Russian bloggers trying to gauge attitudes toward gays face violence

Associated Press

MOSCOW

Two Russian bloggers say they faced threats and violence when they walked through Moscow streets holding hands to gauge attitudes toward gays.

The men, who are straight and run a popular video blog, say they decided to use a hidden camera to record reactions in an “experiment” after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling recognizing same-sex marriage.

“We decided to check why people can walk holding hands over there without any problem, and what if we conduct such an experiment in Russia,” said Yevgeny Babenko.

The two men walked hand-in-hand around Moscow for about an hour, encountering verbal insults and outright violence.

The two men said they were shocked to discover the outright hostility on the streets of the Russian capital.