KZBlog

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Association of Kazakhstan announced Friday that it will hold the first gay pride parade in Kazakhstan on 21 June. 21 June is also the date of the Graduation Ball for students who have graduated from secondary school–akin to prom in America. The LGBTA apparently plan a public outdoor concert and will distribute information as well as condoms. The statement from the group also said visitors from Turkey, Moldovia and Ukraine will be involved.

However Interfax was told by the akim that the akimat

have received no request for official permission for a gay parade in Almaty from any sexual minority [and that] in view of the fact that there will be school leaving celebrations in Almaty on June 21, this information is either a provocative scheme or an information hoax.

The reference to the school leaving dance is unclear. Does he mean that the city will be too busy to deal with two large-scale events? Or does he mean that it would be inappropriate to mix an event celebrating gay rights and one celebrating youth and education?

It is possible that the whole thing is a provocation in a country that is not usually tolerant regarding gay rights. While a few gay nightclubs do exist in Almaty, none can be found in Astana or (as far as I know) other cities in the country. One common derogatory word for “homosexuals” in Russian literally means “pederast”. And the word for straight is “normal.” The homosexual scenes in the film Alexander provoked laughter in an Astana movie theater, though the intent was to show the internal dilemmas of Alexander’s loves. While there is no overt history of violence against homosexuals, it is not a developed or welcome subculture in Kazakhstan, and a Kazakh friend of mine commented about the potential parade: “I hope the police will protect them because people will want to hurt them. and the police may not intervene.”

So the LGBTA may be hoping for its license for a parade to be denied by the akim. That would give them a chance to bring intolerance of homosexuals to the world press and push for attention from organizations like the UN or the OSCE. On the other hand, they may not have handed a permit in yet because, typical for Kazakhstan, they are waiting until the last minute! In any case, it will be an interesting event.

UPDATE: I’ve heard from reliable sources that the head of the LGBTA has publicly stated that n0 such press statement was released by their organization. If there is such a press release, it is a fake.

Whether the fake release was a hoax, a mistake or an attempt to bring homosexual issues to the forefront in Kazakhstan is anyone’s guess.