student safety in St Petersburg

[Shlomit Gorin]

To piggyback on Mr. Wilkinson's comment, the concern about the examination
of Russian society through a Western lens would seem to be negated by the
fact that gay rights issues are human rights issues, and I think it would be
difficult to argue reasonably that non-Western countries ought to be immune
to human rights violations.  Moreover, it is possible to be sensitive to and
appreciate cultural differences while supporting people's rights to not be
discriminated against - individually, institutionally, or nationally - based
on gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, etc. Furthermore, Western foreigners
aren't alone in their efforts to support gay rights; that push is coming
from within Russia, by Russians. Unfortunately, Russian homosexuals and gay
rights activists have been the target of hate crimes.

The idea that western ideals contaminate the data about hate crimes is also
suspect unless you are suggesting that these organizations make up the
crimes themselves in order to demonstrate Russia's non-conformance to
Western values.  Western ideals are irrelevant in the face of people being
attacked verbally or physically due to race, sexuality, etc.

On another note, and in response to a couple comments here about looking or
not looking Jewish, I'd like to point out that I think it's very important
and more accurate to say that you look or don't look *stereotypically*
Jewish. I think we all know what that means - a dark complexion, big nose,
curly hair.  That's a very specific image of Jews and one that's been used
mostly and historically by anti-Semites or those who just don't know better,
but it certainly does not apply to Jews as a group, whose noses come in all
shapes and sizes, and whose skin, eye, and hair colors range from very light
to very dark.

Shlomit

On Fri, Nov 27, 2009 at 2:49 AM, Wilkinson, C.
<cxwilkinson at googlemail.com>wrote:

> I'll take the bait about gay rights in Russia:
>
> >While we are on the topic of minorities, what about gay rights?  Do you on
> > this board think that it is right for a British MP, or foreign gay rights
> > activist, to go to Moscow to try and force gay rights upon the Russians?
>
> "Gay rights" are HUMAN rights: the right not to get attacked, beaten
> or killed for who you are or how you look.
>
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