Gay club row gets political

Put together a city prefect, a communist, a blind society and a gay club and you get a scandal that only Oleg Mitvol could create.
The controversial Northern Administrative District prefect, Oleg Mitvol, has had a lawsuit brought against him by the Communist Party's City Duma Deputy Oleg Smolin over a situation that had developed around the Dusha i Telo gay club located inside an All-Russia Blind Society building in northern Moscow.
The brouhaha arose after Mitvol was petitioned by local residents for the club's closure. RIA Novosti quoted Mitvol's press service as saying that the residents complained of "the shameless behaviour of the visitors to the elite establishment, which is fundamentally a gay club", and that the club's presence "leads to constant gay orgies in the yards of the surrounding houses and discarded needles lying about, which requires the police to be called on more than one occasion".
The press service quoted Mitvol as saying that such establishments were undesirable.
"I think that these types of clubs, much like gambling establishments, lead to citizens‘ moral degradation and are a source of derangement and should be closed," said Mitvol. "The building, which belongs to the blind society, can be used more worthily."
He also promised to deal with a 24-hour sauna and hotel that offered services by the hour.
Mitvol sent a request to the Communist Party head, Gennady Zyuganov, asking for a clarification about the club's legal status and whether any "party discipline" would be taken against Smolin. The Duma deputy, who has been blind from birth, is the vice president of the All-Russia Blind Society whose building houses the club.
The blind society later annulled the gay club's rental agreement, effective as of November 15.
"We have received an eviction letter from the landlord, which contradicts our contract," said Alisa Zhirkova, a lawyer for Vavilon-4, which owns Dusha i Telo, adding that under its clauses, the contract cannot be unilaterally terminated, a court verdict being the only exception. "The letter states delays in paying the rent as a reason for unilaterally terminating the contract, but we have always paid the rent on time," she said. "Under the present contract, we have the right to use the premises through April 2010, which we intend to do. And if the landlord does anything to prevent us from using the premises, we'll file a lawsuit."
The matter did not end there as Smolin countered Mitvol's actions with a lawsuit demanding compensation from the northern prefect, citing damage wrought on his honour, dignity and business reputation. Smolin said that he had no connection with the commercial business operating in the building. He described Mitvol's letter as an aggressive game designed for show and called it a case of "black PR" connected to the upcoming October 11 elections for the City Duma. Both Mitvol and Smolin are competing for same district. Mitvol is running under the United Russia banner.
"We are preparing a petition for the court in defence of dignity and honour," said Smolin. "It has already been prepared and is now undergoing some legal corrections. I am demanding 5 million roubles from Mitvol." The suit went to the Koptevsky Court on Thursday.
Mitvol said he was aware of the suit. "It is simply part of the election campaign. The court will consider it and clarify the situation. The most important thing for me is that the gay club moves out of the premises."
Mitvol was not the sole figure to find himself in Smolin's legal crosshairs. Smolin also issued a suit against Vechernyaya Moskva newspaper and TV-Tsentr television station, for their purported role in publishing "unchecked" and "false" information. A separate suit was issued against Andrei Karaulov, author and host of "Moment Istiny" or "Moment of Truth", which is broadcast on TV-Tsentr. Smolin said that Karaulov continued to air false information about the issue even after it had been denied by himself and the blind society. Smolin said that he was seeking 10,000 million roubles from Karaulov for moral damages.
"I am happy about this suit, because everything that Mitvol said is absolutely true," said Karaulov in response. "And how did Smolin's signature appear on these different documents, including documents concerning this organisation - Dusha i Telo - let the court decide. If he has no connection with gays and lesbians then that will be proven in court and if he does then it won't be," said Karaulov. He added that a large programme about homosexuals would soon be broadcast, revealing who attended the club.