A bill submitted Thursday, March 29, to the lower house of the Russian parliament would impose fines of 500,000 rubles (about $17,000) for “spreading homosexual propaganda” among minors, AP reported.

Laws against homosexuality were eliminated in Russia in 1993.

Supporters said the bill was in response to media “promoting gay lifestyles as ‘normal behavior.’ ” Opponents said it could be used to prohibit public demonstrations in favor of gay rights.

The Russian city of St. Petersburg enacted a similar law last month.

Related link

• Russia’s Closet: The Politics Behind a Ban on Gay “Propaganda”
  (Advocate.com)