Baltimore Alternative, August 1991

В A L Т 1 MORE ALTERNATIVE August 1991 Т Volume 6, Number 8 T Serving The Baltimore /Washington Community Since 1986 HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR SOVIET GAY/LESBIAN PRIDE CONFERENCE BY REX WOCKNER THE ALTERNATIVE LENINGRAD, U.S.S.R. — More than 450 Soviet gays and lesbians attended the country’s first pride events July 23- 28 in Leningrad. American co-organizers and the 70 American activists who participated in the events were astonished at the turnout. Ш The week’s activities included a major conference, a film festival and distribution of condoms on Nevsky Prospekt, Leningrad's main street The extreme social, political and eco¬ nomic differences between the United States and the Soviet Union caused fre¬ quent confusion for both American and Soviet delegates and hampered communi¬ cation. Also, by anyone’s standards, the Soviet Union has experienced a near-complete socio-economic breakdown, making even the most perfunctory of daily tasks next-to- impossible for residents and visitors alike. But there was no missing the sheer joy on the faces of both the Soviet and American delegates as they interacted throughout the week — discussing such things as gay culture, AIDS treatment, Marxism, coming out, sodomy-law repeal, the gay press and anti-gay violence. American co-organizer Jim Toevs described the Leningrad conference as “the Soviet Stonewall” during the opening ple¬ nary session July 24 at the House of Culture. "This conference will go down in histo¬ ry,” declared Olga Zhuk, president of Leningrad’s Tchaikovsky Foundation for the Cultural Initiatives and Defense of Sexual Minorities. The radical Zhuk also revealed that the Tchaikovsky Foundation’s most vocal government enemies are closet¬ ed homosexuals “in the highest echelons of power” who perhaps should be "outed.” “We are here at last and we ain’t going shopping,” exclaimed Olga Lipovskaya, editor of the woman's journal Zhenskoye Chteniye, who must be familiar with the ACT UP chant, “we’re here, we’re queer and we’re not going shop¬ ping.” Also addressing the open- fff; ing plenary was Leningrad Щ City Councillor Victor Л Dzozdovt. "I have been to analogous meet¬ ings for other social movements, Dzozdovt said, “and I can say that any Щ meeting of this kind could envy the atmosphere in this hall — the atmosphere of warmth and love arid culture. “You will make people understand by showing them that you will live how you would like to, without being in the way of anyone else,” Dzozdovt urged. “And there is no way of doing that other than being very open and showing what you can show, and acquiring people who will support your movement” Disagreement among Soviet activists was apparent from the conference’s first minutes. The Tchaikovsky Foundation and the Moscow Gay and Lesbian Union favor controversial, often-scandalous tactics. Break-off groups in both Leningrad (the group Banks of the Neva) and Moscow (The Association for Gay Equality) argue for more quiet lobbying within the system. MGLU founder Roman Kalinin defended his group’s tactics. “We will not beg for our rights,” he declared. “Given that hundreds of thousands of homosexuals are persecuted across this country, I don’t really think we need to be concerned about offending heterosexuals. “Those of us in this room have already come out,” Kalinin told the plenary ses¬ sion, “we arc miles ahead of other gays and lesbians in this country. It is our responsi¬ bility to lead the way to create the condi¬ tions so they can be happy, and that’s why we have to be radical. See SOVIET PRIDE, page 4 BE A PARTICIPANT Register to vote bv August 12 Baltimore Election Coverage... page 15 STATEWIDE HIV-2 Strikes Maiyland BY ELIZABETH LOSHER _ THE ALTERNATIVE our cases of the HIV-2 virus, a second retrovirus which can lead to the development of AIDS, have been detected in Montgomery County, Maryland. These four cases are the first recorded cases of HIV-2 infection within the state. Nationwide, 31 cases of HIV-2 have now been reported to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. HIV-2 is transmitted the same way as HIV-1 and produces the same opportunistic infections. The early warning symptoms are also identical and include weight loss, diarrhea, night sweats and swollen glands. First isolated in Western Africa in 1986. HIV-2 infections have now been found in Central Africa, Europe, North America and South America. The first case in North America was detected in New Jersey in 1987. Of the 27 cases outside Maryland, authorities have determined that 24 individuals were bom outside the United States and the remaining three had intimate contact with individuals from Africa. All of the cases in Maryland to date are natives of West African countries. All four individuals who tested positive in Maryland were seen at Montgomery County Health Department’s Dennis Avenue Health Center in ’Silver Spring. Three were tested in the Center’s anony¬ mous test site and, according to Lynn Frank, Director of the Division of Communicable Diseases and Epidemiology, none of these three people have returned for their test results. “We would like to encourage any persons tested at Dennis Avenue who have not returned for their test results to please call (301) 217-1760 and make an appointment," said Frank. The staff at the HIV/STD program is currently working with the fourth patient See HIV-2, page 4