Actor Sir Ian McKellen has sent a message of support for attendees of this Saturday's banned Moscow Pride parade, reports the pink paper.
McKellen, who is openly-gay, emailed his support to human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and the Moscow Gay Pride chief organiser,Nikolai Alekseev. They are in Moscow preparing for Saturday's defiant march by Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The Russians will be joined by international campaigners like Tatchell, who will march alongside them in solidarity.
McKellen said: "The Mayor of Moscow is a coward. Rather than face the fact that Muscovite gays and lesbians should be valued on a par with their straight peers, he panders to the right wing. He throws them some red meat, some gays, to gnaw on.
"In the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher once did the same in the United Kingdom but she was eventually defeated totally by the efforts of gay people, their families and friends, who joined together to fight injustice."I send my heart-felt support for your bravery in marching on 28 May in the land of Tchaikovsky, Diaghilev and Nureyev. "Good luck."
McKellen's statement will be read out at the Moscow Gay Pride news conference on Friday 27 May in Moscow.
The Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said he is more worried about being arrested and beaten at the banned parade.
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