This week, the topless Ukrainian protest crew FEMEN have done something quite ballsy, or rather… titsy? As the Pope was reading the Angelus blessing in the Vatican, the activists stormed through St Peter’s Square chanting “homophobes, shut up!” with only the slogans “In Gay We Trust” on their bare torsos. Video is NSFW.
Wow.
We haven’t always seen eye-to-eye… We’re so down with their creativity and theatrical efforts in baring their front at the front of politics and women’s rights — all the cop-fighting, jet-setting, Vatican Mass-crashing, Paris Hilton-attacking, Chernobyl-hopping, very-raunchy–fountain-protest-bathing — sadistic opposition be damned. Then again, we’re a bit confused by their non-compromising “feminist” view that there is no such thing as ethical sex work and though their anti-Patriarch “sex attack” was ace, chainsawing down crosses across Ukraine in support of Pussy Riot was misguided and inappropriate. But holy shit…
They were, of course, swiftly and roughly removed by the Vatican police, after a woman attached them with an umbrella while calling them diabolical. Nice.
When ANIMAL first interviewed FEMEN, I asked them why as self-proclaimed feminists, they have never done anything in support of Gay Rights.
We haven’t brought up gay rights yet because Ukraine hasn’t brought it up. It is not in the public forum… We have a few gay male and female friends, but they don’t want to go public.
I asked them if they’d stand up for a gay friend that was being abused and asked them for help.
Without question. No discussion. The answer is simply “Yes.”
Just a few days ago, a despicable, gigantic protest march was held in Paris in opposition of President Francois Hollande’s plans to legalize gay marriage. This was FEMEN’s response.
