MOSCOW — Russia’s leading gay activist said Wednesday that he was disappointed that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with an outspoken foe of gay rights during her two-day trip to Russia and did not decry homophobia in the country.
Clinton attended a ceremony unveiling a statue of Walt Whitman at Moscow State University with Russian officials including Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Luzhkov has blocked all attempts to hold gay pride marches in Moscow, once saying they “can be described in no other way than as satanic.” Clinton did not mention the issue during the ceremony. Some biographers have described Whitman as homosexual, and U.S. gay activists have claimed him as symbol of their movement.
“Just as Pushkin and Whitman reset poetry, we are resetting our relations for the 21st century,” Clinton said. A statue of the revered Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was erected at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in 2000.
Luzhkov also compared Whitman to “our Alexander Pushkin” — but said he was quintessentially American.
It was not clear whether Luzhkov was aware of Whitman’s status as a gay icon, and sponsors of the statue said they were honoring Whitman strictly for his contributions to literature.
Gay activist Nikolai Alexeyev said Wednesday he was disappointed Clinton did not discuss discrimination against gays.
“Russia is supposed to be a democracy, and she said nothing,” he said.
