December 7, 2013

VIDEO: Elton John Denounces Russia’s Anti-Gay Law at Moscow Concert


On Friday, singer-songwriter Elton John dedicated his concert in Moscow to Vladislav Tornovoi, a 23-year-old gay man tortured to death in southwest Russia in May. He also took a moment during the show to address Russia’s new anti-gay law, which allows for fining and detaining gay and pro-gay individuals, and bans what is deemed homosexual propaganda to minors. Via Joe Jervis, here’s the transcript:

You took me to your hearts all these years ago and you’ve always welcomed me with warmth and open arms every time I visited [Russia]. You have always embraced me and you have never judged me. So I am deeply saddened and shocked over the current legislation that is now in place against the LGBT community here in Russia. In my opinion, it is inhumane and it is isolating. Some people have demanded that because of this legislation, I must not come here to Russia. But many, many more people asked me to come and I listened to them. I love coming here.

I want to show them and the world that I care and that I don’t believe in isolating people. Music is a very powerful thing. It brings people together irrespective of their age, their race, their sexuality, or their religion. It does not discriminate. Look around you tonight. You see men, women, young and old, gay and straight. Thousands of happy Russian people enjoying the music. We’re all here together in harmony, and harmony is what makes a happy family and a strong society.

The spirit we share tonight is what builds a future of equality, love and compassion for my children and for your children. Please don’t leave it behind when you leave tonight. Each and every one of you, please, keep this spirit in your life and in your heart. I wish you love and peace and health and happiness. And this show is dedicated to the memory of Vladislav Tornovoi.

Russian gigs by pop stars Madonna and Lady Gaga—who both expressed support for the LGBT community during their performances—were met with legal backlash and controversy. The artists’ St. Petersburg shows in August and December 2012, respectively, resulted in court cases. A $10 million lawsuit against Madonna was thrown out; Russian concert promoters of Lady Gaga’s show were fined a symbolic $614. It is not clear at this time what the legal consequences will be for John.

Here’s more footage from his Friday performance in Moscow:

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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