Edward Tarletski

Edward Tarletski, Chair of Forum Lambda, is the best known national figure – a leader inspired by the U.S. Gay Movement. He irritates the hell out of many and is detested in some community groups, but there are others who are committed to his cause. The Belarus opposition to President Aleksandr Lukasjenka washes its hands when he turns up at its side. The opposition finds it difficult to give prominence to homosexuals in its programmes and activities. Nevertheless, in a society where homosexuality was forbidden up to 1994, the trend has changed dramatically

Being politically persecuted in Belarus Edward moved to Ukraine in 2008, when he played the role of DIVA in the cult Russian movie Chapiteau-Show which won the prize of the XXXIII Moscow Film Festival. After that, Edward Tarletski focused on a career as a drag entertainer and later, he founded the famous Ukrainian drag queen contest ″MISS DIVA″ in 2013. In February 2014, Edward Tarletski as Madame Zhu-Zhu took part in TV show "Zvana Vecherya" (Ukrainian version of the My Kitchen Rules), episodes 46–50 Being a popular artist in night clubs of Ukraine, in 2015, Edward as a drag performer has participated in the music video ″WINGS″ Surrender album of the British duo Hurts.

In 2005, Edward Tarletski started his career as a drag entertainer in the LGBT club named Babylon in Minsk, Belarus.

Two years later, during the action "Gays against Fascism", which took place on 3 July 2001 in the memorial complex to victims of Holocaust "Yama" in Minsk, Traletski stated:

At the public action "Gays against fascism" which was held at memorial "Maly Trostenets extermination camp" during the Belarus Gay Pride in Minsk on 5 September 5, 2001, Edward Tarletski said:

On the 19th of April 1999, Tarletski organized the first ever gay public action in Belarus, when LGBT rights activists demonstrated to protest the authorities' refusal to register their organization. Edwardr Tarletski told RFE/RL that the Belarusian authorities are guided by Soviet stereotypes in their unwillingness to recognize the existence of a "non-traditional sexual orientation" in Belarus. "Tarletski added that the demonstrators also wanted to protest a recent seminar organized by the Belarusian Exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church at which some participants called homosexuals "servants of the devil" and proposed punishing them by electrocution".

in 1999 – 2002, Edward Tarletski held the position of Chairman of the Organizing Committee of Belarus Gay Pride (Minsk Pride) festivals.

Edward Tarletski was the first person in his country who have decided to do coming out in 1998. In the same year, he founded of BELARUS LAMBDA LEAGUE, the first LGBT organization in Belarus.

In 1998 – 2005, Tarletski published and edited Belarusian LGBT magazines FORUM LAMBDA and TABOO.

In 1993 – 1998, started work as a journalist for the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and he worked as an editor of youth programming at the Belarusian state television stationin; at the same time published articles in the Belarusian Catholic magazine "Nasha vera" (Our faith).

In 1990, Tarletski was one of the two hunger-strikers for returning the Church of Saints Simon and Helena building to the Catholic community in Minsk.

Edward Tarletski, (Belarusian: Эдвард Тарлецкі) also known as Norma Pospolita and Madame Zhu – Zhu (Belarusian: Мадам Жу-Жу), a Belarusian drag performer and recording artist, entertainer, journalist, gay activist, costume designer, living in Stockholm, Sweden. He was born in Minsk, Belarus on 5 February 1969. Edward Tarletski graduated as a photographer and a journalist in European Humanities University (Minsk) in 1996. Since 2000, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.