Latvian Priest strongly supports the Riga Gay Pride
17/07/2006
By
Nikolay Alekseev, Human Rights LGBT Project GayRussia.ru
Latvian Priest strongly supports the Riga Gay Pride
From Riga, Maris Sants answers criticism and give his view about the second Gay Pride
A few days before the second ever Gay Pride Parade takes the streets of Riga, GayRussia.Ru has met Maris Sants. The Anglican Priest told us more about his life and the reasons of his support to the gay movement. He also answered thr critics that were published recently in the Russian gay internet about his initiative to hold a service at the Anglican church after the human rights marche.
GayRussia : Can you tell us a bit more about your background?
Maris Sants : I am 40. I was born in a communist family. When I was 12, I recognized that I was gay and I tried all sort of therapy to change my sexual orientation. I visited several psychiatrists and pshychologists in six different countries. When I was 17, after I tried a lot of doctors who did not succeed in changing me, I became Christian. At that point, I understood that if people cannot accept me, and I cannot accept myself, then, god will accept me. Finally, I became christian only because I was homosexual. When I was 25, I went to the Theology Faculty and then, I became priest.
When I was 33, I started to understand that god has no problem with my sexual orientation. I understand that the problem comes from people who do not accept us. But when I was 36, I was excommunicated from the church by the Archbishop of Latvia because of my homosexuality.
GR : Last year you held a service at the Anglican Church which closed the first Riga Pride. Why this initiative ?
I believe that there is nothing is nothing wrong in being gay. Churches are doing a very wrong things. Probably in 10 or 20 years, they will have to excuse for having burned and stoned so many of us in the past. I believe that God is different. God knows that being gay is not a choice.
GR : Will you organize the same next saturday for the second pride ?
Yes. There will be a service. It is taken out of the official schedule because of fears of aggressions. But anyone who wish to attend can get the schedule from the organization committee. Unlike last year, the pride will be separated from the service. In fact, last year the police asked me that all the pride participants go to the church for security reasons. They wanted to avoid having people being attacked in the streets at the end of the pride. There was no intention to end the pride in the church.
GR : Some says that your service is a “provocation”...
I believe that holding a pride all over the world is a provocation and, to there is nothing bad in it. We provoke the hyprocratique society and the hypocritique church. By doing that, we just ask them to change. Yes, it provokes a debate in the society; and this is the pruprose. I think Jesus was very provocative. I am convinced he would have gone together with Russian gays to bring flowers to the tomb of the unknown soldier in Moscow. He would provoke the society.
GR : After some disputes within the Latvian gay community, two applications were submitted to the city council. Finally, a few days ago, both sides agreed to organize one united pride event. Are you really all united ?
It’s a very complex question. Some people hate Christianity because of the current policy of the church. There are 3 organizations around the pride. Two of them are does not support anything connected to the church. Last year they were happy because the church helped us all to organize the pride. Last week, we have signed an agreement in which we agreed not to criticize each other in the public space. So, I am not going to criticize them even if they criticize me. I don’t want to break my agreement.
GR : In Latvia, despite the troubles of the first pride, no one says that a gay pride should not be organized. What would you say to the Russian gays who are opposed to any marche for their human rights ?
I would say that honnesty is a value. Trying to pretend that you are not gay is a sin. People should respect those who are out and fight for the rights of the community. Because of such people who are fighting, there can be places where gays can meet. I think they have to respect those who fight for gay rights. This is a very important things which benefit to everyone. I have faced lots of agressions from gays and lesbians who think that I am doing everything wrong, but because of this we have a church that bless same sex unions.
GR : Site gay.ru has reported that organizers of the Riga pride have refused to allow you to organize a service at the Anglican church this year. Can you explain the situation ?
It’s totally wrong. No one has never asked me not to organize this service. Only part of the organizers have published something negative about the service. In fact, I found out about this while reading this news published by gay.ru No one told me anything directly.
GR : Would you say that there is a division between the Russian minority and Latvian in the gay community ?
Not in the church. My Russian is not as good that I would like and this is the reason why I cannot do a service in Russian. In fact, I have married some Russians same sex couples and I did the services in Russian. In our congregation, there are lots of Russian people. In the community probably there are some divisions, like in the society. A work of integration should be done in the future. But definitely, I can say that there is not a hatered between Russians and Latvians. Some clubs are more Russian oriented and vice versa.
GR : How many people do you expect at the Pride ?
