An inside look at Sochi's vibrant gay culture

Surprise! The Russian resort town's mayor is dead wrong

Sochi gay culture
(Image credit: (REUTERS/Thomas Peter))

On Monday, Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhamov told the BBC that "we do not have [gay people] in our city." Obtuse, yes. But it's also in line with the Kremlin's distinct anti-gay stance, which has become an increasingly contentious issue in the run-up to next month's Olympics.

Considering the mayor's opinions on the matter, it's pretty easy to see why he hasn't received an invitation to Mayak, one of Sochi's two gay clubs. But had he gone to the cabaret, he might have seen how very vibrant the city's gay culture is.

To give you a taste of what Mayor Pakhamov is missing out on, here's an inside look at Sochi's vibrant gay culture.

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Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.