RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Male to Male relationships: Legal
Punishments for male to male relationships: No law
Female to Female Relationships: Legal
Age of consent: Equal for heterosexuals and homosexuals
Marriage and Substitutes for Marriage: No law
Gay or lesbian able to serve in the armed forces: Yes
We kindly invite you to the press conference to be held on Friday, the 11th of December 2009 at 12.00 on the occasion of the launch of “Tao Zone” All-Russian LGBT Area. The press-conference will be followed by a buffet.
Where: St.-Petersburg, Russia. Moscovsky prospect, 109 building 3
Map (please print out the map to make sure you will find the place): attached
A brand-new LGBT network “Tao Zone”(«Зона Дао») is to be open in St. Petersburg, Russia in December 2009. It was founded by Marina Inyakina and Maria Faivisovich. They recently were successful executives with ambitious career plans. Something changed at the beginning of 2009 when they met to move from Moscow to St.-Petersburg and start their own project.
Now their ambitious aim is to create a unique infrastructure for gay community as well as comprehensive support for homosexuals from all over Russia.
It’s commonly known, that there are no gay people in Russia. The society is so kind to be blind when they just live “somewhere” and do not “expose” their way of life. Well, that’s ok for an average person to be saved by a gay resuscitation specialist, and the next day he or she will be “tolerant” (that is, pass by and not recognize the savior and his same-sex partner holding hands). It’s fine for the government to be paid taxes by a gay top-manager, but how dares he to apply for the social partnership with his long-term partner or for any rights arising from such a partnership?
A gay person in Russia is suppressed by the society and is subject to guilt, shame and reservedness. These three cornerstones are not the best ones to establish a community. But Marina and Maria made up their mind to sell out almost everything they possessed to change the situation. It is not so unusual to invest money in your own business in case you are 100% sure you will gain, but the owners of “Tao Zone” cannot be so sure. Their audience can be described as “upper-lower to middle class”. There is no trace of luxury in “Tao Zone”, everything is as simple as it could possibly be. Marina and Maria intend to create a gay-oriented infrastructure, which includes a night club, yoga and dance school, English lessons, psychological support, business network (recruitment and socialization in a new business environment for homosexuals) a bookstore, a fitness recreation studio and a mini hotel for queers who are short of money. The two ladies set up their risky project in a 170 sq.m. premises within a walking distance from “Moskovskie Vorota” metro station. The renovation was made completely by themselves with the help of several volunteers. They will launch the nigh club first to proceed with the yoga school and dance school. Marina and Maria are in need of those who share their ideas, but in the end they are ready to make the most difficult job, and like-minded people will join.
Please RSVP to Marina Inyakina dao@daodao.ru, +7 (950) 003-7147, +7 (950) 003-7142