In Yaroslavl, unknown people beat activist Alexander Derrek who was going to take part in a picket in support of LGBT individuals on central pedestrian Kirov street. Another LGBT activist, Yaroslav Sirotkin, was holding a picket in another place in the same street.
Derrek was attacked in the archway of the Znamenskaya Tower. Three unknown men approached him and his friend and asked them rudely about their orientation. Then two men blocked the view of the city cameras, and the third one hit the activist in the solar plexus and then in the face; the activist hit the back of his head against the wall. After the attack, the unknown people let the activist and his friend leave. Derrek went to the police, documented the injuries, and filed a report on the attack. He is sure that this beating was planned.
Sirotkin was holding a poster saying, "Same-sex families are the support of Russia" and suggested passers-by speculating about how they understood the message of the poster. Many people spoke negatively about its content, believing that it was about homosexual families. Yaroslav replied that he was talking about a typical Russian family — grandmother, mother, and daughter. Several people came to express their approval, took photos with the activist, and hugged him. A beggar tried to attack Sirotkin, but the police stopped him.
— I brought this topic to the public space and watched the reaction, — the activist explained, — the reaction was unequivocal: no one thought that it was about a grandfather, father, and son, or grandmother, mother, and daughter, everyone was thinking about a homosexual family. This shows that people are well-informed about the issue [of gay family rights], they are very worried; at the same time, all the people I spoke to had no experience with such families, but they were clearly sure that this was bad. But I was supported as well - mainly by young and middle-aged people. And that's great.
Activists of the Callisto LGBT Movement have been dealing with LGBT issues since 2017. The first public engagement of the movement was the action on the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, 2017. Members of the movement provide psychological aid to the LGBT individuals.
