What is children’s coming out for their parents? An impulse for fight for their rights? LGBTQ-news from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, January 2017, №1

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Parents of LGBT children more and more often dare to talk about sexual orientation and increase their activity fighting for LGBT rights. LGBTQ-news, January 2017, №1.

Gaypress.eu, Volha Kashtsialian

It took 10 years for Belarusian mother Inna to understand her lesbian daughter and start to speak openly about it. This happened due to an excellent relationship between the daughter and her partner, and thanks to supportive attitude from Inna’s friends and colleagues, because

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«…the gay child is not a disaster. The disaster is  when your child is sick or dead».

The positive transformation was also caused by meetings other mothers of LGBT children in Minsk, as part of the initiative group, which is developed and headed be the psychologist Polina Linnik.

«The way to comprehend and accept the sexual orientation and gender identity of their children is very individual for each parent, but in a supportive atmosphere it can be reached faster and less painfully,» — says Polina.

Ukrainian mother of homosexual son and the head of the parent initiative «Tergo» Elena Globa was awarded the International Prize of the Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights First. The activist received the award in the US for a significant contribution to the protection of human rights for LGBT people.

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«My human rights activity began after Bogdan came and talked about his sexual orientation. As soon as the first shock disappeared, I began to think how it was difficult for my son to live in Ukraine. And started to help him«, — said Elena.

Her son, LGBT activist Bogdan Globa, has left Ukraine for security reasons, but Elena is going to continue her human rights work.

In Vinnitsa, Ukraine, the first ceremony of annual prize «Queer Home Vinnitsa Awards» was held. The winners were selected in three nominees: the best activist, the best volunteer and the most active visitor of 2016. Seven members of the LGBT community of Vinnitsa and Ukraine in general were awarded the prize. In addition to the awarding ceremony, organizers prepared also exciting quizzes and contests, performance of KVN LGBT-team, snacks and disco.

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In Moscow, LGBT activists have presented a short film dedicated to the Third Family LGBTKIA conference. The event was held in November 2016. More than 250 participants of the conference discussed the issues of inner homophobia influencing family, the invisibility of bisexuality among LGBT and heterosexual society, the experience of parents concerning their children’s coming outs, the pressure on couples, where one of the partners is HIV-positive.

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In Georgia, the Supreme Court has increased the punishment to Levan Kochlashvili from 4 to 10 years in prison for the murder of a transgender woman Sabi Beriani. 23-year-old LGBT movement activist was killed and then burned in 2014. Kochlashvili is also accused in the brutal beating of 20-year-old Bianca Shigurova, one of the most famous transgender woman in Georgia, who has died in February 2016 of carbon monoxide poisoning. Another victim of  transphobia in Georgia, 34-year-old Zizi, has died at the hospital from the bodily blows in the fall of 2016.