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Friday, April 17, 2015

LGBT Activist Masha Gessen on Russia, Boston Bombers: 4/20, 4 pm

Masha Gessen is a Russian-American journalist, activist, and author known for her LGBT rights and free-speech activism and opposition to Russian president Vladimir Putin. She identifies as a lesbian and has been an active promoter of social justice in Russia since 1993, creating the Pink Triangle Campaign as a response to increased persecution under "gay propaganda" laws.

Her newest book profiles the Boston Marathon bombers. The Brothers: The Road to an American Tragedy explores the motives of the Russian-immigrant Tsarnaev brothers, one of whom died following the 2013 bombing, and the other who was tried in Boston last month and found guilty of all 30 counts against him.

Gessen is a mother of three and moved to New York with her partner after Russian authorities raised the possibility of removing children from gay parents.

She will be on the College Park campus for a series of talks and events which include a conference that explores freedom of speech in Russia. Her residency is supported by the Maya Brin Endowment in Russian, which brings leading Russian scholars, artists and cultural figures to campus for short-term stays to promote Russian culture.


The event is free and open to the public.  

For more information visit: ter.ps/gessen


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