Russian lawmakers on Thursday backed a bill that would expand an existing ban on promoting “LGBT propaganda” to include people of all ages, a move that critics see as an attempt to intimidate and oppress even more minorities.
Authorities have already used existing laws to stop gay pride parades and detain gay rights activists.
Under the new bill, passed unanimously at first reading by the Duma, any event or act that promotes homosexuality – online, on film, in books, in advertising or in public – could incur a hefty fine.
Lawmakers say they are defending morality in the face of what they argue are liberal “anti-Russia” values promoted by the West, but human rights groups say the measures are aimed at banning representations of minorities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. (LGBT) in public life.
Under the legislation, citizens can be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,500) for promoting “LGBT propaganda”.
Legal entities face fines of up to 5 million rubles, while foreigners found guilty of crimes would face deportation from Russia.
“Hybrid Warfare”
One of the bill’s main architects, lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein, denied that it represented an act of censorship.
“We are not banning references to LGBT as a phenomenon. We are banning advertising and text is extremely important here,” he said at a hearing last week.
“LGBT today is an element of hybrid warfare and in this hybrid warfare we must protect our values, our society and our children,” he said.
The LGBT Network, which offers legal assistance, called the project an “absurd” attempt to humiliate and discriminate against the LGBT community.
“Lawmakers suggest that the adult and capable population is not in a position to choose what to say, watch and read,” he said.
“What is actually happening is the total abolition of the LGBT+ state,” a representative from the LGBT Network told Reuters.
“They want to forbid us not only from talking about ourselves or otherwise expressing our feelings for our partners, but also completely erasing any mention of us in the culture: books, movies, media and the like,” they said.
TikTok, a video-sharing app, was fined 3 million rubles this month for promoting “LGBT-themed videos,” while Russia’s media regulator urged publishers to withdraw all books containing “LGBT propaganda” from sale. .
Source: CNN Brasil
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