[LINK] "Putin's Crimea Is a Big Anti-Gay Casino"

[rfmcdonald]

The Daily Beast's Anna Nemtsova is scathing about the prospects for economic development--or even economic survival--in Crimea after Russian annexation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, official homophobia is hurting the area's tourism. (Tourism and agriculture generally are tanking, apparently, with no sign of recovery.)

The town of Simeiz, once a favorite vacation spot for Ukrainian gays and “hippies,” lost most of its free-spirited visitors this year. On a recent weekend, no kissing couples were to be seen on the shaded benches of Apollo Alley, known among locals as the Alley of Naked Men because of the white statues of nude Greek gods. Very few people sunbathed on Simeiz’s famously picturesque beaches, where spectacular rocks rise out of gorgeous turquoise water; and at sunset, no new-age hipsters hung out around the graceful architectural monument called Dream Villa, which was an overcrowded hotspot only last year.

[. . .]

Today, in the midst of the war, what patriotic Ukrainian would vacation on an annexed beach? And even Russian-subsidized programs have not brought nearly as many visitors to Crimea as before the crises. Simeiz, famous for its splashy parties and crowded clubs, looked deserted.

“Ukrainians in general and especially gay guys don’t feel safe coming here, because of Russian anti-gay laws,” Aleksei, a jeweler in Simeiz, told The Daily Beast. “Making a show of loving the Russians does not help us any longer—every business in Crimea is losing money.”

Crimea’s gay population, which some online forums estimated at over 10,000, faces mounting insecurity. The “prime minister” on the Black Sea peninsula, Sergey Aksyonov, has announced that “sexual minorities will never be allowed public events in Crimea.” He promised that police would act quickly to stop them. “Authorities will never support them,” he said.

So, instead of the festive rainbow culture of rock and roll, electronic music, psychedelia and esoterica, Russian-run Crimea will offer an alternative: gambling. Last April, shortly after annexation, the Duma voted for the law allowing gaming zones in Crimea.