Earlier this year: Minsk

"Only in Belarus will you feel as if the Cold War never ended. Although getting a visa isn’t a problem, the government isn’t crazy about foreign influences and encourages xenophobia with all-pervasive propaganda,” writes Lonely Planet about the country. I could have better left the book at home. Reading it in the airplane in order to truly appear as a tourist – and not an IGLYO board member – the last sentence didn’t ease me: “Hide this book.” Information is extremely controlled in Belarus; each publication has to be tested by the Ministry of Information. And custom officers do not hesitate to take away your Lonely Planet if they want so.

Last August IGLYO board met in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, for its quarterly board meeting. Our mission was to touch base with the live of young LGBT activists in Belarus, the last dictatorship in Europe. One of the very few countries in the region which is not a member of the Council of Europe as it still practices death punishment. Not many organizations choose to gather in this country, but choose to support civil society in Belarus in another way. Understandable, since several youth workers and political representatives have been rejected entrance to the country in the past years. Our fears were needless. All of us were granted visas without any problems. Passing the boarders happened probably smoother than in any other country I have visited.

Suddenly we found ourselves in Minsk. As agreed there was Slava Sementsov, from our member organization TEMA in Gomel waiting for us. Slava proved to be the perfect host throughout the rest of the weekend, sharing with us the invisible aspects of the country.

We were prepared for grey streets, gloomy post-Sovjet squares, cheerless people, little welfare end a regime being somehow visible at every corner of every street. But the Minsk we saw had nothing of that at all. The contrast seemed big. Prosperity, welfare, happy looking people walking on wide avenues surrounded by stylish classical buildings. The ruling suppression not being visible at all. Solely stories of people would tell you the truth behind the big mask covering this country.

We did not expect to see any public LGBT life. But again it wasn’t what we expected. Contrary. Whereas Lonely Planet writes about a public governmental repression of LGBT people, Belarusian activists talk about their country as being one of the most tolerant in post-Sovjet space and a slow but nevertheless sensible change in regards to LGBT acceptance and visibility. There is no active repression of LGBT groups, the government even has opened dialogue with community representatives in the framework of an HIV/Aids project. At the same time: gay prides were organized in Minsk in 2000 and 2001, without any significant problems. And indeed, Minsk knows a gay-club and some LGBT meeting spaces. Well, LGBT is not the accurate expression, since the LGBT community consists mostly of G and less L.

(with thanks to IGLYO board)