Gay School Teacher is Fired in the Flooded Russian Far East City

Instead of helping thousands of of flood victims in the city of Khabarovsk in Russia’s Far East, Putin’s government makes a priority to fight a recently came out gay teacher at the local public school.

Clearly, LGBT bashing is taking the priority over the lives of ordinary citizens under the current regime.

The case of Alexander Ermoshkin has been well publicized in Russian media but has not made to any English language news outlets.

On September 3, 2013 a popular Russian news outlet, Gazeta.ru, reported in the article titled “I was proud that there was no homophobia in Khabarovsk” (by Anastasia Berseneva):

“A teacher is to be fired because of his homosexuality.

In Khabarovsk, which became the center of a major flood in the Russian Far East, anti-gay crusaders are demanding dismissal of a geography teacher in a local school because of his sexual orientation. The provincial Ministry of Education has other things to worry about: disaster preparedness in the region is high on the agenda. However, the city Department of Education had set an ultimatum to the school principal and the teacher was suspended from work.

38-year-old geography teacher Alexander Ermoshkin is living through a tough time. He was was suspended from giving classes because he was gay and the city education officials demand his full dismissal. A substitute teacher was found.

“I have been feeling pressure since my childhood, – tells the teacher with a bitter smile – But my life as a gay man was not as dramatic as that of others.”

He came out to his friends a long time ago and five years ago, he decided to get involved in LGBT activism. Every year since then, on May 17, the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, he participated in “rainbow flashmobs” launching balloons into the sky and then there was the Day of Silence against homophobia in April. That was when Ermoshkin decided not to hide behind anonymity and to speak out openly.

“Then we got a new school principal, Natalia Polyudchenko. I came to her and said that I was gay and an LGBT activist and if the school didn’t like it, I was ready to resign.

“But Natalia told me she did not see obstacles to my work in the school,”- says Ermoshkin. From time to time came, the school management visited his classes for a routine check. One of his colleagues, a senior geography teacher, often was present during his classes, too. There were no complaints against the teacher.

The authorities did not show much attention to gays.

“I was even proud that there was no homophobia in Khabarovsk “, – says the teacher.

But last year, just before the rainbow flashmob, Ermoshkin received a phone call from the provincial Department for Countering Extremism who suggested he notify the city administration of the event. Ermoshkin explained that since it was a flashmob, an unofficial event without any slogans, the notification was not necessary. At that time about a hundred participants gathered to release balloons. Seeing that, the teacher decided to seek a permit for the event in 2013.

But in spring 2013, the mood in the city has changed. In April, the LGBT movement held a regular event “Day of Silence.” The activists stood in front of a cinema with their mouths taped and handed out leaflets against homophobia. That day, they were attacked by a group of young nationalists who call themselves “Stolz.”

From the news, the city was surprised to learn there were not only about gays but also Nazis there, says the teacher.

Immediately, harsh statements against homosexuals came from Yuri Berezutsky, provincial Ombudsman, and Sergei Pleshakov, director of NGO “Green House” working in education, culture and ecology. The Ombudsman accused homosexuals in seeking cheap attention and the NGO director said actions like this were not about social activism, they were “about below the belt, people just expressed their lust”.

Neither of them criticized the nationalists.

But despite the growing resentments, city officials approved the rainbow flashmob in 2013.

“After the adoption of the law on gay propaganda in early July, local Baptists and nationalist groups promoting “a healthy lifestyle” became active. In early August, people from these two groupings and the NGO “Green House” headed by Pleshkov formed the Movement against propaganda of sexual perversions “- says Ermoshkin.

They widely spread information about  Ermoshkin’s profession (in his LGBT activism he never emphasized his job although although he did not hide it either) and started collecting signatures for his dismissal.

They argued that minors could see rainbow flashmobs and other events organized by the teacher and so this would constitute violation of the law banning propaganda of homosexuality. In August, 678 signatures for the teacher’s dismissal have been collected and forwarded to the provincial Ministry of Education.

But the Deputy Minister Alexander King informed the teachers’ opponents that they came to the wrong address and the appeal was forwarded to the city Department of Education, who then called the school. “The Director explained them that there were no reasons for my dismissal. They had no complaints against me; I have been working for 10 years in this school and my total professional experience is 18 years, I started working when I was a student”, – said Ermoshkin.

Then the LGBT activist was attacked again. In the evening of 26 August, the “Stolz” youngsters ambushed him, ripped glasses, seized his phone, and started insulting him, all the while filming with a phone camera.

Five days later, on August 31, when the Russian President visited Khabarovsk, submerged in the biggest flood in 50 years, the deputy head of the city Education Department called the school principal and demanded to fire Ermoshkin.

“Otherwise, they threatened to announce the school principal unfit for her position”, – says the teacher. – “On Monday, September 2, another deputy head of education called the principal and gave her the deadline of 6 pm. Only then the director asked me to think about a resignation.”

The teacher thought the whole night and decided to fight to the end. “I said to her in the morning that I could not give her a notice,” – he said. Then the director suspended him from classes. A substitute teacher was found.

“Tomorrow I should have been giving my first class, but another teacher will be doing it,” – said Ermoshkin.

Instead of his class, Ermoshkin will go to talk with the Ombudsman Berezutsky. He is also scheduled to meet with the city Education Department head Olga Ten. He could not get an appointment with the provincial Minister of Education…” (Translated by Vitaly Djuma).

Spectrum Human Rights communicated with Mr. Ermoshkin about his situation. It appears that this LGBT activist intends to defend his right to work in his profession in his home town, and says that he doesn’t see another way – he can’t think about emigration because he can’t imagine his life outside his native Far East.