by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
The City Council and a court in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, banned the gay "Rainbow Spring 2009" festival in mid-May.
The cultural and sports festival was sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was to have offered a photo exhibition, parties, dances, a soccer tournament, movies and a poetry evening, among other activities.
At least some of the events went ahead as scheduled, though the May 16 poetry evening was aborted when about 40 right wing extremists blocked the entrance to the House of Artists. Police were called, and the protesters left only after two gay banners were removed from the building. The incident also led to the photo exhibition being shut down prematurely and the cancellation of a buffet dinner that was to accompany the poetry event.
City officials said the ban was in accord with the "religious and ethical beliefs of all residents of the city" and that gay events would have a "negative impact on the moral and spiritual atmosphere of the city" and could lead to "civic unrest" and "mass disorder and conflict."
