A Russian lesbian household who obtained demise threats after they appeared in an commercial for the meals chain VkusVill say they really feel protected in Barcelona and accepted for who they’re.
The household have been focused in a hate marketing campaign on social media after they appeared within the advert. The corporate later apologised and changed the picture with one in all a heterosexual household.
“We don’t really feel protected in Russia due to its homophobic legal guidelines,” Mila, the household’s youthful daughter, mentioned. “A lot of chatrooms printed our Instagram accounts and electronic mail addresses. There have been numerous silly feedback but additionally terrifying ones, like the image of an axe coated in blood.”
Her mom Yuma and associate Zhenya appeared within the advert with their two daughters below the slogan “recipes for a cheerful household” however the firm rapidly withdrew the marketing campaign after receiving a mass of hate mail.
After VkusVill posted an apology, saying that publishing the {photograph} confirmed an absence of professionalism on the a part of its workers, the household was bombarded with telephone calls and hate mail on social media, which included threats to rape Yuma’s eight-year-old granddaughter.
“We don’t have anti-discrimination legal guidelines [in Russia] so we don’t have any safety,” Mila mentioned. “We are able to’t go to the police.”
Mila mentioned the household had no unhealthy emotions in the direction of VkusVill. “It’s only a firm in a capitalist nation with a homophobic authorities,” she mentioned. “We’re not indignant with them, we’re completely happy that we have been allowed to talk for ourselves and symbolize our LGBT household as a result of LGBT individuals in Russia are alone and deserted by their households. They’re afraid and never accepted in society so it was a possibility for us to say we exist.”
In 2013 Russia handed the “homosexual propaganda legislation” “geared toward defending kids from data selling the denial of conventional household values” and bans the “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations to minors” within the press and on-line.
The legislation has pressured lecturers and medical professionals to self-censor what they are saying about non-traditional households and has been used to close down web sites that present data and providers to younger LGBT individuals throughout Russia.
“The Spanish newspaper El País printed a narrative about us and lots of people in Spain mentioned we must always come and that we might be protected right here and that we deserved higher,” she mentioned. “Additionally, individuals mentioned the LGBT coverage is sweet right here and there’s numerous help.
“We are able to’t return below the present regime as a result of we gained’t be protected,” Mila mentioned. “Russia is house, it’s in our hearts, and we need to be with our individuals however the security of our household comes first.
“We’re unsure about our future however we really feel protected in Barcelona. Right here we will be ourselves and dwell as a standard household. My mom and sister hope to get married right here and have kids, issues we will’t do in Russia.
“We’re completely happy to indicate our happiness and to indicate individuals in Russia that queer individuals who don’t have this happiness can see that it may be actual.”
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