2/18/14

Pussy Riot arrested and beaten by police in Sochi 30 K's from the Olympic site

Two members of protest group Pussy Riot have been arrested by Russian police in Sochi, where Russia is holding the Winter Olympics, the activists said on Twitter.

Pussy Riot member Nadzehda Tolokonnikova says she has been detained and accused of robbery.

"We have been arrested... and are accused of robbery," she wrote on her twitter account.

"When we were arrested, we were not performing any kind of action, we were just walking around Sochi."

Her bandmate, Maria Alyokhina, said she had also been arrested.

The pair were arrested in central Sochi, about 30 kilometres north of the main Olympic venues.

Ms Tolokonnikova said she and Ms Alyokhina had already been in Sochi for more than a day, with the aim of performing a new song titled "Putin will teach you how to love the motherland".



She said that before their arrest they had already managed to stage "some Olympic performances" without giving further details.



They had both previously denounced the project spearheaded by Russian president Vladimir Putin to host the Games and called for a boycott of the Olympics.

The radical art group Voina (War), which is run by Ms Tolokonnikova's husband Pyotr Verzilov, said seven other people had been arrested as well as the Pussy Riot girls.



According to Ms Tolokonnikova, another unnamed third member of Pussy Riot was also arrested.

They were being taken in a police van to the police station in the Adler district which is closer to the Olympic venues.

more at Lifesite news

The women were in 2012 convicted of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison colonies after staging their so-called "punk prayer" in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.



They were released in December last year under a Kremlin-backed amnesty.

The stunt came just ahead of Mr Putin's re-election to the Kremlin in March 2012 and was aimed at denouncing the Orthodox Church's support of the Russian strongman during the campaign.

Their jailing turned them from little-known feminist punks who staged a handful of guerrilla performances in Moscow to the stars of a global cause celebre symbolising the repression of civil dissent under Putin's rule.


2/17/14

Transgender woman Vladimir Luxuria detained again at the olympics, this time for a rainbow dress

True to her word transgender woman Vladimir Luxuria protested again in Sochi Russia at the winter Olympics. This time she walked around  for hours shouting 'its ok to be gay' in Russian and English.
Her actions garnered the attention of some who stood by and watched in disbelief, most likely wondering if it was OK to be gay.



The kids didn't notice that she was dressed
in the Olympic colors. Why would they?



 Police stopped her from watching the hockey game despite
her showing them her ticket.




Source: AP
Luxuria arrived at a ticket inspection barrier at the hockey arena just before an evening game was due to begin. She passed through the barrier and was being given directions to her seat when four men who were not wearing any identification surrounded her and started shouting "take her away." They then led her out of the venue and to the parking lot.

"I was very, very afraid this time because the first time they said, 'It's OK for the first time, don't do it again for the second time.' So, this time I was a little bit afraid," Luxuria said. "But they just left me outside, in the country, there, outside and that's it."

Before she went to the stadium, Luxuria said she did not want to be arrested.

"It's not nice to be all alone in a room with a neon light not knowing what's going on," she said Monday afternoon, but then added it was important for her "to stand up for the rights of lesbian, gay and transgender people all over the world."


Transgender woman Vladimir Luxuria released by police at the Olympics is planning another demonstration

After a swift diplomatic intervention by the Italian government the popular TV personality was freed overnight and vowed to return to the Olympic site.
A spokesman for Italy’s Foreign Ministry told the Daily Mail: ‘Our team worked for her freedom from the very first moment. She was released within 24 hours.’
She was not injured or threatened by the Russian police, the Ministry said.
The popular TV personality, who was an MP in the 2006 Prodi government, was in Russia to interview members of the Italian Olympic team.
Miss Luxuria had earlier declared her intention to protest against the law by wearing drag to an Olympic hockey match to be attended by her namesake Vladimir Putin.

Luxuria told ANSA she plans to attend women's Olympic hockey semifinals Monday between Canada and Switzerland, and suggested she will demonstrate in some way, while stressing she was unsure if it would step over the boundaries of the law against gay propaganda in the presence of minors.

"In any case, I will not go unnoticed," Luxuria said. Luxuria added that she was in good condition, staying in a hotel in Sochi.

Vladi è stata liberata, #freeluxuria



2/16/14

Italian transgender peep brutally arrested in Sochi for waving the rainbow flag

Vladimir Luxuria the former MP of the Communist PRC and first transgender person elected to the Parliament in Europe was arrested today by Russian police as she waved a rainbow flag at the winter Olympics in Sochi.

