The City Cultural Committee said homophobia is a problem to address but it rejects any financial support

The Chairman of the Committee on Culture of the Government of Saint Petersburg, Anton Gubankov, agreed that homophobia is a problem in the northern capital but reject any public funding to address the issue on the basis that the population could react in a negative way against the government.

This position came as a response to a request formed late December by the St Petersburg based LGBT group "Equality", who asked to include a number of measures against homophobia and transphobia as part of the 2006-2010 "Program for Tolerance" initiated by the city authorities.

The activists proposed the city to organize a series of actions including a Poster campaign, a film festival and other public actions directed to the general public.

In its response, the Chairman, told the group “We recognize the problems mentioned in you letter - including household homophobia” but he further rejects any public funding to address the issue as "publishing and distributing special posters, collages and leaflets about LGBT people can be negatively perceived by the majority as the promotion to the public of sexual and gender minorities". 

According to Maria Efremenkova, spokesperson for “Equality”:

"Homosexuality is innate and no campaign for LGBT Rights can turn people to become homosexual,

"St Petersburg which aims to show itself as the most European City in Russia acts in contradiction with most of European cities that sponsor large scale campaign against homophobia and transphobia"

Earlier this week, Maria Efremenkova announced that her group will be attempting to organize the first Gay Pride in St Petersburg on June 26. Last Wednesday the group requested a meeting with the governor of St. Petersburg and the Commissioner for Human Rights of the city Alexey Kozyrev, who expressed a positive attitude towards the idea of holding a gay pride in the city.

GayRussia.Ru