From: "Our World magazine" Date: Fri, 16 Jan 98 13:34:03 +0300 Subject: Our World No 3 (Ukraine gay magazine) 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: editor@ourworld.lugansk.ua 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: editor@ourworld.lugansk.ua | | 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. ================================= 6. IMPORTANT GAY ADDRESSES IN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA: ---> Apostolic mission "The Rising Sun" Post: Brothers Leonid Shvedov and Vyacheslav Karpukhin, 13 Suvorova str., v. 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