Даёшь толерантный Брайтон!
LGBTQ+ immigrants from Russian-speaking countries often face unique challenges in the United States. They often come from conservative societies where LGBTQ+ identities are stigmatized and persecuted, and even in diverse cities, they encounter cultural clashes and fear of discrimination. Integrating into both American society and their ethnic communities, like Brighton Beach, can be complex. Despite these challenges, their presence and activism promote tolerance and understanding, fostering acceptance in both their communities and the broader society.
On this page, you will watch a video about an LGBTQ+ parade in Brighton Beach. The video reflects the cultural tensions and the efforts of LGBTQ+ individuals to assert their rights and visibility in a traditionally conservative environment.
Упражнение 29. Подготовка к просмотру видео. Поработайте над лексикой.
In the video below, you will encounter some new words and phrases. Familiarize yourself with this vocabulary by matching the words, phrases, and quotations with their English translations.
In this video, you will watch a news report about a pride parade that took place in Brighton Beach in 2017. The video is divided into 4 clips. You can use the buttons on the left to jump to various clips or listen to clips again. There are buttons on the right where you can find vocabulary to help you understand the clips. Underneath the video are exercises that you should complete as you watch the video. You may want to read each exercise before you begin watching the corresponding clip.
Давайте поговорим! Обсудите вопросы с партнёром. Старайтесь отвечать полными предложениями.
Discuss the questions with your partner. Use complete sentences in your responses.
- Что в ви́део говоря́т о русскоязы́чной общи́не Бра́йтона? (каки́е взгля́ды у люде́й, кото́рые живу́т там – прогресси́вные, консервати́вные, либера́льные?)
- Когда́ был пара́д, о кото́ром расска́зывается в ви́део?
- Каки́е плака́ты бы́ли у уча́стников пара́да?
- Что ду́мали о пара́де жи́тели Бра́йтона? По́мните ли вы, что говори́ли лю́ди на у́лице о пара́де?
- Что говори́ла Лети́ция Джеймс о ЛГБТ-соо́бществе?
- Каки́е права́ есть у ЛГБТ-соо́бщества в Аме́рике?
- Как вы ду́маете, ста́нет ли толера́нтность но́рмой на Бра́йтон-Бич и в други́х русскоязы́чных общи́нах?
- Как вы ду́маете, мо́гут ли таки́е мероприя́тия (events), как гей-пара́д, измени́ть (change) отноше́ние консервати́вных общи́н к ЛГБТ-соо́бществу?
Follow-up activities:
1. In the video, one of the people who is shown speaking is Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist and activist on LGBTQ+ rights who came out as nonbinary in 2020. Yuri Dud, a popular interviewer / journalist on YouTube, conducted an interview with Masha on all kinds of topics called “Стыдные вопросы про Америку”. The whole interview is interesting (and there are English subtitles available if you need them). At around 1:06:00, Masha begins to talk about being nonbinary and other topics related to LGBTQ+ rights.
2. Learn more about the Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ community by exploring the website and Facebook pages of RUSA, the Russian-Speaking American LGBTQ Association, a nonprofit organization that supports Russian-speaking LGBTQ+ individuals, women, people with intersectional identities, and their allies.
Visit the RUSA LGBTQ+ website and Facebook pages:
https://www.facebook.com/RUSA.LGBT/photos?locale=ru_RU
3. Look for recent or upcoming events in a Russian-speaking community near you. Share information about one or two of these events with your classmates.
Image source: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/inaugural-brighton-beach-lgbt-pride-parade-in-south-brooklyn
