Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JJonahJackalope (talk | contribs) at 13:56, 10 January 2025 (Created page). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Alexey Davydov (also spelled Alexei (Russian: Алексею Давыдову) died (2013-09-27)27 September 2013) was a Russian pro-democracy and pro-LGBTQ rights activist. With the former, he was involved with the anti-Putin political movement Solidarnost, while with the latter, he cofounded Moscow Pride alongside fellow Russian gay activist Nikolay Alexeyev. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, he was involved in numerous protests and demonstrations around Russia. In September 2013, he died of kidney failure. Following his death, The Huffington Post called him "one of Russia's most prominent LGBT activists", while Julia Ioffe of The New Republic reported that his death had left a "glaring hole" in the LGBTQ rights movement in Russia.

Biography

According to Russian activist Nikolay Alexeyev, Davydov had been involved in the Russian LGBTQ rights movement since 2006. Prior to his involvement in that movement, Davydov had been active in pro-democracy protests with Solidarnost, a political group that expressed opposition to Vladimir Putin. According to Gay Star News, in 2007, he co-founded Moscow Pride along with Alexeyev. In June of that same year, Davydov was one of roughly two dozen individuals involved in a planned gay rights protest outside of the offices of the European Union in Moscow. The target of the protest was Yury Luzhkov, the mayor of Moscow, who had been an outspoken critic of LGBTQ individuals and, in his capacity as mayor, had banned pride parades in the city. While the protests had initially been sanctioned, the Moscow City Police rescinded the sanctioning, citing concerns that the protesting would interfere with nearby construction work. Speaking to the Associated Press, Davydov said, "Authorities in Moscow have broken the law again by not allowing our picket." Davydov and another protestor were ultimately arrested by police after trying to unfurl a banner. On June 1 of the following year, Davydov was attacked by members of the National Slavonic Union while speaking to reporters at a Moscow Pride event. In a report prepared by the United States Department of State, they stated that police arrested both the perpetrators and Davydov and did not file any charges against the attackers.

2011 injury and health issues

In 2011, Davydov participated in a small protest conducted by Solidarnost to defend the right to freedom of assembly, during which time he was arrested. According to Pavel Chikov, head of the Russian human rights group Agora, police had violently disrupted the protest and broke Davydov's arm during his arrest, though the police denied that they were responsible for the injury. Due to the injury, which included multiple bone fractures, Davydov spent one month in a hospital. While in the hospital, Davydov, who was diabetic, developed acute kidney failure and began to undergo kidney dialysis. According to Chikov, Davydov's health deteriorated following his hospital stay. For instance, in a later trip to Voronezh to protest for gay rights, Davydov suffered from a bout of food poisoning that led him to experience his first coma. Concerning the cause of the injury, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that the police were not responsible, and no investigation into the matter was initiated by the Investigative Committee of Russia.

Later life

In July 2013, Davydov participated in a gay rights protest in Red Square. That same month, he protested outside of a children's library in Moscow by displaying a sign that said, "Being gay is normal." Following the protest, he became the first individual to be charged with violating the newly-implemented Russian anti-LGBT law, which banned the spreading of "propaganda about non-traditional sexual orientations among minors". Davydov said that he hoped to challenge the law by forcing courts to address the vague wording of the law, hoping to escalate the case to the Constitutional Court of Russia. The following month, in one of the last interviews he gave before his death, he spoke to the American publication The New Republic. At that time, he was living in an apartment with two friends, including a fellow gay activist, in the Novogireyevo District of Moscow. He was receiving dialysis and disability assistance. In mid-September, he participated in a protest outside of the State Duma where he called the antigay stances of the politicians there a mental disorder.

Death

On 25 September, several protestors conducted a demonstration outside of the Olympic headquarters in Moscow in protest of Russia's antigay laws, which would be in effect during the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi. During the protests, 10 activists were arrested. Davydov had planned to participate, but that morning, he was admitted to the hospital. According to one of his roommates, he had become unconscious after a dialysis treatment, prompting them to take him to the hospital. On the evening of the next day, he entered into a coma. The following day, Friday, 27 September, while still in the hospital, he died at the age of 36.

While his cause of death was not immediately disclosed, it was later reported that his death was due to an infection, which he had contracted in August, that had led to kidney failure. According to his former roommate, Gleb Latnik, the doctor overseeing him had failed to perform hemodialysis on him, leading to his death. However, according to BuzzFeed News, Davydov had no immediate family and friends were unable to gain access to his medical records, which hurt their chances of pursuing any sort of legal actions over his death. Concerning the long-term impact that the police beating in 2011 had had on his health, Julia Ioffe of The New Republic said, "The police did not kill Davydov, in other words, but they sure didn't help."

