Story

Russia: Sochi's Gay Cabaret Mayak

April 24, 2014 | Pulitzer Center
By
Misha Friedman

A cabaret artist checking his make up backstage at Cabaret Mayak. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

An artist poses for a photograph backstage at Cabaret Mayak. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

Backstage at Cabaret Mayak. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

Last-minute rehearsal before going on stage at Cabaret Mayak. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

Stepping on stage at Cabaret Mayak. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

The cabaret begins at midnight and goes deep into the night. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

Most local gays are used to hiding their sexuality from the rest of the world, and increased homophobic rhetoric is not surprising to them. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2014.

Sochi's Cabaret Mayak, a popular hangout for both gay and straight, enjoyed the limelight during the Sochi Winter Olympics. Dozens if not hundreds of journalists visited the club over the course of the games. The club was jam-packed each night despite reported claims made by the city's mayor that there are no gays in Sochi.

Most world leaders attended neither opening nor closing ceremonies of the Olympics, a stand taken in protest of a Russian law that criminalizes homosexual "propaganda." Sochi's Cabaret, as well as all other LGBT activity across the country, fell into a legal gray zone. However, while the world was watching closely, the city's LGBT community was not harassed.

According to local activists, Sochi is one of the most tolerant cities in Russia, a place where many move, even from abroad. With the Olympics now over, how Cabaret Mayak will fare next remains to be seen.