Russia: Lesbian dance teacher found murdered with throat slashed
A lesbian tango instructor in St Petersburg has been found with her throat slashed.
Yekaterina Khomenko, 29, was found dead on September 7, in her car in the north of St Petersburg, with a nine-centimeter cut to her neck.
The car was damaged and bearing dents, while the vehicle’s lights and engine were still running.
Ms Khomenkio was an instructor in queer tango – the same-sex version of the Latin American dance originally designed for opposite gender pairs.
An initial police report claimed the death was a suicide, but the incident is now being investigated as a murder.
However, according to GlobalVoicesOnline, her father claims the police only got in contact to ask whether she had problems with drugs, money or suicidal tendencies.
The Russian group Coming Out LGBT said: “Ekaterina was a wonderful person, a great professional, daughter and friend. We will remember her and what she had done – bestowed joy and wings to many of us.”
Last week, a conference of anti-gay groups was hosted in Moscow by Russian oligarch Constantin Malofeev.
A resolution passed at the meeting calls for activists “to work for the adoption of legislative bans on all types propaganda concerning homosexual relationships” in order to “uphold the interests of children” across the world.
