GLR Forum

General Forum => Archives etc. => Topic started by: Feral on Tue, Oct 25, 2005, 04:07

Title: Birobidzhan
Post by: Feral on Tue, Oct 25, 2005, 04:07

I came upon the text of an interesting speech (http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/viewpoint/042897vi.htm) recently.

I was surprised to read the following:

The Soviets briefly promised a Gay homeland, in the far reaches of Siberia near Birobijan, the forgotten Jewish "homeland."  

Naturally, Soviet history is taught rather oddly in the US, so I am not surprised that I have not heard of this until this month. Still, I can come up with nothing to expand on this statement, or even confirm it. Does anyone else know anything of a suggestion to create a gay homeland in Siberia?

Title: Re: Birobidzhan
Post by: Mogul on Tue, Oct 25, 2005, 22:56

Ron,

I also read this article by Jim Kepner several weeks ago and was surprised as well. Though I probably have a better knowledge of the early Soviet history than an average American (I am well aware of your research skills, Ron! :)), I can not really help with funded information so far.

Generally, in the twentieth of the 20th century the Soviet Union went through a liberal phase, with more individual and economical freedom for its citizens. In Soviet Russia homosexuality was not illegal until 1934, the time when repressions against political opponents and general terror regime was established. In the twenties, the political course was a subject of vivid discussions, and many different economic and social theories were considered by various political groups. I can imagine that the creation of a "gay homeland" was one of such ideas, but I have no informations that it was ever officially discussed. I will watch out in the russian media, maybe I can find something.

Jim Kepner died 1997, but possibly his successor Dr. Walter L. Williams (walterlw@usc.edu) from the ONE institute can help as well?

http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/iglr/

Title: Re: Birobidzhan
Post by: Feral on Tue, Oct 25, 2005, 23:14

It was merely a historical curiosity. The speech contained a few trivial errors of fact (such as the attribution of the name ‘Urnings’ to the god Uranus, and not the goddess Aphrodite Urania as is correct), and this may be another of them.

Americans have a tendency to inflate and generalize everything Soviet, so the statement “the Soviets promised” could very well actually mean that “a citizen of the Soviet Union once mentioned in passing.”

Title: Re: Birobidzhan
Post by: Mogul on Sun, Dec 04, 2005, 16:55

Btw, have you seen their official FLAG? One can come to the funniest conclusions!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Autonomous_Oblast