My first steps. Russia, Leningrad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Railway Station in Leiningrad, Saint-Petersburg

In the autumn of 1967, kind people showed me where gays gather in Leningrad. Actually, in those days the word "gay" was unknown, they used the word "faggot". But at that time it was just a swear word, and this swear word, as a rule, was not linked to sexual orientation. Rare people (apparently those who have been in prison) knew its true meaning. Among gays, they usually said “like that” (“he is like that”) or “ours” (“he is of our kind”).

I was looking for cruising places in Leningrad, and I was sure that they were somewhere, but I couldn't find them. I thought it was just some secret place under a street clock or by the fountain at the corner of such and such street. It never crossed my mind that homosexuals have public toilets as their base, that there was their favorite habitat, that this is exactly where people piss and shit and where you can see dick.

In 1965-66, I often went to railway stations - I heard from someone that "people like that" gather at railway stations. I hung about in the waiting rooms, but never went into the toilets. What for, I thought?

True, once in the waiting room of the Baltic railway station (there was a restaurant nearby), an old “faggot” stuck to me. He told me, flashing his golden teeth: “Oh, you want to go to a restaurant, but no money, no money…” I was delighted with this encounter. At last, I thought! I will get to know him, maybe through him I will be able to meet more interesting people. I told him, let's go to my house in the suburbs. Oh, - he answered, - how can I go there, what if your hooligan friends attack me and beat me up there? No, nobody will attack or beat you, - I begged him, - let's go!

Of course, he didn't go.

Well, in the fall of 1967, I was lucky and I met a kind gay, a young dyed blonde queen, you can see from a mile away who he was. At first he wanted to do something with me, but very soon felt that I would not give him what he wanted, and he decided to take me on a tour of all the places in Leningrad where “such people” gathered. By the way, for a very long time, homosexual appearance, mannerisms, and peculiarities of speech were not noticed by ordinary common people. It was believed that these were simply “trendy guys”.

 Well, we arrived at Nevsky Prospekt, the main street of the city. First we went to the café (I don't remember what it was called) but among the regulars it came to be known as “Saigon”. Allegedly, such people gathered there.

By the way, this "Saigon" existed for many years and went down in history as a meeting place for various underground artists, musicians and dissidents. This crowd did not react to our circle of gay people, just as if we were not there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Leningrad, cafe "Saigon", long ago.