commentary to student safety in St Petersburg

[Shlomit Gorin]

Dustin-

Again, I feel the educators/directors who blatantly say 'Russia is
> dangerous' for groups XYZ are doing a great disservice.
>

A great disservice to whom? Can you really expect anyone for whom it is
risky to whatever extent to study abroad in Russia to take that risk for the
potentially greater good of Russia (since you think that mingling between
different races inevitably leads to equal rights for all races)? Again, if I
were black, I wouldn't be going to Russia anytime soon - even if I thought
that it might help alleviate racism for me to be there (which I don't).


> I agree, students should be warned of the risks, however there are a few
> educators and directors who would, I feel, prefer not to risk anything at
> all.
>
> However, as two instructors have posted, giving a clear picture might be
> the best way, but at the same time it should not turn students off from
> going abroad.
>

If it turns some students off, that's their decision to make. I don't think
it's your place to tell certain people that they should not be scared to
study abroad in Russia - especially when there are very real risks. Of
course it's not guaranteed that a student of color will have any problems,
but I think if s/he didn't encounter any manifestation of racism (hostile
looks, slurs, or other types of insult and aggression), that s/he would be
very lucky.

You asked in a previous post whether LGBT students should be kept away from
Russia. It's a similar issue here - all students should be informed about
all problems they may possibly encounter, and it is their choice whether or
not they are willing to take any risks.

You wrote that LGBT people have "other venues to use" aside from cyberspace
to socialize. Firstly, if you mean gay bars, which you mentioned in a
previous post, then I think you're forgetting that gay bars aren't exactly
the safest place for socializing. Secondly, and more importantly, the issue
here is not about how many venues LGBT people have for socializing in
Russia. It's about the LGBT community being safe and having equal rights.

>
> Then again... there is one view that I have had to come to terms:  What
> does it matter if you are gay or not?  It is your own business and no one
> elses. What are the reasons for flagging it?  Why should anyone go to LGBT
> groups and associate/identify with them?
>
> I don't necessarily subscribe to the view above, but some people within and
> outside of the LGBT community at large do hold similar views, whether we are
> focusing on Russians or Americans, or others.
>

Well, it matters if you're gay or not for many reasons. Why wouldn't it
matter? Our sexualities and relationships are enormously meaningful for us -
and they matter even more when we don't have equal rights and our lives
aren't safe because of who we love. Yes, in a utopia perhaps such things as
gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality wouldn't matter - we'd all just love
one another and everything would be beautiful, but I don't think I have to
tell you that that's not very realistic.

>
> Americans experience similar if entirely not the same problems as their
> Russian counterparts.


That's not true at all.  Of course American LGBT folks don't have equal
rights and are the target of hate crimes and homophobia in various
manifestations, but there are actually laws against discrimination based on
sexuality in the U.S. and there are places in the U.S. (not enough, of
course) that are generally safe places to be if you're LGBT. I live in
Berkeley, which is a uniquely tolerant place for the LGBT community, and
there is nothing comparable in Russia to the level of support of gay rights
that exists in the Bay Area (San Francisco and Berkeley, namely).

I do not argue for people to change themselves.  It is ultimately an
> individual's decision to chose what to do, and that choice lies within that
> person, even if there are outside influences constraining them.
>

Really? Did you choose to be heterosexual?  And even if one's sexuality is a
choice, what are you saying? That LGBT folks shouldn't complain about
oppression against them since they made the choice to be LGBT despite
knowing about the "outside influences constraining them?"


> But can disinterest in protecting a group be taken as actively going after
> and attacking it?
>

I don't think anyone was conflating disinterest or unwillingness in
protecting a group with actively going after and attacking it. The point is
that there is systematic oppression of LGBT folks in Russia and yes, failure
to protect them is part of the systematic oppression. Oppression doesn't
consist solely of attacking people.

You insist on repeating that Russia isn't ready for gay rights. Again, no
meaningful change has happened by waiting for people to be ready for it. Why
should anyone be complacent when they are oppressed?

Shlomit

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