MAFIA STATE = HOMOPHOBIC STATE
Updated on: 3.2.13:
Mike Nova: 2.13.13 -
via Gay Puerto Rico News Review:
Gay Rights Are Human Rights!
Gay Rights are the
inseparable and very important part of Human Rights in general. In our times the
degree of their advancement and the successes of World Gay Liberation Movement
are directly and inextricably linked with the degree of advancement of general
Human Rights and personal liberties and freedoms in various cultures and
countries. The state of Gay Rights became one of the litmus
tests of modern democracies
and a test of the degree of general level of xenophobia and totalitarianism in
any society, the Nazi Germany and the USSR being two of the best examples. If
the state and the attitudes towards Gay Rights in any society are healthy
(balanced, rational, unbiased and as fair and egalitarian as possible, etc.)
this society itself is healthy. And vice versa.
Mike Nova commented on news: - 2.13.13 - Gay
Puerto Rico News Review
___________________________________________
26 February 2013 Last updated at 20:48 ET
'Gay propaganda' bill proves divisive in Russia
The bill triggered protests in
Moscow and Voronezh
A bill banning "homosexual
propaganda" has passed its first reading in the Russian parliament. It still has
some way to go before it is made law, but is already proving divisive.
"I do not know any homosexuals personally, but I have seen them on TV and I
saw them on 20 January in the square here in Voronezh," says Yevgeny Mazepin, a
lawyer and leader of a campaign group called Special Battalion in Voronezh, a
city of a million people some 500km south of the Russian capital, Moscow.
He devotes much of his professional and free time to supporting the bill,
which has already passed its first reading in the lower house of parliament, by
338 votes to one.
via homophobia russia - Google News on 2/26/13
 BBC News |
'Gay propaganda' bill proves divisive in Russia
BBC News But Mr Lebedev says he does not think all of Russian society is homophobic. "The only homophobia comes from lack of information," he argues. "I used to hate myself - now I feel sorry for people who are still in the position I was. "After I'd been ... Russia's Foreign Minister Defends Anti-Gay BillABC News Russia's anti-gay bill may infringe fundamental rights: Dutch ministerDutchNews.nl Anti-gay bill 'reflects Russian values', foreign minister saysGay Star News all 20 news articles » |
via homophobia russia - Google Blog Search by unknown on 2/26/13
The law will make it a criminal offence to hold public events or spread information about homosexuality to minors. Russia decriminalised homosexuality in 1993 but homophobia remains strong, AP said. Russian president ...
________________________________________________
Clashes broke out when antigay youths (pictured) confronted participants in the banned gay-pride rally in downtown Moscow on May 28. (2011)
Russian authorities have for years denied homosexuals permission to hold demonstrations on the grounds that they would cause a violent reaction in the country, where prejudice against gay people runs deep.
Amnesty International had weighed in to urge Russian authorities to allow the May 28 gay-rights event to go ahead.
Efforts that began in 2006 to hold the event have consistently been met with official bullying, arrests, and clashes with police and antigay onlookers.
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights ruled in October 2010 that Moscow authorities had violated the European Convention on Human Rights by forbidding the rallies in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
Gay-rights activists hoping that a recent change in Moscow’s political leadership — away from the famously homophobic former mayor, Yury Luzhkov, to successor Sergei Sobyanin — might help them break the cycle have been disappointed.
Russian activists vowed after receiving the authorities’ rejection letter on May 17 that they would proceed with the gay-pride event in the capital.
Homosexuality was a criminal offense in Russia until the early 1990s.
written by Andy Heil based on RFE/RL and agency reportsClashes, Arrests As Gay-Rights Activists Rally In Moscow Despite Ban – Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty © 2011
Filed under: Human Rights
via Russia and The West: News and Opinions - Россия и Запад: Новости и Мнения by Admin - News Review on 5/30/11
Малой:
Сказано не только красиво, но и очень верно.
Сексуальность — сердцевина человеческой души.
Попирая права на сексуальную свободу ( без которой общая свобода и бессмысленна и невозможна ) ваших сыновей и дочерей, ваших братьев и сестёр полицейским сапогом и лицемерно-убого противопоставляя ей крест, вы попираете саму душу, включая и вашу собственную, и оскверняете сам крест.
