Activists held Russia's first "Day of Silence" in St. Petersburg, Russia last Saturday, taping their mouths shut and handing out literature in the city's Chernyshevskiy Park. UK Gay News reports: "For two hours, the participants remained silent as they took their public stand against discrimination emotional harassment, violence, hate crimes, and intolerance based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Initially, the city authorities gave permission for a demonstration. But this was overturned by ‘City Hall’ days before the event. So, organisers scaled-down their plans, and what took place was individual protest in the park – individual rallies do not require ...

From UK Gay News comes word of the first Day of Silence held last weekend in three cities across Russia. Day of Silence events were held on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Novokuznetsk and Yaroslavl. Two participants in St. Petersburg were assaulted following a rally and skinheads attacked participants in Novokuznetsk. Nevertheless, organizers counted the events a rousing success. St. Petersburg officials had initially given permission for a public Day of Silence demonstration, but this permission was rescinded a few days before the event. In response, the organizers scaled back their plans and staged individual protests in ...

Russia saw a few gay dust-ups this weekend. First, activists reported that men “dressed as rappers” attacked their inaugural Day of Silence celebration, kicking and beating them until coppers scared them off. Then, in a nod to Soviet past, members of the so-called “Russian Vanguard,” gathered to protest gay singer Boris Moiseyev’s performance in Kaliningrad. Again, coppers intervened, but that’s not stopping the Vanguard’s archaic demands… “Kaliningrad administration authorities banned us from picketing the concert of Moiseyev pursuant to Article 23 on personal security of the Russian Constitution. Thus, the authorities say that they are going to protect ...

Derek Keefe wrote a recap in Christianity Today of the various responses to the Day of Silence: boycott, protest, Day of Truth, and Golden Rule initiative. His final comments offer much-needed wisdom to conservative evangelical Christians. Evangelicals are by definition a gospel-proclaiming people. Part of our becoming a wise people is learning to match our proclamation both to the manner of the Christ we proclaim, as well as to the occasion before us. Gospel wisdom, then, means not just learning when to speak, but what part of God’s good news to speak first, and how that news should be delivered. ...

Since the social conservatives' own "Day of Truth" seems to be an utter failure, they are trying desperately to reframe the anti-bullying, pro-acceptance Day of Silence so that it fits their twisted agenda. Here is what omnipresent 'mo foe Matt Barber has to say about DOS's future: Over the next few years, don’t be surprised when, as people hear mention of the so-called “Day of Silence,” they immediately think, “Oh, yeah, isn’t that the day when tens of thousands of freethinking kids come together in defense of that which is good, and stand ...

Pastor Ken Hutcherson, who you might remember staged an attention-causing boycott and protest against the Day of Silence, has written the following email message to his congregants: Praise for a one life story! I received a call from a man who was the Student Body President and graduate of Mt. Si High School class of 1951! He and his wife who both attended Mt. Si and still live in Snoqualmie have been horrified as they have watched the purveyors of the homosexual agenda wield their power at their beloved Alma mater. They were so encouraged to read ...