LGBT

TexasTowelie

(112,239 posts) Mon Jul 27, 2015, 01:31 AM Jul 2015

This Explosive Reaction to a Gay Couple Sitting Together in Kiev, Ukraine Will Leave You Speechless

Earlier this month, we showed you dramatic footage of a social experiment in which two men held hands and walked through the streets of Moscow, Russia to gauge the public’s attitudes towards homosexuality. Reactions to the stunt couple ranged from not even noticing to uncomfortable glances to verbal and even physical abuse.

After the video went viral, Bird in Flight, an online magazine dedicated to visual culture, decided to recreate the experiment in neighboring Ukraine. Like in Russia and many other Eastern European countries, homosexuality is viewed as a social taboo in the Ukraine and gays are frequent targets of right-wing extremist groups. Back in June, the country’s second gay pride rally in the capital of Kiev turned violent after several dozen neo-Nazi assailants attacked attendees and police.

Reactions to real-life couple Tymur and Zoryan walking the streets of Kiev holding hands were mostly muted, and many bystanders seemed more amused than upset. That wasn’t the case however when Tymur decided to sit on Zoryan’s lap in a popular city park. The two were approached by a dozen or so neo-Nazis things quickly escalated.

Wrote Tymur of the experience:

We can see that most of the people have a neutral opinion, they show no particular interest. This proves that the confrontation is between the two minorities. The only problem is that one of the minorities is excessively aggressive. I think that law enforcement should start the so called ‘safari’ on aggressors, because the latter are discriminating against Ukrainians, popularizing violence and are making it clear with their actions and statements that law enforcement is insignificant to them and the aggression will remain unpunished.