I would say around 300 but I don’t know. By the way, my mother will be coming to the pride. She said that she prefers to be with gays than with homophobs. I expect around 80 people at the service.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=6335
GayRussia.Ru
From Riga, Maris Sants answers criticism and give his view about the second Gay Pride
A few days before the second ever Gay Pride Parade takes the streets of Riga, GayRussia.Ru has met Maris Sants. The Anglican Priest told us more about his life and the reasons of his support to the gay movement. He also answered thr critics that were published recently in the Russian gay internet about his initiative to hold a service at the Anglican church after the human rights marche.
GayRussia : Can you tell us a bit more about your background?
Maris Sants : I am 40. I was born in a communist family. When I was 12, I recognized that I was gay and I tried all sort of therapy to change my sexual orientation. I visited several psychiatrists and pshychologists in six different countries. When I was 17, after I tried a lot of doctors who did not succeed in changing me, I became Christian. At that point, I understood that if people cannot accept me, and I cannot accept myself, then, god will accept me. Finally, I became christian only because I was homosexual. When I was 25, I went to the Theology Faculty and then, I became priest.
When I was 33, I started to understand that god has no problem with my sexual orientation. I understand that the problem comes from people who do not accept us. But when I was 36, I was excommunicated from the church by the Archbishop of Latvia because of my homosexuality.
GR : Last year you held a service at the Anglican Church which closed the first Riga Pride. Why this initiative ?
I believe that there is nothing is nothing wrong in being gay. Churches are doing a very wrong things. Probably in 10 or 20 years, they will have to excuse for having burned and stoned so many of us in the past. I believe that God is different. God knows that being gay is not a choice.
GR : Will you organize the same next saturday for the second pride ?
Yes. There will be a service. It is taken out of the official schedule because of fears of aggressions. But anyone who wish to attend can get the schedule from the organization committee. Unlike last year, the pride will be separated from the service. In fact, last year the police asked me that all the pride participants go to the church for security reasons. They wanted to avoid having people being attacked in the streets at the end of the pride. There was no intention to end the pride in the church.
GR : Some says that your service is a “provocation”...
I believe that holding a pride all over the world is a provocation and, to there is nothing bad in it. We provoke the hyprocratique society and the hypocritique church. By doing that, we just ask them to change. Yes, it provokes a debate in the society; and this is the pruprose. I think Jesus was very provocative. I am convinced he would have gone together with Russian gays to bring flowers to the tomb of the unknown soldier in Moscow. He would provoke the society.
GR : After some disputes within the Latvian gay community, two applications were submitted to the city council. Finally, a few days ago, both sides agreed to organize one united pride event. Are you really all united ?
It’s a very complex question. Some people hate Christianity because of the current policy of the church. There are 3 organizations around the pride. Two of them are does not support anything connected to the church. Last year they were happy because the church helped us all to organize the pride. Last week, we have signed an agreement in which we agreed not to criticize each other in the public space. So, I am not going to criticize them even if they criticize me. I don’t want to break my agreement.
GR : In Latvia, despite the troubles of the first pride, no one says that a gay pride should not be organized. What would you say to the Russian gays who are opposed to any marche for their human rights ?
I would say that honnesty is a value. Trying to pretend that you are not gay is a sin. People should respect those who are out and fight for the rights of the community. Because of such people who are fighting, there can be places where gays can meet. I think they have to respect those who fight for gay rights. This is a very important things which benefit to everyone. I have faced lots of agressions from gays and lesbians who think that I am doing everything wrong, but because of this we have a church that bless same sex unions.
GR : Site gay.ru has reported that organizers of the Riga pride have refused to allow you to organize a service at the Anglican church this year. Can you explain the situation ?
It’s totally wrong. No one has never asked me not to organize this service. Only part of the organizers have published something negative about the service. In fact, I found out about this while reading this news published by gay.ru No one told me anything directly.
GR : Would you say that there is a division between the Russian minority and Latvian in the gay community ?
Not in the church. My Russian is not as good that I would like and this is the reason why I cannot do a service in Russian. In fact, I have married some Russians same sex couples and I did the services in Russian. In our congregation, there are lots of Russian people. In the community probably there are some divisions, like in the society. A work of integration should be done in the future. But definitely, I can say that there is not a hatered between Russians and Latvians. Some clubs are more Russian oriented and vice versa.
GR : How many people do you expect at the Pride ?
I would say around 300 but I don’t know. By the way, my mother will be coming to the pride. She said that she prefers to be with gays than with homophobs. I expect around 80 people at the service.
http://www.gayrussia.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=6335
GayRussia.Ru
