Despite the huge victory for marriage equality in the United States, many LGBT people all over the world still have a lot to fight for.
As part of a social experiment, two Russian men decided to film themselves walking around the streets of Moscow while holding hands, and even though they were minding their own business, many homophobic onlookers still managed to taunt and even physically attack them.
“We decided to check out how people in Moscow, Russia, will react to a gay couple,” YouTubers CheburussiaTV said in the intro of the now-viral video, which at press time has racked over 1.2 million views.
Throughout their experiment, the two friends were laughed at, sneered at, called homophobic slurs, and even physically pushed and forced to stop holding hands. The jarring clip showcases just how bad out LGBT people have it in Russia, and comes on the heels of many controversies started by antigay politicians like Vitalty Milonov.
Molonov spearheaded efforts to criminalize "gay propaganda" and outlaw social media for LGBT youth, and attempted to bar Apple CEO Tim Cook from setting foot in Russia.
“On one side of the planet this is absolutely normal,” says a caption at the end of the video, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide in June. “In Russia, it’s not.”
Watch Cheburussia TV’s disturbing video below.
Exclusive: Lady Bunny releases new 'Hot To Blow' video