Deputies of the Ufa City Council have finally adopted a decision to call one of the streets of the capital of Bashkortostan in the name of the prominent ballet performer Rudolph Nureev.
The City authorities for the first time tabled such an initiative in spring 2006. Since then all the necessary procedures have been taken, including the discussion of the issue among Ufa's residents. This decision made especially happy Edward Murzin, a politician, fighter for the rights of LGBT people, former deputy of the National Assembly of Bashkortostan. In an interview for Gay.ru E.Murzin said that "it was remarkable that people had not forgotten a genius dancer Rudolph Nureev" and reminded about his last year's initiative to set up the Nureev statue. "This issue is being discussed for a long time and for certain reasons related to Nureev's homosexuality has been moved aside by City mayors. I can only welcome the fact that Pavel Kachkaev, the present mayor of Ufa is a man of broad views",- added E.Murzin.
It would be recalled that Rudolph Nureev who in 1962 made his famous "jump towards the freedom" was outlawed and deprived of the Soviet citizenship. He was fully exonerated only in the mid 90's.
Among the reasons for his "escape" probably was the homosexuality of the dancer. During his long term visit to Berlin festival Nureev had his first gay love-affair, that lasted for a short time, with "a very sweet and nice boy". "So, the aforementioned jump, made less than in a year, was aimed not only to get creative independence but also to have free love and sex", - tells Vladimir Kirsanov in his book "69. Russian LGBT people", printed in 2005.
Translated by Yerdna Bananes
The City authorities for the first time tabled such an initiative in spring 2006. Since then all the necessary procedures have been taken, including the discussion of the issue among Ufa's residents. This decision made especially happy Edward Murzin, a politician, fighter for the rights of LGBT people, former deputy of the National Assembly of Bashkortostan. In an interview for Gay.ru E.Murzin said that "it was remarkable that people had not forgotten a genius dancer Rudolph Nureev" and reminded about his last year's initiative to set up the Nureev statue. "This issue is being discussed for a long time and for certain reasons related to Nureev's homosexuality has been moved aside by City mayors. I can only welcome the fact that Pavel Kachkaev, the present mayor of Ufa is a man of broad views",- added E.Murzin.
It would be recalled that Rudolph Nureev who in 1962 made his famous "jump towards the freedom" was outlawed and deprived of the Soviet citizenship. He was fully exonerated only in the mid 90's.
Among the reasons for his "escape" probably was the homosexuality of the dancer. During his long term visit to Berlin festival Nureev had his first gay love-affair, that lasted for a short time, with "a very sweet and nice boy". "So, the aforementioned jump, made less than in a year, was aimed not only to get creative independence but also to have free love and sex", - tells Vladimir Kirsanov in his book "69. Russian LGBT people", printed in 2005.
Translated by Yerdna Bananes
