Rufus criticises Russia’s anti-gay laws at Moscow show
By Josh Haggis
Rufus Wainwright labelled Russia’s anti-gay laws “disgusting” during a concert in Moscow earlier this week.
The singer-songwriter told the audience he was gay during his performance in the Russian capital on Thursday (September 18), before going on to criticise the country’s anti-gay laws for letting down young LGBT people, reports the Moscow Times.
Tickets to Wainwright’s concert at the city’s Dom Muzyki venue were only allowed to be sold to those over the age of 18, owing to the singer-songwriter’s sexuality, he said.
“It’s really young gay people who are under 18 who need our help, and need to learn and feel loved and accepted,” Wainwright told the crowd. “To cut them out is a terrible crime.”
He then dedicated his song The Gay Messiah to composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, whom he described as his “favourite gay Russian”.
The ever controversial Wainwright, 41, recently claimed he was happy to not have a big gay following because gay men have “terrible taste” – read the full story here.
Meanwhile, US pop singer Selena Gomez has recently been denied a visa to perform in Russia, reportedly due to her vocal support for gay rights – read more here.