Young mothers Yana and Yaroslava don’t want to leave Rsia wh their 6-year-old son. But they fear a harsh new anti-gay law passed by Rsian lawmakers will leave them ltle choice.
Contents:
- WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RSIA’S SO-CALLED ‘GAY PROPAGANDA’ BILL
- ‘OUR MERE EXISTENCE IS ILLEGAL.’ AS MOSW TOUGHENS ANTI-GAY LAW, LGBTQ RSIANS FEAR FOR THE FUTURE
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT RSIA’S SO-CALLED ‘GAY PROPAGANDA’ BILL
The European Court of Human Rights led 2017 that the 2013 law is discrimatory, promot homophobia and vlat the European Conventn on Human Rights. The urt found that the law “served no legimate public tert,” rejectg suggtns that public bate on LGBT issu uld fluence children to bee homosexual, or that threatened public morals.
Homosexualy was crimalized Rsia 1993, but homophobia and discrimatn is still rife. Speakg before Put signed the bill to the law on Monday, Tanya Loksha, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch said: “The 2013 ‘gay propaganda’ law was an unabashed example of polil homophobia, and the new draft legislatn amplifi that broar and harsher ways.”. On Monday, Rsian Print Vladimir Put signed to effect the “gay propaganda” bill, which Rsian lawmakers unanimoly approved November.
It also prohibs Rsians om promotg or “praisg” homosexual relatnships or publicly suggtg that they are “normal.
‘OUR MERE EXISTENCE IS ILLEGAL.’ AS MOSW TOUGHENS ANTI-GAY LAW, LGBTQ RSIANS FEAR FOR THE FUTURE
What do the “gay propaganda” bill say? The new “gay propaganda” bill expands on existg legislatn that was adopted by the Kreml 2013 to promote “tradnal” fay valu Rsia. The 2013 law prohibed pictns of homosexualy, same-sex unns, and “non-tradnal sexual relatns” to be shown to mors.
” Some lawmakers have also shown support for an pennt bill that would make any so-lled “gay propaganda” a crimal offense, acrdg to the Associated Prs. Rsia crimalized homosexualy 1993, but homophobia and discrimatn is still rife.
Petersburg and Mosw have been marked by state vlence and arrts, while an crease the number of attacks on LGBTQ people throughout Rsia—both by dividuals and by anized homophobic groups—creased after the 2013 law, acrdg to a 2014 report published by Human Rights Watch. Read More: Rsia’s Anti-Gay Laws: How a Dutch Activist Got Cght the Crosshairs How are human rights advot rpondg to this law?