• Survivor’s of Chechnya’s “gay purge” describe the physical and mental torture they endured in their country’s gay concentration camps
• Two gay men were whipped with canes in front of thousands in Indonesia for the crime of having consensual gay sex in private
• The Trump administration’s proposed cuts to global health funding could lead to the deaths of over one million people around the world fighting HIV/AIDS
• Luxembourg’s First Gentleman represents at the NATO Summit, but the White House forgets
• The 2017 World OutGames cancelled only 24 hours before the opening ceremonies
• New music from acclaimed out singer/songwriter, Eli Lieb.
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report.
Human Rights Watch has published a report detailing the horrific treatment and torture of gay men in Chechnya.
According to the report, the speaker of Chechnya’s parliament, Magomed Daudov, was involved in authorizing the violence.
Radio Free Europe details the torture ranging from beatings to electrocution devices.
“All of the victims suffered repeated beatings,” the report said. “Security officials kicked them with booted feet, beat them with polypropylene pipes and sticks, and made other inmates beat them” — mostly on the men’s buttocks and legs.
“They put you face down on the floor and beat you with pipes,” one victim told Human Rights Watch. “Then they force other prisoners [held for allegedly supporting insurgents or for alleged drug offenses] to carry on with the beating. Each man gets some 70 to 80 blows. And so it goes…. And you literally turn black and blue from waist to toes.”
The rights group says local Chechen authorities also used electrocution devices to torture the victims.
Former detainees described those devices as machines with a knob on one side and wires sticking out of it with metal clips at the ends — clips which were attached to the victims’ fingers, toes, and earlobes.
“They turn the knob, electric current hits you, and you start shaking,” a former detainee told Human Rights Watch. “And they keep turning the hellish machine, and the pain is just insane. You scream and scream and you no longer know who you are.”
“Finally, you faint,” the former detainee continued. “It all goes dark. But when you come to your senses, they start all over again. And once they’re done with you and you get your bearings, you hear other inmates screaming. The sounds of torture are just there all day, and at some point you start losing your mind.”
Many of the victims were returned to their families where authorities suggested the relatives perform “honor killings”
Human Rights Watch urges the European Union and the United States to intervene and offer sanctuary to the victims.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has called on President Trump to address the human rights violations. Trump has not spoken publicly to date about the ongoing atrocities.
• A new study shows facial hair plays a big part in perceived masculinity, sexual attractiveness and even the length of relationships.
• Short film “Wonderkid” tackles homophobia in competitive sports. Watch the full film for free at www.wonderkidfilm.co.uk/watch
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Writer and director Stephen M. Hornby has created the short film Unchechen, based on actual quotes from accounts of the current torture and genocide of gay men in Chechnya.
The short film, created by digitalSTAGE and Inkbrew Productions, began life as a stage play commissioned by theatre collective Take Back, performed in Manchester earlier this month.
Hornby issued this statement with the short film:
“The State organised extermination of gay men in Chechnya is a horrific ghost from World War Two. But it’s real. The men fleeing from it are too terrified to go on camera, and so I wanted to try to fill the silence with something that attempts to make this crisis real and human. This is an emotional story to connect people to what’s happening and hopefully stimulate a response.”
The filmmakers encourage people to donate to Rainbow Railroad to help more gay men escape these horrific conditions.
• ABC sitcom The Real O’Nealshas been cancelled due to low ratings. The show, inspired by the the early life of gay activist Dan Savage, was one of the few TV series to have an out actor (Noah Galvin) play an LGBT role on network television.
• White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she’s not “100% sure” if President Trump has been briefed on the torture and killing of gay men in Chechnya.
• Caitlyn Jenner told the BBC she may run for Congress. As a Republican. Because the GOP loves to support the transgender community so much.
• New York based Crush Club want you to get “LOUDER” as you dance into the weekend. The duo drops the funky new single just in time for their show May 18th at Brooklyn’s House of Yes. Listen below.
• The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals says a gay couple denied a marriage license in 2015 by noted homophobe Kim Davis can sue her for legal fees 🙂
• Police in Chechnya are reportedly telling parents to kill their gay children, or else they’ll murder them themselves.
