Friday, September 06, 2013

Russian Consul General Attending SF Opera Tonite?

(Mr. Petrov earlier this year met with a constituent at the consulate in Pacific Heights. Credit: Congress of Russian Americans.)

When last heard from, Sergey V. Petrov the Russian Consul General here in San Francisco, was opining to out gay state Sen. Mark Leno about the anti-gay propaganda law, as reported by Carla Marinucci of the SF Chronicle:

It is important to point out that the provisions of the new Russian law that bans propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors are narrowly tailored and put limits only as far as its necessary to protect children. Russia’s law enforcement agency (The Ministry of Interior) already supported this notion in an official press-release on the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi making it clear that only those who instigate minors to enter into non-traditional sexual relationships will be penalized through a court decision and only administrative measures (not criminal) will apply. 

An opera queen asked me if Petrov would be attending tonight's gala opening night performance of "Mephistostopheles" at the SF Opera, because a Russian baritone named Ildar Abdrazakov is singing the lead role.

Quite an interesting question and possibility that the Russian Consul General might be at the opening this evening, so I've emailed all of the addys I could find at the consulate's web site, seeking a response and despite numerous attempts at communication, the consulate has not replied.

If Petrov does attend the SF Opera's gala opening, I hope he'll stop by our vigil in front of the War Memorial Opera House. We'll be standing in solidarity with LGBT Russians, reading a statement of support from out lesbian soprano Patricia Racette who is performing tonight and her soprano wife Beth Clayton, and displaying three enormous rainbow flags and posters reading PROTECT LGBT RUSSIANS.

Such a public exercise of freedom to assemble and right to engage in pro-gay speech would likely be met with violence or arrests, in Russia today.

Please join us this evening, Friday, September 6 at 7 pm in front of the SF Opera's home on Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street.

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