{"id":13580,"date":"2020-01-29T14:21:24","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T14:21:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spartacus.gayguide.travel\/blog\/?p=13580"},"modified":"2020-03-12T08:56:08","modified_gmt":"2020-03-12T08:56:08","slug":"climbing-the-seven-highest-mountains-in-the-world-with-a-rainbow-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spartacus.gayguide.travel\/blog\/climbing-the-seven-highest-mountains-in-the-world-with-a-rainbow-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing the seven highest mountains in the world – with a rainbow flag!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of queer people climbs to the highest peaks in the world and waves a rainbow flag at the top: The pink summit campaign wants to raise awareness for violence against queer people in Central Asia and Eastern Europe and help create visibility.<\/p>\n

Dastan Kasmamytov (28) lives currently in Berlin, Germany. He was involved in local LGBT activism in his home country Kyrgyzstan and one of the first people there to publicly come out seven years ago. His parents were concerned about his safety afterwards \u2013 it was one of the reasons why he left to continue his studies as a software developer in the US and Europe.<\/p>\n

But raising awareness for LGBT people in Central Asia was still a big issue for him \u2013 he cycled from Kyrgyzstans capital Bishkek to Berlin for two and a half months straight, crossing 13 countries and collecting stories of local queer people. Together with friends he came up with the pink summit campaign \u2013 they already climbed the highest mountain of each Europe and Africa. SPARTACUS talked to him about the idea behind the queer mountaineering, the social situation for LGBT people in his home country and what summit is next to be gay-ed.<\/p>\n

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Dastan in Caucasus<\/p><\/div>\n

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1. You have been living in Berlin for two years – what is the biggest difference to living in your home country?<\/h2>\n

Kyrgyzstan is a patriarchal and conservative society. There is a huge problem with human rights in general, but especially LGBT and women rights. The biggest difference to living in Berlin is that it is so okay to be gay here. Of course there are cases of violence in Berlin as well but in comparison it is a total different world \u2013 almost a paradise. Plus: If someone beats you up, you can at least go to the police and report it or to the hospital and they will take care of you. If you get beat up for being gay in Kyrgyzstan your biggest problems afterwards are the police, the hospital and your family and friends once they find out you are gay.<\/p>\n

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2. You want to increase the visibility of LGBT – how did you and your fellow campaigners come up with the idea of pink summits?<\/h2>\n

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The media back in my home country reports about gay men \u2013 but only the negative news. I want to change the media landscape, I want them to realize that we are doing good things to our country and it’s economy: We are doctors, sportsmen, teachers, soldiers. And I wanted to inspire younger people: That despite all the hate and violence we are facing we can do many cool things and achieve a lot.<\/p>\n

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3. Are you an experienced mountaineer? Do you have professional equipment?<\/h2>\n

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Yes, I am and I do. I started my mountaineering through rock climbing and wall climbing as a teenager.
\nEvery mountain of course needs its own specific equipment. I have some of it, some of it I have to buy or rent out yet. And of course every mountain requires some training beforehand. The hardest mountain will of course be Everest, and I have to have a strict programm for one or even two years in order to ascend that mountain succesfully.<\/p>\n

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