“Instead of supporting Putin’s anti-gay terror, [Ikea] was supposed to stand up for us,” one of the organizers said.
Photo by Alexander Kargaltsev
In response to Ikea's removal of a profile of a lesbian couple from the Russian edition of the company's Ikea Family Live magazine, a group of gay and lesbian Russian activists and American allies staged a kiss-in at the Ikea store in Brooklyn.
Ikea cited Russia's prohibition on "promoting non-traditional sexual relationships to minors" for removing the profile of a couple named Kirsty and Clara and their baby.
Nina Long and Alex Kargaltsev explain why they helped organize the protest.
Long is co-president of the US-based advocacy organization Rusa LGBT, and Alexander Kargaltsev is a gay Russian photographer who recently got asylum in the US.
Oleg and Gennadiy
"I see this decision as IKEA's quiet endorsement of Russian homophobia," said Oleg Jelezniakov (seated) in a statement announcing the action. Gennadiy Kaliberda (standing), added, “It's a real step back for the company which had the first same sex couple in a commercial in US. IKEA knows better and should do better.”
Photo by Alexander Kargaltsev