Попирая права на сексуальную свободу ( без которой общая свобода и бессмысленна и невозможна ) ваших сыновей и дочерей, ваших братьев и сестёр полицейским сапогом и лицемерно-убого противопоставляя ей крест, вы попираете саму душу, включая и вашу собственную, и оскверняете сам крест.
Сексуальность и социальность — неразделимы. Это — тот цемент и те кирпичики, которые из первобытной толпы делают общество.
Гей ( ЛГБТ ) – сообщество не нуждается ни в ваших одобрениях ни в ваших разрешениях. Оно стало одной из ведущих и значимых политических сил во всех развитых странах и неизбежно станет таковой и в России, сколько бы различные гомофобные «чучела»
не бесились и не исходили бессильной злобой и пеной. Эта злоба — результат их собственных комплексов и их неуверенности в своей собственной сексуальности. С организованным гей — движением как с политической силой в России рано или поздно вынуждены будут считаться и его участия, одобрения и благосклонности будут искать все ведущие политические партии и политики.
Постыдный и позорный погром гей-парада — свидетельство полутоталитарной сущности путинского режима в полусовременной России.
Filed under: Гей Движение
via Russia and The West: News and Opinions - Россия и Запад: Новости и Мнения by Admin - News Review on 5/31/11
Малой: «Без снисходительности!» ( и без снисхождения ) > «30 мая 2011 г. | 21:20 без сакрализации» Мой уважаемый оппонент ( назовём его, условно, ради простоты и в целях
___________________________________________
Last Update: 2.6.13:
Homophobia - News Review
via homophobia russia - Google News on 2/6/13
 Telegraph.co.uk |
Gay marriage: Russia warns Britain vote could hinder adoption
Telegraph.co.uk Officials in Moscow are frequently openly homophobic and the State Duma lower house of parliament approved in first reading earlier this month a new federal law that will ban "homosexual propaganda" among minors. The law is already in force in several ... and more » |
via homophobia russia - Google News on 2/5/13
 The Voice of Russia |
Great Britain: the gay asylum
The Voice of Russia In fact, it's been broken because still so many people who have suffered genuine homophobic persecution, so often these refugees are being refused asylum and being sent back. There are no calls for the assessment process at the UK Border Agency to be ... and more » |
MAFIA STATE = HOMOPHOBIC STATE
Homophobia in Russia: News Review - 1.25.13
Last Update: 1.30.13
_____________________
P R E S S
FOR FURTHER DETAILS:
Michael Mann +32 498 999 780 - +32 2 584 9780 - Michael.Mann@eeas.europa.eu
Maja Kocijancic +32 498 984 425 - +32 2 298 65 70 - Maja.Kocijancic@ec.europa.eu
Eamonn Prendergast +32 460 753 293 - +32 2 299 88 51 - Eamonn.Prendergast@ec.europa.eu
COMM-SPP-HRVP-ASHTO3@ec.europa.eu
www.eeas.europa.eu
www.twitter.com/eu_eeas
E3
EUROPEA3 U3IO3 Brussels, 30 January 2013
A 45/13
Statement by the spokesperson of EU High Representative
Catherine Ashton on LGBTI rights in Russia
The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, issued the following statement today:
"High Representative Catherine Ashton expresses concern over the approval by the Russian Duma
of a federal law on the "propaganda of homosexuality to minors", making it an administrative
offence under Russian law.
The implementation of this law could reinforce discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals,
transsexuals and intersex people as well as all those who support them and their choices, in
particular by limiting their freedom of expression and their freedom of association and assembly.
The High Representative calls on the Russian Federation to uphold its national and international
commitments – in particular in the framework of the Council of Europe as a signatory to the
European Convention on Human Rights – to protect the enjoyment of these rights by all
individuals."
_____________________
Latitude: Is Moscow Setting the Russian Opposition's Agenda?
via NYT > Global Opinion by By MASHA GESSEN on 1/28/13
Has Putin's regime hijacked the Russian opposition's agenda by provoking it to protest increasingly absurd and aggressive laws?
