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Moscow, July 7 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The St. Petersburg gay and transsexual community will stage a parade despite the city council's ban on the event, according to organiser Yury Gavrikov.

St. Petersburg authorities revoked their permission to hold an event in support of civil rights for Russia's gay and transsexual community originally planned for July 7, a spokesperson for the St. Petersburg governor said Thursday.

"The goal of the event is to attract the attention of the public and the authorities to violations of civil rights of the LGBT community and to the need to pass legislation prohibiting discrimination over sexual orientation.

"But according to information in the press, the organisers of the event plan to hold the third gay pride parade in St. Petersburg," the city committee on law and security said in a statement.

According to the authorities, residents of the city believe this event is "aimed at promoting homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices among minors."

That is why the permission has been revoked, they said.

Authorities received "many phone calls and e-mails both from St. Petersburg and other Russian cities with requests to cancel the gay pride parade", they added.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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