20 Sep. 2013
The Kultura TV channel has formally refused to extend its contract with journalist Oleg Dusaev - a 33 year old pianist, winner of many international contests, chief of information and analysis news program group on the state owned TV channel "Russia-Culture" due to his coming out which he made on 30th of August on Facebook. 19 days later he was fired.
"It is a lie that there is no homophobia in Russia or homosexuals have the same rights as straights do. Lets stop telling lies and, first of all, stop lying to yourself!" - Oleg
Up to now he gives no comments. He has simply posted on his Facebook a copy of dismissal order that was signed 5 days after his coming out and the day after his televised interview on TV channel "Dozhd" (Rain) in which he had told about the reaction of his co-workers on the truth.
"...Among them (his former colleagues) there were people who liked me very much, even loved me as a person. But I see how these people started to turn away from me demonstratively, how they started to laugh and say "Oh, my God!" and so on. Today (I swear) me and guys from my team went for a lunch and we faced some people from other department, they did not saluted us at all. Nadya, a chief-editor from my group, was deeply shocked (by my coming out). Her first reaction was: "And what have we got to do with it?", demonstratively turned her head away, silly laughed and so on. That is the problem! Where were that damned tolerance?".
Oleg Dusaev's heroic coming out was not in focus of Russian mass-media, but, nevertheless, caused a response in professional sphere. In Facebook his revelation has got many comments and thousands of likes.
In Russia in 2013 alone some publicity figures were fired due to their coming out or outing. Anton Krasovskiy's "dismissal" from "KontrTV" channel was made after he during the show on January 25, 2013 in vivo had said that "he was a homosexual and good as you, as Russian President and Prime Minister, as other people from the Presidential Administration...".
Later he was joined by Moscow City Hall's press service official who had dared to make his coming out on pages of February edition of the "Afisha" (the poster) magazine. After the enforcement of "Mizulina's law" at least 2 teachers (in Magnitogorsk and Khabarovsk) were victimized and forced to ask for dismissal under the pressure of officials.
English translation presented by Yerdna Bananes