Russia Bans 'Gay Propaganda'

On June 11, the Russian State Duma unanimously approved a law criminalizing the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors, known colloquially as the ‘gay propaganda’ law. This legislation isn’t new – a handful of regions, including the city of St Petersburg, already have local versions. However, the fact it is being introduced at a federal level epitomizes the government’s recent crackdown on human rights alongside the homophobic sentiments in the country.

The new law is written very ambiguously but the basic notion bans “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations”, with the main aim of protecting children from being exposed to the LGBT community. Whilst the term “propaganda” is used, the ban encompasses almost every display of “non-traditional” sexuality from providing information and advice to young people through the internet to staging LGBT pride rallies, which have never been sanctioned. Activists claim that gay couples who kiss or even simply hold hands in public could be punished for spreading propaganda – not a far-fetched idea when twenty “kissing protesters” who objected to the new law were detained rather than members of the 200-strong anti-gay protest, who physically and verbally abused the other group of protesters.

When this law comes into effect, individual citizens found guilty of spreading propaganda through the internet or other media could be fined up to 100,000 rubles ($3,000), and charges for organizations are up to 1 million rubles ($31,000) and a forced 90 day closure. Foreigners would face harsher punishments, with the same fines as Russian citizens alongside potentially being detained for 15 days and then facing deportation. The example of Russia’s second largest city, St Petersburg, which introduced a local version of the law in March 2012, suggests that the law is likely to be enforced. The extent it may be enforced is unclear as despite frequent arrests of gay rights activists, information concerning how many face charges is unavailable.

The legislation must be approved by the Upper House of Parliament and the President before it becomes law, but this is a formality and the bill has strong support from both powers. The popularity of homophobia in Russia, which is often compared to pedophilia and blamed for the population decline the country has faced, is continually reflected in law. President Putin justifies this tyranny of the majority by claiming that politicians must work for the people - 88% of which support the ban according to state-run polling institution Vtsiom. As a reaction to France’s legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption, President Putin has suggested changes will be made to Russia’s adoption agreements with countries that provide these rights to ensure Russian children are not adopted by gay parents. This is measure is expected to be discussed further later in the year, indicating that the Russian government intends to continue to breach human rights despite condemnation from foreign governments and international human rights organizations.