Moscow - Controversial Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov unveiled on Wednesday a statue of 19th century US poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892) in a move which drew the ire of Russian gay rights groups. Together with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Luzhkov unveiled the statue of Whitman, whose works were rife with homosexual themes and references.
In view of this, a Russian gay rights group spokesman called Luzhkov's participation in the statue unveiling at Moscow State University "grotesque," the Interfax agency said.
The group noted the 73-year-old Luzhkov's past antipathy in describing homosexuality as "satanic" and in having police break up unauthorised gay and lesbian demonstrations.