Following his death, activists, including Alekseyev, created a Facebook page to raise funds for his funeral. British actress Tilda Swinton made a large donation, allowing the organizers to exceed their goals. His funeral was held on Monday, 30 September. During the memorial services for Davydov, anti-gay protestors shouted at mourners, saying, "What are these faggots doing here?" and "Moscow is not Sodom!"

Legacy

In their reporting on his death, The Huffington Post called Davydov "one of Russia's most prominent LGBT activists", while The Advocate called him a "leading Russian gay activist". Fellow Russian activist Alekseyev called him "the vanguard of the struggle for human rights in Russia." Concerning his relationship with Alexeyev, The Advocate said that the two had been close confidants, while BuzzFeed News said that Davydov was "widely viewed as a controlling influence" on Alexeyev. Ioffe of The New Republic reported that his death left a "glaring hole" in the LGBTQ movement in Russia, with activist Masha Gessen saying, "He was the creative force behind LGBTA direct action, and this is what makes one realize just how few people there are."

See also

• LGBTQ culture in Russia

References

1. ^ Brathwaite, Les Fabian (30 September 2013). "Tilda Swinton Donates Over $2K To Cover The Cost Of Gay Russian Activist's Funeral". Queerty. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
2. ^ "Leading Russian Gay Activist Dies Aged Just 36". The Huffington Post UK. AOL. 28 November 2013 . Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
3. ^ Ioffe, Julia (29 September 2013). "The First Victim of Russia's Anti-Gay Law Is Dead". The New Republic. ISSN 2169-2416. OCLC 60620738. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
4. ^ Seddon, Max (27 September 2013). "Did A Police Beating Contribute To This Russian LGBT Activist's Death?". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
5. ^ Brydum, Sunnivie (28 September 2013). "Alexei Davydov, Leading Russian Gay Activist, Dead at 36". The Advocate. ISSN 0001-8996. OCLC 60638931. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
6. ^ "Moscow's police block demonstration of gay rights activists". Pravda.ru. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
7. ^ "Gay rights demo in Moscow blocked by police". PinkNews. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
8. "Moscow police detain gay activists". The Advocate. 29 June 2007. ISSN 0001-8996. OCLC 60638931. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
9. ^ Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008: Report Submitted to the Committee on Foreign Relations US Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs US House of Representatives by the Department of State in Accordance with Sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as Amended. Vol. I. 111th Congress, 2nd Session. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. December 2010. p. 1652.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
10. "В МВД решили, что руку оппозиционеру-гею сломали не полицейские" [The Ministry of Internal Affairs decided that the arm of the gay opposition leader was not broken by the police]. NEWSru (in Russian). 6 December 2017 . Archived from the original on 25 August 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
11. "ЛГБТ-активистов продержали в ОВД семь часов и обвинили в пропаганде гомосексуализма" [LGBT activists were held in the police department for seven hours and accused of promoting homosexuality]. OVD-Info (in Russian). 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
12. ^ Morrison, Sarah (13 January 2014). "Vladimir Putin's attack on homosexuality is shattering the lives of Russians". The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
13. Latnik, Gleb (13 November 2014). "Being LGBT in Russia". Human Rights First. Archived from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
14. ^ Latnik, Gleb (2014). "Gleb Latnik". In Gessen, Masha; Huff-Hannon, Joseph (eds.). Gay Propaganda: Russian Love Stories. As told to Karen Shainyan; Foreword by Garry Kasparov. New York City: OR Books. pp. 93–96. ISBN 978-1-939293-35-0. OCLC 907537609.
15. Garcia, Michelle (25 September 2013). "10 LGBT Russian Activists Arrested for Olympic Protest". The Advocate. ISSN 0001-8996. OCLC 60638931. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
16. Lipton, Laurie (10 January 2013). "Daily Gaydar: A New Book By Out Artist Laurie Lipton And Tilda Swinton Donates To The Funeral Of A Gay Rights Activist In Russia". Curve. ISSN 1087-867X. OCLC 60622960. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
17. ^ Day, Aaron (29 September 2013). "Actress Tilda Swinton donates over £1000 to funeral for prominent Russian gay rights activist". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2025.

Further reading

• Nichols, James (30 September 2013). "Tilda Swinton Donates Over $2,000 To Russian Gay Activist Alexey Davydov's Funeral". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.

• 2013 deaths
• Deaths from kidney failure
• Russian democracy activists
• Russian LGBTQ rights activists