The Scream

This very moving 1 minute video was created with dedication to raising awareness of the real events that have occurred this year in Russia (and around the world). I am blessed to have written music for this wonderful cause.

 

While excitement was building around the 22nd Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, I was closely tracking a new anti-LGBT law that was forming in Russia. The new law was coined the “gay propaganda” bill, and sadly, it turned into a reality on June 30, 2013. The language inside the bill was written so broadly that it essentially reversed the LGBT rights movement. Combined with Russia’s notoriously harsh legal system and an already challenging social environment for LGBT individuals, the bill became a catalyst for an open call to violence.

 

In the following weeks the Internet erupted with graphic images capturing the escalating violence toward my LGBT brothers and sisters. With no thanks to mainstream media, the social landscape quickly became the only source of coverage regarding the multitude of human rights violations occurring in Russia.

 

What began with introductions and formalities led to a movement called (We Are) #GayPropaganda.

 

(We Are) #GayPropaganda exists to unify our voices in support of LGBT communities around the world who are facing degradation and violence. We encourage people who believe that love is love — no matter whom you love– to use the hashtag #GayPropaganda on the words they write, the photos they post, and the videos they share across social platforms. While many throw around hashtags as a humorous form of modern vernacular, the use of the pound sign was designated to capture conversations in the vastness of social media, highlighting topics and bringing order to people’s voices. This social tool has proven to transcend the digital space and bring attention to important current events and causes, even inciting action. So while separate yet similar movements and organizations exist around addressing Russia’s anti-LGBT oppression and more broadly the ongoing battle on equality for all, (We Are) #GayPropaganda looks to further amplify these efforts by extending their reach and impact, by collecting them under one roof.

 

This is an excerpt from the article about We Are #GayPropaganda in the Huffington Post. Read the entire article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kevin-dolan/we-are-gaypropaganda_b_4311767.html

 

In the short term, (We Are) #GayPropaganda looks to provide the international community with the tools and language needed to make their opposition to Russia’s anti-LGBT oppression heard during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Speak out. Be heard. Engage with each other. Spread positivity. Write, post, share, and use the hashtag. It is our tool and your call to action. Let the LGBT people of the world know that they are not alone. (You Are) #GayPropaganda.

 

To become a part of (We Are) #GayPropaganda, visit us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.