Everyone knows that "there was no sex in the USSR, there was love." Physical proximity in those days was something indecent, it was not customary to talk about it.
It is not surprising that unconventional relations for Soviet people were at all something of a kind of fiction.
Here are just some facts to the contrary. In the USSR there were many men who were not interested in women.
It was not easy for gays to live, and it was not even a matter of public censure and slanting looks. Lesbian punishment, imprisonment (article 121 - sodomy), so those who did not live by the rules had to hide their essence.
Below are the 10 most famous gay men of the USSR.
10. Gennady Trifonov
Soviet and Russian writer never hid his unconventional preferences. He is called one of the first openly gay. He had an affair with the husband of the boss.
Even in the army, Trifonov openly declared his orientation. Gennady had to serve time for sodomy. True, the case was fabricated.
Love for men did not stop him from marrying a woman. The views of Trifonov are reflected in his work.
9. Zinovy Korogodsky
The theater director and people's artist of the RSFSR also passed through 121 articles. He was accused of raping the working scene.
However, there was no evidence; soon the charges were dropped from Zinovia. It is believed that the situation was adjusted to tarnish the director’s name.
On the eve of a conflict with the wife of a senior person. One way or another, the reputation of Zinovia has suffered. Since then, everyone considered him gay.
8. Rudolf Nureyev
The ballet dancer had a special weakness for men. His colleagues and comrades noticed Rudolph's strange behavior.
Soon the KGB became interested in him, because Nureyev regularly traveled abroad. The artist was monitored. Soon he was removed from the tour and wanted to send to his homeland.
Nureyev did not want to go to jail and asked for political asylum in France. He never returned to his homeland.
7. Gennady Bortnikov
There were always many women around Gennady, but he showed no interest in any. It was then that rumors spread about his non-traditional sexual orientation. However, they soon found reinforcements.
During a tour in France, Bortnikov was often seen in the company of the choreographer Serge Lifar, who was known for his unusual inclinations.
6. Yuri Bogatyrev
Yuri was never able to accept his sexual orientation. He constantly felt guilty, and even successful roles did not make him happy.
As a result, his life ended very sadly. The actor found solace in alcohol, and after a while died from a heart attack.
5. Vadim Kozin
The famous singer, composer and songwriter also went through the case of sodomy.
In total, Vadim spent 15 years in prison, the details of the case are unknown.
4. Georgy Millar
The actor was accused of non-traditional sexual orientation, because he had absolutely no women, he simply was not interested in them. George's behavior and manners made him think so.
In addition, he very often played female roles. At the age of 64, he had to marry a neighbor to avert suspicions.
3. Sergey Parajanov
The famous Soviet film director did not pretend to hide his essence. He openly stated that he liked men.
Sergey was convicted of sodomy. He spent five years in prison, where he was abused and humiliated. After the end of his sentence, Parajanov left for his homeland, in Tbilisi.
2. Leo Klein
The famous historian was sentenced to 3 years under article 121, but that was not all - he was deprived of the degree of candidate of sciences.
For the rest of his life, Leo devoted himself to the study of homosexuality from a scientific point of view.
1. Sergey Eisenstein
The Soviet director understood that he could be sentenced for loving men, so he carefully concealed his unconventional orientation.
He even got married, but Eisenstein was often noticed in the company of young men.
Abroad, the director felt more free, he enjoyed visiting gay clubs.