How would act a
psychiatrist if on reception to him a person had come and told that
he had such sexual contacts? Would doctor declare to militia?

YK: No. Psychiatrists never transferred such information in bodies
of internal affairs.

AM: I had an acquaintance in Moscow. During the youth, sometimes
in 70-ths, he carried out a long time in psychiatric hospital, literally
having been confined there. His father - some military high-rank -
had learned that he is gay and, so as not to dishonor a uniform by
such son, tried "to cure" him. At a rate of treatment there were
Aminazin, an electroshock. So there is all that set which, under the
various information, applied to Soviet dissidents - destruction of
the person and attempt to collect it anew in parts. My acquaintance
obviously has got rid very safely of it - since that he would have
only headache, but the mind he did not lose. But as he told, it was
even possible to become degenerate.

Whether the similar methods of treatment were applied here?

YK: I can not comment on it. Probably in Moscow something of
such was used. But precisely I can tell that in our region such was
not done.

AM: Now let's talk about changes in psychiatry. In what time they
took place? How was it made out officially?

YK: As a matter of fact any essential changes has not taken place.
The psychiatry and before did not consider homosexuality as
illness, since psychopathy means an anomaly of mental
development. So the point is that how actually psychiatrists concern
to this personally.

AM: Certainly, psychiatrists are human too. And they also are
subject to public stereotypes. But they should better understand a
person.

YK: Unfortunately it is often possible to hear some jokes on this
occasion even from the experts. Many are still disposed to
homosexuals with suspicion. Today only small part of the
psychiatrists is inclined to consider sexual orientation as personal
business of each person.

AM: With what problems gays and lesbians address in your center?
Do they come as a rule themselves or they are brought by the
relatives?

YK: Themselves. With the question: "I understand that it is bad, how
can I get rid of it? "

AM: What do you advise them?

YK: Not to play the fool. You want a guy, so find him and live
happily. That such person needs, is to find connection with another
the same. I address such people to the gay known for me, who
helps them to understand themselves.

AM: What literature on the theme of homosexuality doctors use?
Whether there are appropriate courses in medical educational
institutions? Whether that information is enough for experts?

YK: The special courses are not present. The literature - two lines
in the textbook.

AM: And whether in the this field researches, conferences,
seminars are carried out?

YK: Researches on this theme are not present. In 1992 Eurasian
Association of Sexologists devoted a special session to
transsexuals. To the topic of homosexuality the attitude is more
cautious.

In 1995 we submitted a material on this question on a conference,
but in the reports it was not included. Then I have told to the
organizers that the problem exists and it is necessary to turn to face
it. And the next year in the reports there was a material on this
theme.

AM: And the last question. Whether do you consider that there is
the problem of "homosexuality" in the society, and if yes, what it
consists in?

YK: It is a problem of moral and ethical sort. The people cannot
reconstruct their attitude to that. Continue to consider that it is
shameful.
=================================

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