Moscow under its new mayor has refused to sanction a gay pride in the city for the seventh year in a row.

This comes after several dozen neo-Nazis attacked IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) rally participants in St. Petersburg on Thursday (17 May).

LGBT activists, however, are unfazed by the growing hostility towards homosexuality in the country and vow to proceed with the parade in Moscow, scheduled for 27 May.

Two gay activists from Moscow Pride were arrested in St Petersburg yesterday (5 April) under the new ‘gay propaganda’ law.

The law, similar to legislation in other Russian states, officially prevents the ‘propaganda of homosexuality to minors’ but campaigners warn it will be used to gag any public discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender issues or events targeted at gay and trans people.

The ‘dire’ plight of gay activists in Belarus, where there is no protection of LGBT rights at all, is the subject of a documentary, East Bloc Love, showing at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival tomorrow.

Gay Star News speaks to Australian filmmaker Logan Mucha about why he decided gay rights in Eastern Europe should be the focus of his first feature film, what happened when activists tried to hold a Pride march in Belarus and how the KGB are trying, unconvincingly, to infiltrate gay rights groups.

St Petersburg politicians have today (29 February) voted in favor of a new law which makes people criminals if they discuss homosexuality in public.

The law prohibiting public discussion of LGBT issues is similar to rules already introduced in the country's Ryazan, Arkhangelsk and Kostroma regions.

Currently, the bill has fines of up to 1 million roubles ($34,400 €25,000) for organisations and up to 5,000 roubles (€172 €125) for individuals.

The U.S. State Department on Thursday expressed its opposition to a proposed anti-gay law in St. Petersburg, Russia by reiterating part of a speech Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave to the United Nations in December: 'Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.'

Five activists protesting a bill that would criminalise the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ in St Petersburg were arrested today as the Legislative Assembly gave the measure its second reading.

The five were protesting in front of the assembly building. They were charged with demonstrating illegally and resisting the police, according to Just Out, the St Petersburg LGBT group.

Gay activists in Russia are planning to ask air passengers to boycott Aeroflot, Russia’s leading airline and not to use its services until the creation of equal conditions for all workers.

The call comes following the revelation that gay flight attendant Maxim Kupreev was forced by his employers to enter into heterosexual marriage with his former high school girlfriend following his announcement last year to create an LGBT group within the company to fight for the protection of the rights of homosexual employees.

Anyone who has ever been to gay and human rights activist Peter Tatchell’s home in South London can testify that he’s a man who lives with his work. Piles of paperwork cover every surface in the small council flat and banners and posters clutter up all the remaining space.

However intimidated you may be by his reputation as one of the world’s most famous – and occasionally controversial – LGBT campaigners you can’t help notice that he’s surprisingly easy-going, has a good sense of humour and makes a decent cup of tea.

LGBT political activists in Russia are reporting abuse and attacks at Pro-Democracy rallies across the country.

On Christmas Eve tens of thousands of protesters braved the sub zero temperatures across Russia to protest against the alleged election fraud, corruption and to demand more freedom and democracy.