Russia: Reject Homophobic Bill - Human Rights Watch
 Human Rights Watch |
Russia: Reject Homophobic Bill
Human Rights Watch (Moscow) –Vicious attacks on gay rights protesters in Russia in recent days underscores the need for the Russian Duma to reject a draft law on “propaganda for homosexuality." Russian authorities should thoroughly investigate the violence and new ... and more » |
Everything in Russia is gay now
Salon ... grannies from the "Buranovskiye Babushki" band. Sorry, grannies! You may have won the honor of representing Russia at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, but dancing old ladies is pure camp. This isn't a John Waters movie. You're banned! Credit ... |
via Russia - Google News on 1/25/13
 Deutsche Welle |
Gay rights protesters arrested in Russia
Aljazeera.com The bill aims to shield Russians aged up to 18 from what its authors call dangerous ideas on freedoms spread by Western-backed advocates and social media. 'Of course we need this law'. In its current form, the bill prohibits "the propaganda of ... Russia moves toward strict smoking limitsWashington Post Russia aims to forbid 'gay propaganda'Deutsche Welle Russia's Throwback Anti-AmericanismHeritage.org (blog) Stuff.co.nz -Sky News all 81 news articles » |
Госдума приняла в первом чтении законопроект о введении штрафов за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди несовершеннолетних. За принятие документа проголосовали 388 депутатов...
Документ, внесенный в Госдуму в марте 2012 года, предлагает за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди детей наказывать граждан штрафом от 4 тысяч до 5 тысяч рублей...
US quits joint panel with Russia on civil society
Washington Post
MOSCOW — In a sign of growing frustration, the United States is withdrawing from a panel that was set up to promote civil society under a U.S.-Russian presidential commission.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police broke up a "kiss-in" protest by gay activists who scuffled with Russian Orthodox Christians outside parliament on Friday...
via Russian fascism - Google News on 1/25/13
 New York Times |
'Propaganda' by Gays Faces Russian Curbs Amid Unrest
New York Times By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN. Published: January 25, 2013. MOSCOW — While Russian lawmakers debated a bill that would outlaw “homosexual propaganda,” nationalist and religious demonstrators on Friday attacked gay rights advocates who had gathered outside ... Russian MPs back 'gay propaganda' ban amid scufflesBBC News all 82 news articles » |
Yuri Kochetkov/European Pressphoto Agency
‘Propaganda’ by Gays Faces Russian Curbs
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
MOSCOW — Police arrested about 20 people as attackers hurled eggs at gay rights advocates who gathered to protest a bill that outlaws “homosexual propaganda.”
Russia set to ban 'homosexual propaganda' - Stuff.co.nz
Stuff.co.nz
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Russia set to ban 'homosexual propaganda'
Stuff.co.nz
Russia's parliament backed a draft law on Friday banning ''homosexual propaganda'' in what critics see as an attempt to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin in the country's largely conservative society. Only one deputy in the State Duma lower ...
Stuff.co.nz |
Russia set to ban 'homosexual propaganda'
Stuff.co.nz Russia's parliament backed a draft law on Friday banning ''homosexual propaganda'' in what critics see as an attempt to shore up support for President Vladimir Putin in the country's largely conservative society. Only one deputy in the State Duma lower ... |
'Gay tattoo' check for Russian military recruits in Kremlin's latest clampdown ... - Daily Mail
via homophobia russia - Google News on 1/24/13
 Daily Mail |
'Gay tattoo' check for Russian military recruits in Kremlin's latest clampdown ...
Daily Mail In Russia, homosexuals have been subject to official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gay men and women live in Russia, and only a few big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have gay nightclubs and ... Russia to move forward with anti-gay billGlobalPost Protests against Russia "gay propaganda" ban turn violentCBS News Russian Protest Against Anti-Gay Law Turns ViolentABC News WFMY News 2 -Pune Mirror all 47 news articles » |
via homophobia russia - Google Blog Search by admin on 1/22/13
Russia may have decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but homophobia across the country still clearly remains strong: the Kremlin and Russian Orthodox Church are strongly pushing new anti-gay laws nationwide.
via BBC News - World on 1/25/13
Guidelines are being issued to the Russian army to check soldiers for intimate tattoos, but a military source denies gay men are being targeted.
 RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Russia's
State Duma To Consider 'Homosexual Propaganda' Bill
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty MOSCOW -- The Russian State Duma is scheduled to hold the first reading of a bill that would impose large administrative fines for spreading so-called homosexual propaganda to minors. The federal bill, which is similiar to laws that already exist in ... Russia considers 'gay propaganda' billFinancial Times |
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google News on 1/22/13
 Daily Mail |
Russia anti-gay law to outlaw 'homosexual propaganda' and ban public events ...
