370 exchange students are currently studying in St. Gallen. 80 nationalities are represented on campus. Together with the exchange network «BuddySystem» we launch a column written by and for international students who provide unique insights of their home countries or the cultural shocks they have experienced at HSG. Mikhail Malashenko from St. Petersburg State University opens the floor by speaking about his country’s attitude towards homosexuality.
During almost the entire Soviet period, being a homosexual was a legally prosecuted crime. Men could be thrown into jail for three to five years for practicing homosexuality. Interestingly enough, love between women was also considered something immoral, but not similarly punished. It may seem strange, but before those measures were introduced, the USSR was «totally liberal» as far as homosexuality was concerned. Famous Russian poetess Marina Tsvetaeva used to live together with her husband and her female lover in the beginning of the twentieth century. It did not have to be kept a secret and people then did not have second thoughts about that lifestyle.
I don’t know why Stalin introduced a law to ban homosexuality, but, nonetheless, Soviet citizens were obliged to obey these rules for more than half a century, until the law was finally abolished. What can be observed in the Russian society nowadays is a footprint of those almost seven decades of denial of the right to homosexuals. During that time, people started to think about homosexuality as something shameful and disgusting. To my mind, those laws were the pillar of modern perception of homosexuals in Russia.
Something that has been cultivated for decades is hard to eradicate. The vast majority of the Russian society definitely disapproves of homosexual relationships. According to a recently conducted survey, 29 percent of the people believe that gay men and lesbians should be free to live their lives as they want. That probably is the lowest share in Europe, and the trend is declining. Of course, it is shameful.
Certainly, the statistics also point towards the role of current policies. The notorious federal law against propaganda of homosexuality is the most prominent example. This law limits opportunities for sharing opinion on homosexuality rather than banning propaganda. But homosexuals do not make propaganda. They are not trying to force anyone to stick to homosexuality but just express their opinion – and no one has the right to limit this. The politicians who argue heatedly against homosexual propaganda are in fact not against the propaganda as such but, in my opinion, have an unjust attitude towards homosexuals in general.
I once had a sincere talk with a bisexual Russian girl. She kept her orientation a secret because she did not believe that anyone would accept it. I don’t know why she dared to tell me her secret. I encouraged her, but at the same time I could feel the strong pressure lying on her when she spoke to me. Gay men must feel that even stronger, because it’s them who are addressed by the disapproval of homosexuality in the first place. I fully agree that homosexuality is normal, and I think that gays just have another way of thinking. Therefore, speaking to them is even more interesting and enriching. I hope that within the next years, more and more Russians will share my opinion.