Russia's Putin signs anti-gay measures into law

[William769]

Source: Century Link via The Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a measure that stigmatizes gay people and bans giving children any information about homosexuality.

The lower house of Russia's parliament unanimously passed the Kremlin-backed bill on June 11 and the upper house approved it last week.

The ban on "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" is part of an effort to promote traditional Russian values over Western liberalism, which the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church see as corrupting Russian youth and contributing to the protests against Putin's rule.

Hefty fines can now be imposed on those who provide information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to minors or hold gay pride rallies.



Read more: http://www.centurylink.net/news/read/category/Top%20News/article/ap-russias_putin_signs_antigay_measures_int-ap

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Out with the new, back with the old!

[Trillo]

1. It becomes a form of entrapment, "bans giving children any information about homosexuality"

what is it, 10% of the population, very roughly, as kids, will get no information about something they are likely attracted to. When they "experiment", they will get severely punished, if caught, because they didn't get any information ahead of time regarding the topic.

That seems like entrapment to me.

[Sand Wind]

2. MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police have arrested several gay rights activists and Russian

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police have arrested several gay rights activists and Russian nationalists who confronted them at a rally declared illegal under a new law against “gay propaganda.”


http://www.salon.com/2013/06/29/russian_police_arrest_gay_rights_activists_under_new_gay_propaganda_law_ap/



About 200 nationalists also gathered at the rally, chanted slogans such as “Sodomy will not pass,” and threw eggs and rocks at the gay-rights activists, who numbered about 40.

On RT, the foreign minister go on to 1984 style propaganda :


The Foreign Minister said Russia’s draft law banning homosexual propaganda protects the rights of the majority from a group that wants to promote its own value system.

"We don't want reverse discrimination to occur: when one group of citizens has the right to aggressively forward their values, which differ from those of the majority of the population, and moreover imposing them on children," Lavrov said.

Russia’s draft bill, which has already passed the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, is specifically designed to prevent any kind of discrimination, Lavrov said, noting that “we have no commitment to permit propaganda, which is very aggressive as a rule.”

[gvstn]

3. Putin really is an atrocious human being.

This is such a jaded way to sure up his power. I know plenty of American politicians do it too and have for many years. But the tide is changing and for a country as large as Russia to pass a NEW law to ignore reality is cynical beyond belief. Being gay isn't Western liberalism it is reality. Putin knows reality. I guess he doesn't have enough Polonium 210 on handle the situation in usual manner.

[Iliyah]

4. So does the Putin administration censor

the airwaves and social media as well? Because the Russian children will hear about it one way or another.

Print, books can be controlled. So is Russia reverted back to imperialism or maybe they never changed.

[Posteritatis]

5. They try pretty hard to, yes. (nt)

[obama2terms]

6. This is horrible

Looks like Russia never really changed, sad sad day.

[totodeinhere]

7. This is an affirmation of the fact that the struggle for LGBT rights is a word wide one.

We are making progress in this country although we have a long way to go and the fundies will fight us tooth and nail all the way. But we also need to pay attention to the struggles of LGBT's elsewhere. I was gratified to see that President Obama brought up this issue during his Africa trip.

[dbackjon]

8. We need to stop the immigration of evangelical Christians from Eastern Europe

They are bringing there virulent homophobia to the United States.

[Posteritatis]

16. Yeah, that overwhelming majority of domestic homophobes isn't the problem... (nt)

[Beacool]

9. Did you expect any different form the former KGB guy?

This is Putin we are talking about. The girls from Pussy Riot are still in jail over a protest song. Soviet Union repression is all he knows.

[yurbud]

12. out of curiosity, why would a KGB guy want to demonize gays?

The only reason I can think of besides appealing to the rubes is if being gay is a shameful secret, you can easily manipulate people who have that secret if they are in the public eye.

That's why it's no coincidence so many Republicans are closet cases--they can be blackmailed without threatening to kill them, their children, or wife.

[Beacool]

14. Same as with some Republicans, a prurient interpretation of morality.

They think that homosexuality is a perversion. It wouldn't surprise me if Putin is found to be a homophobe. He seems to constantly need to demonstrate his machismo. He likes to be photographed doing "macho" stuff like riding on horseback with no shirt on, practicing judo, etc.

[Posteritatis]

15. The standard claim is "differs from the mainstream = threat to security"

Russian security agencies have taken that tack with anyone who was gay, suspected of being gay, or too loudly supportive of same, going about as far back as they recognized homosexuality as a concept.

Most other countries, especially during the more authoritarian stretches of the Cold War, took similar stances.

[Ken Burch]

17. Including ours. The late 1940's-1950's Red Scare wasn't just about going after "communists".

It was about driving gay people out of government service as well.

[Old Union Guy]

25. It's not as if gays were even slightly tolerated in the old Soviet days. n/t

[rug]

10. It passed the lower house unanimously?

That's 450 deputies.

This law is a setup from the outset.

[yurbud]

11. Will Republicans now move to Russia? They have pretty unregulated capitalism there too, what else

could they want?

A free AK-47 on arrival?

I'd pay for one if they would move!

[Hulk]

13. Wow..."conservative heaven"

This is what our bible-thumpers would LOVE. Maybe we can let them "migrate" to the land of hate and intolerance?

[Ash_F]

22. What? That's a ridiculous assumption.

[YOHABLO]

24. He looks like he'd fit right in with the NRA crowd .. does he really think he's all that?

[Old Union Guy]

26. Putin waxes?

[William769]

23. Your right not only is it not pc but it's highly offensive.

Equating the two is wrong on so many levels and I can't believe people just don't understand or don't want to understand why it's wrong.

[TeeYiYi]

19. Russia scares the shit out of me...

After I read that story this morning, I actually started worrying about the possibility of ending up there if I was ever reincarnated.

Crazy, I know! But, there it is.

TYY

[Ash_F]

20. Putin is pretty right wing. /nt

[Major Hogwash]

21. Ralph Reed to move to Russia saying, "This is my kind of country".

However, having been told that he won't be allowed back on "Meet the Press" again, Reed said, "Dem's the breaks."

[no_hypocrisy]

27. To fundies and other republican throwbacks,

IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT HERE, GO MOVE TO RUSSIA!!!!!

[marble falls]

28. I wonder how Thom Hartmann feels about this. Think he'll comment on this on RT?

[Behind the Aegis]

29. Not really very surprised.

I have been watching things deteriorate in Russia and former Soviet satellite countries, and for gays, it isn't good! How many others will use Russia as an example?