• Netflix’s next Marvel series brings together Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage as “The Defenders.” The series drops August 18th, but you can watch the snazzy new trailer below.
My first response when I saw this exchange between Katie Couric and Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, was a chilling shiver up my spine.
Zakharova stopped by Yahoo News to talk with Couric about President Trump, U.S. airstrikes in Syria, and fake news.
BUT – Couric turned to the horrific reports of gay men being detained and tortured in Chechnya, and things went south very quickly.
Zakharova was not of a mind to discuss and shut Couric down, explaining there was an “investigation.”
Dodge, dodge, dodge…
Katie Couric asked a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman about the torture and killing of gay men in Chechnya.
A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Apr 25, 2017 at 10:26am PDT
• 51 Republicans have written to the President asking him to sign an executive order that would legalize LGBT discrimination based on “protecting religious liberty.”
• That pastor who declared that the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre “got what they deserved?” He just got 35 years in prison for child molestation. #GotWhatHeDeserved
• Xavier Jugele, the 37-year-old police officer who was gunned down in Paris last week, was eulogized by his partner today in a moving memorial ceremony.
Watch below with subtitles.
The husband of the policeman who was murdered last week in Paris delivers an emotional eulogy at his memorial service pic.twitter.com/yGfVNQ1IXZ
In an op-ed this morning, the New York Times challenges the Trump administration to provide stronger international leadership regarding the rounding up, torturing and killing of gays in Chechnya.
The crimes in Chechnya have presented the Trump administration with its first major test on this issue on the international stage. Last Monday, Nikki Haley, the American ambassador to the United Nations, issued a strong statement calling for a prompt investigation and accountability for the culprits.
“We are against all forms of discrimination, including against people based on sexual orientation,” Ms. Haley said. “When left unchecked, discrimination and human rights abuses can lead to destabilization and conflict.”
It would be encouraging to see Ms. Haley take on this cause with as much passion and perseverance as her predecessor, Samantha Power. Without American leadership, forging a global consensus that gay rights are human rights will take longer. Time is not on the side of gay people living in terror in places like Chechnya.
Even as reporting shows the situation growing more dire by the day, Chechen and Russian officials continue to deny the horrific events.
Canadian human rights organization, Rainbow Railroad, has announced plans to assist LGBTs in Chechnya who are in danger of detention and torture for being gay.
Via press release:
With recent reports of abductions, detentions, enforced disappearances, torture and deaths targeting gay and bisexual men in Chechnya, a Canadian non-profit human rights organization announced today an emergency response plan to assist those in danger. Founded in 2006, Rainbow Railroad actively assists LGBTQ people escape danger through its global network of safe routes.
“Since we first received initial reports of gay concentration camps being established in Chechnya, Rainbow Railroad immediately re-classified Eastern Europe as a priority region,” explains Executive Director, Kimahli Powell. “This means we’re expanding our on-the-ground contacts as well as increasing our capacity to identify and assess new or alternative safe routes out of Chechnya.”
To assist in this effort, Rainbow Railroad is working closely with the Russian LGBT Network, a non-governmental organization currently leading the campaign to rescue those facing danger in Chechnya. The two organizations will work together to identify individuals who need to be evacuated – with Rainbow Railroad providing direct travel assistance.
“An important part of our emergency response plan is to support the Russian LGBT Network in their rescue campaign,” says Powell. “This includes fundraising to support the organization while allocating resources to increase the number of people we can support in the region.. In addition, we are formally requesting the Canadian government provide direct assistance to those in need by way of emergency visas.”
More about Rainbow Railroad via the official website:
Rainbow Railroad receives hundreds of requests for help every year from countries where LGBT individuals are open targets of violence.
Because the volume of requests is so high, we focus our efforts on assisting LGBT people who have faced physical violence or face an imminent threat of violence, imprisonment, or death.
At any given time, Rainbow Railroad is working on 30-50 open cases, confirming their details, putting them in touch with local resources and helping them identify safe routes for escape. As the situation worsens in many parts of the world, these numbers continue to grow.
