# Could gay people band together and defeat a state like Checnyays? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422 "2017-04-14T01:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/1 "2017-04-14T01:08:30Z")
Just curious. Internationally in modern industrialized nations gay people wield a considerable amount of economic4 horsepower. If Cheneya is really putting gay people in prison camps and killing them is there any conceivable way that gay people have enough economic horsepower to raise some kind of military force that would be able to defeat Chechnya? What say you had 10 gay billionaires who were willing to devote up to 20 billion dollars total to go after Chechnya. Is there any conceivable way they could defeat the military there and overthrow the government by force? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/2 "2017-04-14T01:30:01Z")
I’m in. Where do I send the money? Actually, I know a few queens who could take them down single-handedly. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/3 "2017-04-14T01:32:31Z")
Don’t suppose it’s impossible, given the conditions you’ve described. Chechnya isn’t a particularly large or populous nation, nor particularly wealthy. That said, the putative Rainbow Army would have to be prepared to get pretty hard core - Imposition of an unpopular government by outsiders is fraught, and almost always ends in tears. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/4 "2017-04-14T03:34:00Z")
Plus in the particular case of Chechnya, the place is a Federal Component of the Russian Federation. One that tried to secede and it took the Russian Army a decade of on and off \*hard \*fighting to get back in line (sure, it was the Yeltsin-era Russian Army, but still… ). So I don’t think our buddy Vlad the Shirtless would take kindly to such shenanigans. Remove \*that \*factor, and regime change because of a foreign intervention could happen in a place with the statistics of a standalone Chechnya. But as mentioned, it’s not easy to move on from that… and the main rebel group now opposing the established government are mostly [hardcore-Islamic themselves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus_Emirate), so it’s not like there’s a liberal progressive movement with wide popular support at the ready to take over. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/5 "2017-04-14T04:58:19Z")
I think normal economic theory breaks down is backwards shit-holes propped up by, well, who or whatever is propping them up. Nothing but heavy weapons will defeat them. > [@panache45](#): > > I’m in. Where do I send the money? I’ll PM the PayPal account. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/6 "2017-04-14T05:27:48Z")
It wold depend on whether the rest of the world, USA, Russia, etc. would just stand on the sidelines and watch. You’re talking about $20 billion being spend on an army of mercenaries, who would use conventional means of force to eliminate their opposition. Why do you think that would be prettier than what is going on now? You’re talking about something very similar to what ISIS is already doing in Syria – military force to overcome a sovereign state whose policies are deemed as socially unacceptable. How much is $20-billion? It is 2% of what the US spent to win the hearts and minds of Iraq. How is that working for you? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/7 "2017-04-14T05:40:41Z")
You do know that Chechnya is part of Russia, right? I mean, Chechens aren’t ethnic Russians, but you can’t invade Chechnya without going through the Russian Army first. And while the Russkis may be a bit ragged compared to their Soviet glory days, I don’t think a privately funded mercenary force is up to the job. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/8 "2017-04-14T05:40:53Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > It wold depend on whether the rest of the world, USA, Russia, etc. would just stand on the sidelines and watch. It’s probably a fair assumption that the Russian interest will fall on the side of resisting an invasion of part of their country. I give it slightly better odds than gay people successfully banding together to militarily defeat Rhode Island. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chaika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chaika/32/405_2.png) [@chaika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaika)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/9 "2017-04-14T15:22:46Z")
Not a chance in hell. Putin would immediately crush any sort of invading military force. Kadyrov is a class A loon, but every significant move he makes is controlled by Putin. Much as I would love to see Kadyrov deposed, he isn’t the real problem. (No prizes for guessing who is.) ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/10 "2017-04-14T16:12:28Z")
No need to hire mercs – which concept is a trifle _passe_ anyway — your billionaires could just recruit 1000s of raw idealistic gays as a gay crusade ( maybe a word not prominent in the literature ); whip them into shape in training camps in the USA by gay ex-military; then air-drop them near the capital in a sudden strike with near to state-of the-art weaponry. And plan a new gay/capitalist friendly administration with separation of church and state. As usual they may be welcomed as liberators. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/11 "2017-04-14T16:25:36Z")