"attitude of the agents was brutal and aggressive. Nobody speaks English"

Luxuria now sits alone in a room with neon lights on the face, allegedly in police custody after tweeting a picture of herself in Medal Plaza in front of the Olympic rings, holding a fan with the colors of the rainbow flag of peace.

""I'm in Sochi! Greetings with the colors of the rainbow, in the face of Putin!""



Yahoo Italia sports reports "Luxuria's post, in protest against homophobic laws of Vladimir Putin have prompted several state leaders to boycott the opening ceremony. The Russian president, however, in the past days had tried to defuse the controversy by being embraced to resume skater Irene Wurst, Dutch star speed that has never hidden his homosexuality. Before the news of the arrest of transgender, born Wladimir Gain, had also issued a statement a spokesman for the Gay Center, Fabrizio Marrazzo."




President Obama's email statement condemning the Uganda anti LGBT law.


White House Office of Communications
To Me

Today at 1:28 PM
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2014

Statement by the President on the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda

As a country and a people, the United States has consistently stood for the protection of fundamental freedoms and universal human rights.  We believe that people everywhere should be treated equally, with dignity and respect, and that they should have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, no matter who they are or whom they love.

That is why I am so deeply disappointed that Uganda will shortly enact legislation that would criminalize homosexuality.  The Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda, once law, will be more than an affront and a danger to the gay community in Uganda.  It will be a step backward for all Ugandans and reflect poorly on Uganda’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people.  It also will mark a serious setback for all those around the world who share a commitment to freedom, justice and equal rights.

As we have conveyed to President Museveni, enacting this legislation will complicate our valued relationship with Uganda.  At a time when, tragically, we are seeing an increase in reports of violence and harassment targeting members of the LGBT community from Russia to Nigeria, I salute all those in Uganda and around the world who remain committed to respecting the human rights and fundamental human dignity of all persons.

###


Friday speaking at his party meeting Uganda president Museveni explained Why he's Signing the Anti-gay Bill: 

 President Yoweri Museveni has stressed that there is no debate regarding the promotion of homosexuality, those who are homosexuals for mercenary reasons and the promotion of exhibitionalism saying these should not only be dealt with by law but also harshly. -  Source



Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985; however, parallels have been drawn between the NRM and its predecessors. For instance, the NRM-sponsored Public Order Management Bill is strikingly similar to the 1967 Public Order and Security Act, codified by the Obote regime, in that both bills "seek to gag dissenting views." Museveni's statements are also reminiscent of Uganda's dictatorial past: "Whoever tries to cause problems, we finish them. Wiki.

The 'scientific' study Museveni  quotes as justification even though he said it wasn't essential to his 'decision'.


Former San Antonio transgender contractor who filed a discrimination complaint stonewalled


Last year amid much applause the City of San Antonio passed an amendment to its non discrimination ordinances to include LGBT people. The ordnance which repeatedly and pointedly promises no delays to employment complaints brought San Antonio in line with the other large Texas cities.

The first complaint was filed shortly after by Matthew Hileman, who worked for ATT, which contracted to the city. Hileman said ATT stood by idly as co workers mocked and threatened him for being transgender, even posting defamatory note on his chair.

The city didn't delay acting on the complaint. They stonewalled Hileman.

The city told him in a letter embedded below, that they would not act until ATT and the contracting company he was employed by voluntarily submitted their internal reviews.

A company will never release internal investigations, unless they are required to and the San Antonio bureaucrats knew that. They also told him they needed an investigation by the federal governments EEOC office before they proceeded. None of those requirements were included in ordnance, which is posted below.

In fact, the city did not act until local media put a spotlight back on the case.

According to Lonestar Q , the city has requested its first meet with Hileman on Tuesday February 18th, two months after filing the complaint.

. Sec. 2-558. Complaints, procedure. (a) City employees may register complaints of discrimination with the city equal employment division, and complaints will be given prompt consideration. An investigation to determine the cause for the complaint will be conducted and findings will be acted upon without undue delay. (b) All complaints will be investigated by the equal employment opportunity division and findings submitted to the city manager or designee without undue delay. Findings also will be relayed to the complainant and other persons officially involved. If it is determined that a violation has been committed, the situation will be corrected without undue delay. (c) Discrimination complaints will be submitted in writing to the equal employment opportunity division. The equal employment opportunity division will be available to assist in aiding city employees who may lack the skill to submit the written report. (d) An interview with the equal employment opportunity division will be scheduled to verify the following: When the alleged violation occurred. Against whom the alleged discrimination was registered. Location of the alleged offense. Person allegedly discriminated against. Nature of the alleged offense. Names of all persons and witnesses involved. Remedy sought by the complainant. (Ord. No. 2013-09-05-0577, § 1, 9-5-13)