Masha Gessen - Gay Propaganda

NATA

Then came the next important stage.

ANYA

I got lucky last year. Nata and I were supposed to perform at a festival. We registered and prepared a new number. Suddenly, Nata ended up in the hospital. I was about to quit, but Natasha convinced me to participate without her.

NATA

Important people come to the festival, such as professional trainers from America and Europe, and give master classes. It’s great experience, like studying with a native speaker.

ANYA

I went but I was upset and unsure of myself. I don’t remember what got into me, but after a lesson, I decided to go talk to the head judge. I went up to him and asked, “Excuse me, why can’t I compete in the man’s role?” He looked at me, amazed: “Why not?” Suddenly, a festival volunteer runs up to me and says, “The head judge has allowed you to compete, hurry up and get your number.” Slowly, it dawns on me that they’re letting me participate despite all the rules against it! I was in such shock, and so euphoric, that I called Nata in the hospital, screaming, “Nata, I’m going to compete!” I changed in a panic. They stick a number on my back. I go out onto the floor. Around me, I see the judges, and the people looking at me—it’s all like a dream. I am the only woman in a crowd of male partners. Suddenly, they’re announcing the people who made it to the semi-finals, and I hear my name. I call Nata screaming again. The semi-final happens. I think, “OK, I can relax now.” Suddenly, a woman I met at the competition flies at me: “Anya, did you see the results? You’re in the finals.” I slowly realize that I’m in the finals, in a men’s competition. The final shock of the day was that I made it into the top ten in the finals.

NATA

In the top ten on her first try.

ANYA

It’s been a year and we haven’t been allowed to participate in any other competitions since. In the rules, it says a pair consists of a male and a female partner. But at least they decided in our favor once, and that set an important precedent.

NATA

When you make it to the finals in a prestigious competition, you get an international dance ranking. Your rank is proof of your professional level. Anya should have been ranked, but they didn’t do it.

ANYA

Whoever was doing the ranking saw my last name, understood that I was a woman, and didn’t take into account that I was a finalist.

NATA

Since then, we’ve been looking for every opportunity to participate in a competition. We keep growing as dancers no matter what. We go to master classes, learn new dances, but we want professional achievements, too.

ANYA

I’ve even tried dancing the women’s part. However, ever since I’ve started developing my skills, I’ve become more interested in leading.

NATA

Last year we tried to learn how to switch roles. It was a very interesting experience. It’s good to switch roles because it helps you understand how your partner thinks. We know some male partners and we’ve started having fun with them. We lead them like they’re women, and it helps them pick up important technical habits. I feel very bad for Russian men. They don’t even get to be free in the world of dance. If a man dances the woman’s part, he immediately falls under a lot of criticism.

ANYA

Incidentally, American men can dance the women’s part so well that our girls are jealous of them. They spin and do the kind of pirouettes that not every kind of ballerina could pull off. They’re more open.

NATA

Anya and I deal with our problems and live through dance. The majority of fights we’ve had over the past seven years have been at rehearsals. There was a time when I was ahead of her in technique. It’s a difficult moment for many dancers when one person in a couple starts developing faster than the other, and the other one has to catch up. We were always fighting.

ANYA

But it’s like a parallel life for us where we resolve our problems.

NATA

We often think about the future. It’s hard to live in Russia when you’re like us. We can’t get married or have kids or dance together. We can’t do anything.

ANYA

When they passed the law on gay propaganda, there were jokes going around on the Internet, like, if a child is raised by a mother and grandmother, does that also count as a same-sex family?

NATA

We laugh, but it’s a serious problem. But our society is probably not ready for any of this. We understand that.

“This book comes at a really important time. There’s nothing like putting a human face on the struggle for acceptance and equality. Love conquers all.”

“The most potent weapon in the fight against anti-LGBT prejudice is the reality of who we are instead of the caricatures presented by our opponents. The bigots who seek to censor our reality by banning ‘gay propaganda’ understand this. So do Masha Gessen and Joseph Huff-Hannon. Projects like theirs are the most potent weapon in the fight against anti-LGBT prejudice.”

“By shining a much-needed light on the common humanity of those brave gay men and lesbians seeking to go about their daily lives in Russia, or those who have made the difficult choice to leave, this book puts the lie to the malicious stereotypes currently being spewed by the Russian government.”

“Hundreds of straight athletes from around the world have joined the effort to advance LGBT respect and equality. Every one of them will appreciate the importance of this project. This book is much needed and couldn’t come at a better time.”

MASHA GESSENis an award-winning journalist and author of many books, most recently Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot (Riverhead, January 2014). She is a lesbian mother who has left Russia because of the anti-gay laws.

JOSEPH HUFF-HANNONis a celebrated campaigner and writer who has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Salon , and elsewhere. He works with the international advocacy group Avaaz.org. He is one of the founding campaigners of global LGBT rights group, All Out.

© 2014 Masha Gessen and Joseph Huff-Hannon

Published by OR Books, New York and London

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First printing 2014

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