Following Elton's performance in St. Peterburg on November 9, 2014, David Furnish posted the following on Facebook.

Elton performed in St. Petersburg Russia tonight. When he last performed in Moscow, he bravely spoke out about the horrific anti-propaganda laws that discriminate against LGBT people in Russia.

He met with LGBT groups on the ground there and they supported his visit and praised his speech. Some artists have chosen to boycott Russia altogether, but the LGBT groups we spoke to were against that. They said a boycott would further isolate them and push them deeper into the cracks of society.

They asked Elton to return and to continue to speak out in their support.

Here is a transcript of what he said on stage in St. Petersburg tonight:

"I'm not big on technology, but I love my i-Pad. They’re amazing…aren’t they? They way they can connect us to the things and people we love….

How dignified that St Petersburg should erect a memorial to Steve Jobs, the remarkable founder of Apple.
But last week it was labeled ‘homosexual propaganda’ and taken down!

Can this be true? Steve’s memory is re-written because his successor at Apple, Tim Cook, is gay? Does that also make i-pads gay propaganda? Is Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music ‘sexually perverting’?

As a gay man, I’ve always felt so welcome here in Russia. Stories of Russian fans - men and women who fell in love dancing to’Nikita’ or their kids who sing along to ‘Circle of Life’ -- mean the world to me.

If I’m not honest about who I am, I couldn’t write this music. It’s not gay propaganda. It’s how I express life. If we start punishing people for that, the world will lose it’s humanity.

Hate is ugly. Love is beautiful."

Elton's speech was met was thunderous applause and at the end of the night he received a standing ovation.
Love is beautiful indeed!

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