A couple of decades ago, the term LGBT appeared, which means "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender" for short. The first three positions refer to a person's sexual orientation, the fourth to their gender identity. The word "lesbian" comes from the name of the island of Lesvos, where the poetess Sappho lived in ancient times. Since then, the name Lesbos has been a symbol of love between women. The word "gay" has two meanings: gay - "cheerful guy" and the abbreviation "good as you". Bisexual and transgender should be understood literally: a person with dual sexuality and a person who changes sex (the latter is not entirely true, transgender people do not always change their physiological sex, they are often content with changing their image and documents).
History
The term LGBT has existed since the consolidation of sexual and gender minorities into a single community. But the LGBT movement itself began earlier. It is considered to be the beginning of the Stonewall Riot (June 1969), when gays for the first time in American history rebuffed the police who carried out planned raids in clubs. The emancipation of the community continues to this day. This process is extremely difficult instates with a weakened economy and legal system, with a low level of education and a political regime close to totalitarian. In such countries, the authorities, in order to distract the population from economic and social problems, cultivate the image of an internal enemy, exploiting the age-old prejudices of people imposed by orthodox religions. The ideal "enemy" for ignorant people is LGBT, which means the marginalization of the community and the escalation of violence against its members.
Organizations
Each country has its own LGBT organization. There are several of them in Russia. There are also branches of international organizations for a narrow purpose:
– Side-by-side Film Festival fulfills an educational mission;
– The main function of the "LGBT Christian Forum" is to seek consensus between the faithful representatives of the community and the orthodox church doctrine that positions same-sex intimate relationships as a sin;
– the organization Coming Out (LGBT Coming Out, which means open recognition of one's orientation) provides legal and psychological support to members of the community.
Russian organizations:
– "LGBT Network" in St. Petersburg;
– "Rainbow Association" in Moscow;
– "Another Look" in Komi;
– initiative groups in all major Russian cities.
These organizations are multifunctional: their tasks include educational activities, support, political struggle.
There is also an organization"Children-404", focused on the psychological adaptation of homosexual teenagers, who were actually denied the right to exist by the legislation on the information protection of minors.
The LGBT Network in St. Petersburg has its official LGBT website, the Rainbow Association in Moscow, etc.
LGBT protest movement
There are many heterosexuals in the LGBT movement. In St. Petersburg, there is a “Heterosexual Alliance for LGBT Equality”, consisting mainly of representatives of the majority. There are heterosexuals in the Moscow "Rainbow Association" and in groups in other cities. Russia is characterized by a general civic orientation of LGBT activities, which means a close connection of the movement with the struggle for women's rights against patriarchal gender chauvinism, as well as with other anti-fascist and democratic associations, both with a liberal and left-wing political platform.