Not a chance. At 1-2% of the population they have zero chance of overcoming the Russian Army and the rebellion would just end up “proving” the leadership’s point that the gays are a threat. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/12 "2017-04-14T19:49:46Z")
What a great idea! Whenever civil rights are being stepped on, we’ll let those whose rights are being trampled upon defend themselves…no matter how ridiculously lopsided the odds are. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/13 "2017-04-14T19:52:26Z")
Has the White House said _anything_ about the situation? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/14 "2017-04-14T21:49:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Has the White House said _anything_ about the situation? Cheetolini is already off the clock at Mar-a-Lago for the weekend, President Bannon’s plate is full w/ deporting and bombing brown people, while Vice-President Kushner is on a family ski trip in Canada till next week. Of course, Putin may not have given them their approved opinion yet, who knows? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/15 "2017-04-15T07:23:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Has the White House said _anything_ about the situation? How long did it take the White House to mention AIDS? And that wasn’t even _this_ White House. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/16 "2017-04-15T08:34:15Z")
For $20 billion, you might be able to A) Get a good drone fleet with which to wage airstrikes B) Foment a coup d’etat C) Keep assassinating leaders D) If nothing else, evacuate all gay people from the country ---
**Author:** ![Grim\_Render](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Grim\_Render](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grim_Render)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/17 "2017-04-15T10:31:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Has the White House said _anything_ about the situation? I am not sure what Pence would think of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/18 "2017-04-15T14:41:05Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > For $20 billion, you might be able to > > A) Get a good drone fleet with which to wage airstrikes > > B) Foment a coup d’etat > > C) Keep assassinating leaders > > D) If nothing else, evacuate all gay people from the country With that $20 billion, I’d move back a few steps and try to influence hearts and minds first. Military force should be the last step, and if you do things right, it should not be necessary. In other words, work within the existing culture to increase acceptance of gay people. This might mean answering questions like, “Why is the largest opposition Islamic?” “What are the attitudes toward women?” “Is there a culture of political criticism (a Loyal Opposition)?” While those efforts are going on, I’d have a robust (and appropriately publicized) refugee program to get existing members of the targeted group out. $1 billion out of the $20 billion would sponsor a lot of immigrants… ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/19 "2017-04-15T15:54:58Z")
For what it’s worth, as I recall, back in the 50s, a bunch of gays in San Francisco moved up to Alpine County, south of Lake Tahoe, and tried to form a majority of voters. Alpine County then had a population of 241 (it’s over 1,100 now), and a hundred or so ad-hoc residents could have elected an all-gay county government. But I think the effort fell short of the desired turnout. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422/20 "2017-04-16T13:27:25Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > With that $20 billion, I’d move back a few steps and try to influence hearts and minds first. Military force should be the last step, and if you do things right, it should not be necessary. > > In other words, work within the existing culture to increase acceptance of gay people. This might mean answering questions like, “Why is the largest opposition Islamic?” “What are the attitudes toward women?” “Is there a culture of political criticism (a Loyal Opposition)?” > > While those efforts are going on, I’d have a robust (and appropriately publicized) refugee program to get existing members of the targeted group out. $1 billion out of the $20 billion would sponsor a lot of immigrants… Perhaps for the USD 20 bln you would start first with the Parent State of the Chechen regional government, Russia. It seems most of the posters here do not understsand the Chechen regional government is **(1) a creature and a creation of Putin** and **(2) a regional entity within the Russian state.** Writing about a war against the Chechen puppet regional government is like writing about a war against the Texas government… and forgetting abou the USA. The questions about “political criticism” and political culture are completely silly outside of understanding first it is part of the Russian state and it is 100% sponsored and imposed by the Putin regime. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-gay-people-band-together-and-defeat-a-state-like-checnyays/784422.md?page=2)