At a performance Thursday in Moscow,
out singer Rufus Wainwright condemned a Russian law which prohibits
the promotion of “gay propaganda” to minors.
According to The
Moscow Times, Wainwright said the law was offensive because
“it's really young gay people who are 18 who need our help, and
need to learn and feel loved and accepted. To cut them out is a
terrible crime.”
He dedicated his song The Gay
Messiah to composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which he described as his
“favorite gay Russian.”
Young people under 18 were not allowed
to attend the concert at Dom Muzyki.
The audience applauded when Wainwright
said “I'm gay” and called the law “disgusting.” (The video
is embedded on this page. Visit
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Wainwright and longtime partner Jorn
Weisbrodt married
two years ago in New York. The couple has one daughter, Viva
Katherine Wainwright Cohen.