Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
70
DEALING WITH
DISCRIMINATION
The Soviet Union was one of the most
ethnically diverse places on the planet, and
Russia is still home to hundreds of nation-
alities. Few Russians can claim to be 100%
Slavic, after centuries of mingling with
people of Turkic, Nordic, and Mongol
blood. However, the two recent wars in
Chechnya have fueled a blanket suspicion
of people from the Caucasus region, and
there have been sporadic incidents of skin-
head violence against ethnic minorities in
recent years, especially immediately follow-
ing a terrorist attack. St. Petersburg, despite
its cultured reputation, has seen some of the
worst attacks, largely targeting vendors and
transient workers from Central Asia or the
Caucasus. These workers are crucial to the
local economy, yet with the Slavic popula-
tion aging and shrinking, some fringe
groups see the migrant workers as a threat
to Russia's identity. Foreigners with “south-
ern” features—dark eyes and hair and olive
skin—very occasionally suffer reluctant ser-
vice and suspicious looks, unless it's clear
that you're a tourist and not a terrorist.
Africans from fellow socialist states were
welcomed in the Soviet era, but periodic
waves of nationalist sentiment in the post-
Soviet era have resulted in backlashes
against anyone with black skin, usually in
the bleak suburbs where jobless young
white men target their even poorer African
and Asian neighbors. The majority of Rus-
sians do not share this hostility and tourists
only very rarely suffer from it, especially
those traveling in groups.
Most Russians are eager to criticize the
U.S. government for something, but the
comments are purely political—a way of
making conversation and demonstrating
their knowledge of world events, as opposed
to a personal attack. Most interlocutors are
happy to talk to a foreigner about current
events, even if your views differ, and you'll
find pro-Western sentiment as common as
anti-Western sentiment.
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8
SPECIALIZED TRAVEL RESOURCES
In addition to the destination-specific
resources listed below, please visit From-
mers.com for additional specialized travel
resources.
groups, and public pickup spots, are
numerous in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The website www.gay.ru is a solid start-
ing place for gay and lesbian visitors to
Russia, with accommodations suggestions
and extensive club listings.
The Interna-
tional Gay and Lesbian Travel Associa-
tion
(
IGLTA;
&
800/448-8550
or 954/
776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade
association for the gay and lesbian travel
industry, and offers an online directory of
gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses
and tour operators.
Many agencies offer tours and travel
itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian
travelers.
Above and Beyond Tours
(
&
800/397-2681;
www.abovebeyond
tours.com) are gay Australia tour special-
ists. San Francisco-based
Now, Voyager
GAY & LESBIAN
TRAVELERS
Soviet statutes barring homosexual acts
were at last lifted in 1993, and Russia's gays
and lesbians have been celebrating ever
since. Still, Russia's conservative society
remains suspicious of same-sex couples, and
openly gay public figures remain rare, out-
side the performing arts. Russian women,
regardless of sexual preference, often hold
hands and embrace in public, but public
intimacy between gay men can provoke
taunts or worse. Gay-friendly venues,
including clubs, restaurants, business
