I am a strong believer that history can be change and it has to be changed, but it takes time and can be done only one step at a time. My feature documentary "Love is the highest law" I believe will make that step, maybe a small, tiny step towards making a difference in the world - towards better, happier and more tolerant future. Not a lot of people in the world are aware of the situation with gay rights in Russia, and no changes can be done without knowledge, so my hopes are to let people from all around the world know about the situation in my home country. Russia’s recently passed laws targeted against same sex individuals have fostered the growth of homophobia. The Russian DUMA (lower house parliament) justifies it as gay propaganda, passing a bill (July 30, 2013) titled “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”. If anyone is caught speaking about or displaying homosexuality, they will be fined or even imprisoned. Because of these laws, Russians have begun to target and persecute LGBT individuals, most of the time violently. (Here are some news pieces on this topic http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21578520 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22862210)
Gay men and women have been attacked at random on the streets; some have even been kidnapped and left for dead. Despite the rise in news coverage on the matter, many are still not aware of the state Russia is in right now in terms of LGBT rights. (http://nyti.ms/167vzgp) (http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/513527/20131014/russia-lgbt-gay-rights-violence-pride-rally.htm#.Un7KZeLBOLw). Vlad Tornovy, a 22 year old gay man, was brutally beaten having beer bottles forced into his rectum (among other horrendous tortures), he was finally killed by having his face bashed in with a rock (http://t.co/W2MB4DJyW6). Many anti-gay individuals and groups proudly post videos of beatings and persecutions online for people to spread through social media. In most cases, these men and women are left untouched by the Russian authorities who turn their cheek to the situation.
Outside the violence, the enacted laws have caused many in Russia to lose their jobs for being openly gay, also at times for merely speaking about homosexuality. Anton Krasovsky, a prominent news reporter in Russia was immediately fired for announcing on air that he was gay. Olga Bakhayeva, a school teacher, was forced out of her job after she endured three months of homophobic harassment from the authorities and law enforcement agencies. These stories go by in passing in Western society as many are not aware of what is happening overseas.
The violence and the deteriorating LGBT situation is beginning to take its toll not only in Russia, but here is the US as well, many flee Russia in hopes of gaining asylum or some form of refuge here (http://shar.es/83PCQ). Despite coming to America in hopes of finding liberation, many find it difficult to attain their asylum and or posses the visa that keeps them legally here. These stories go by unnoticed in the West, and need to be voiced. My film hopes to show the truth of the matter from a personal perspective, showing Russian’s fearing their safety and trying to escape the violence abroad through becoming successful here in America.
