Europe’s top human rights court ruled today that the Russian law banning “gay propaganda” violates human rights agreements against discrimination and limits on free speech. Continue reading
Tag Archives: ‘Gay propaganda’ law
Kyrgyzstan bans gay marriage, not ‘gay propaganda’
Kyrgyzstan has amended its constitution to ban same-sex marriage, but continues to delay action on a proposed Russian-style law against “gay propaganda.” Continue reading
Moldova might adopt a ‘gay propaganda’ ban after all
Human Rights Watch issued this update on the latest proposal for a Russian-style “gay propaganda” law. HRW urged Moldova, a former Soviet republic, to reject the bill, much as it did in 2013: Moldova: Reject ‘Gay Propaganda’ Law Bill to ‘Protect’ Children Would Violate Their Rights (Berlin, June 21, 2016) – The Moldovan parliament should … Continue reading
Proposals for new ‘gay propaganda’ laws; Europe worries
The European Parliament is keeping a worried eye on two Central Asian nations’ proposals to adopt Russian-style anti-“gay propaganda” laws. The Russian law, enacted in 2013, provides for fines of up to 200,000 rubles (about US $3,000) for “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” that appears where the message could reach minors, including online. The law … Continue reading
How Russian homophobia has changed St. Petersburg
The Los Angeles Times reports: Activists turn tolerant St. Petersburg into homophobic city By Mansur Mirovalev Timur Bulatov calls himself a “homophobic wolf,” and last summer he found his prey. Dr. Dmitry Isaev led a commission of psychiatrists in St. Petersburg that approved hundreds of sex-change operations. To Bulatov, he was “a henchman of LGBT … Continue reading
Video experiment reveals Russia’s violent homophobia
In a “social experiment” to see whether Russian citizens behave as badly toward gay men as their reputation suggests, a video cameraman for ChebuRussiaTV secretly filmed two men walking through Moscow holding hands. The result: Russian passersby went out of their way to insult and assault the pair. “Leave Russia,” one man shouted. Twice, threatening … Continue reading
Moscow police shut down LGBT photo exhibits
Police in Moscow continue their harassment of LGBTI activists, allegedly as a means of enforcing the Russian law against positive depictions of homosexuality in the presence of minors, but actually targeting exhibits where minors are excluded. Below are modestly edited excerpts from Queerussia’s coverage of the police disruption of the “Be Yourself” exhibition: “Be Yourself” … Continue reading
Anti-‘gay propaganda’ bill blocked in Kazakhstan
Opponents of human rights for LGBTI people in Kazakhstan suffered a setback last week, as the nation’s Constitutional Council blocked enactment of a Russian-style anti-“gay propaganda” bill. The council announced on May 26 that it rejected the bill last week on the grounds that it contained “vague and ambiguous definitions and terms.” Last August, the … Continue reading
How Russia and the West boosted Kyrgyz anti-gay violence
Commentary By Tom Ana In April, Kyrgyzstan’s only LGBTI advocacy group, Labrys, became the target of an anonymous arson attack. The incident, although one of the most serious attacks in the group’s history, fortunately resulted in no injuries and only very minor damage. That event was the latest in a growing list of violent attacks … Continue reading
Kyrgyzstan to vote on ‘gay propaganda’ ban
By Tom Ana Editor of Caucasus Equality News A committee of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament this week approved a proposed “gay propaganda” ban, moving the bill one step closer to being brought into law. The ban will now go up for vote in the nation’s assembly this Thursday, Oct. 9. Under the proposed ban, heavily modeled on … Continue reading
