US: Ikea store targeted with gay kiss-in campaign over lesbian censorship in Russia
A group of gay activists at a New York Ikea recently took part in a “guerrilla photo shoot” campaign against the company’s recent decision to censor a lesbian couple’s interview from its Russian edition magazines.
The photo shoot was organised in Brooklyn, New York by Joseph Huff-Hannon, co-editor of the upcoming book ‘Gay Propaganda: Russian Love Stories,’ Alexander Kargaltsev, a gay Russian artist and photographer, and Rusa LGBT co-founder Nina Long.
Participants posed for photographs while kissing, holding hands, hugging one another, and staging various toys around the store to symbolise same-sex unions.
Mr Huff-Hanon told the Huffington Post on Monday: “Ikea calls themselves the ‘life improvement’ store, but we decided they have some major room for improvement after they deleted a lesbian couple from the Russian version of their catalog.
“Ikea should stop insulting their LGBT customers in Russia and around the world, show some backbone, and publish the story in Russian.”
The writer said the cause was particularly important to him as his boyfriend, Artyom Matusov, was born in Moscow
Gennadiy Kaliberda, who took part in the campaign, also said the move was a “real step back” for the company.
“Ikea knows better and should do better,” he added.
The Russian edition of the magazine, however, did not contain the article. The Russian law was the reason, as the company wanted to “remain neutral” in the debate around LGBT issues in the country.
