Russian Journalist Masha Gessen Speaks at JCC San Francisco

On Wednesday, April 29, Russian-American journalist, author and LGBT activist Masha Gessen will present "From Putin to Pussy Riot and Beyond" with Washington Post National Security Editor Peter Finn at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. Gessen has written books about about Vladimar Putin, Pussy Riot, and her latest work deals with the Tsarnaevs the Chechen brothers suspected of perpetrating the Boston Marathon bombings.

"That's what I do; I'm a political journalist," Gessen told EDGE. "The Tsarnaevs drew me to them because first of all, I have experience covering Chechnya, and I have also covered a lot of terrorists while in Russia and at Harvard. I too was a teenaged Russian immigrant in Boston. It seemed custom made for me."

Gessen has also written extensively about Putin, who once called her, "probably the only publicly out gay person" in Russia. She said that there are no safe places in Russia for LGBTs anymore -- the only way people can stay safe is to leave the country. This has fueled a refugee crisis that is largely invisible to the U.S., and a cultural divide that puts LGBT people squarely in the same camp as 'agents of the West.' Although the U.S. has declared LGBT rights a human rights priority, Gessen said this is mostly words and not a lot of action.

"The U.S. refuses to grant refugee status for LGBT people, so people seek asylum, which is better than nothing," said Gessen. "But we need refugee states because the people who are targeted particularly harshly are LGBTs with children. They are the most vulnerable, and the least able to move to a strange country and live in limbo for a year without the right to work. A young male couple would find it a lot easier to imagine themselves leaving the country, but if you're women with kids, you don't see this as an option until you realize it's too late."

Short of regime change, there's nothing much we can do to help those brave LGBT Russians who have come out of the closet. But we can help LGBT refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. by donating to Immigration Equality, or hosting them with temporary housing or other support.

"Some of these people flee with the shirts on their back, literally," said Gessen. "They need housing, especially in places like New York and San Francisco, where it's so expensive. Even three nights of temporary housing can make a big difference for someone who just landed."

She said that people need to learn how to speak English, and how the job search process works here. Hundreds are coming over every year, seeking help from groups like Immigration Equality, who hired a full-time Russian speaking paralegal last year to try and keep up with the caseload. This puts refugees in a dangerous position, because they need to apply for status within 6-12 months of arriving.

Gessen encouraged American LGBTs to help out their Russian counterparts, saying, "I don't think the LGBT movement in this country is paying nearly enough attention to this. What Americans can do is help people here. It is more effective to help these people coming to America, to help a real live human being."

She will only talk briefly about this during her discussion at the JCC, spending more time discussing the trial of the Boston bombers, which is now in the sentencing phase. She said that the defense will likely argue that the younger brother was the junior partner in the attacks.

"They'll argue that he was brainwashed by his psychotic brother," said Gessen. "Frankly, I think they do have a point; he was the junior partner, but I don't think he is quite as dumb as they want him to sound."

"From Putin to Pussy Riot and Beyond" will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California St., San Francisco.