Daily Mail The legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal to tell minors information that is defined as 'propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism.' It includes a ban on holding public ... Latinos Post: Russia Pushes to Pass Anti-Gay LawUprising Protests against Russia "gay propaganda" ban turn violentCBS News Orthodox activists attack Russian "kissing" protest against anti-gay lawWindsor Star Pune Mirror -GlobalPost all 427 news articles » |
via Russia - Google News on 1/25/13
 The Guardian |
Russia votes to ban 'gay propaganda' - video
The Guardian Russia's parliament passes a draft law on Friday banning the use of 'gay propaganda' in an overwhelming 388-1 majority. The Duma includes promotion of gay events as 'propaganda', with organisers being threatened with a fine of £10,000. Critics say the ... |
via Russia - Google News on 1/25/13
Russia backs law banning homosexual 'propaganda'
ABC Online Russia's lower house of parliament has given initial approval to a draft law banning homosexuality being promoted among children. If approved, the law would ban events promoting gay rights across Russia. The lower house of the Russian parliament, the ... |
via NYT > Europe by By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN on 1/25/13
Police arrested about 20 people as attackers hurled eggs and paint at gay rights advocates who gathered in Moscow to protest a bill that outlaws “homosexual propaganda.”
via NYT > Europe by By JOHN F. BURNS on 1/25/13
Prime Minister David Cameron’s government on Friday published a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.
via homophobia russia - Google News on 1/22/13
Daily Mail |
Russia anti-gay law to outlaw 'homosexual propaganda' and ban public events ...
Daily Mail In Russia, homosexuals have been subject to official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gay men and women live in Russia, and only a few big cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have gay nightclubs and ... Protests against Russia "gay propaganda" ban turn violentCBS News Russia to move forward with anti-gay billGlobalPost Russian Protest Against Anti-Gay Law Turns ViolentABC News WFMY News 2 -Pune Mirror all 427 news articles » |
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by OrtChristReporter - OCR247 on 1/21/13
The legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism.” It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. ... In Russia, gays have been whipsawed by official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gays and lesbians live in Russia, ...
Mike Nova's starred items
Mike Nova's starred items
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by lskomal on 1/22/13
... was homophobic. until I read the Associated Press story reprinted in the National Post highlighting the anti-gay sentiments in that country thanks in part to Vladimir Putin's administration and the Russin Orthodox Church.
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by unknown on 1/21/13
The legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism." It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. ... In Russia, gays have been whipsawed by official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gays and lesbians live in Russia, ...
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by Will on 1/22/13
The legislation, being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church, would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism." It includes a ban on holding public events that promote gay rights. St. Petersburg ... Gays have been whipsawed by official pressure and persistent homophobia. There are no reliable estimates of how many gays and lesbians live in ...
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by unknown on 1/22/13
Lawmakers, officials and Russia's dominant Orthodox church have hailed the law saying it will boost Russia's dwindling birth rates. A dozen ... Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but homophobia remains strong.
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by Dan Savage on 1/21/13
The legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism.” It includes a ban on holding public ... In the city of Voronezh in southwest Russia, gay rights activists held a protest against a nationwide homophobia bill that will be discussed in parliament soon. Several hundred people opposing gay ...
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by Small Kartoshka on 1/22/13
'Legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as "propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and ...
via homophobia russian orthodox church - Google Blog Search by Billy Hallowell on 1/22/13
The legislation being pushed by the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church would make it illegal nationwide to provide minors with information that is defined as “propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism.” It includes a ban on .... We have way too much of it here in the U.S. with outright activism from gays being a daily thing, and all of us on the hetero side called homophobes for daring to not agree with all of the gay agenda. I'm tired of it.
via homophobia russia - Google News on 1/22/13
 PinkNews.co.uk |
Russia: Initial hearing of anti-gay bill postponed a second time
PinkNews.co.uk The Russian State Duma has indefinitely delayed the initial vote on a proposed homophobic censorship bill that has already sparked protests by LGBT campaigners across Russia. The Duma was to decide this month whether the draft bill, which could allow ... |
via homophobia russia - Google News on 1/22/13
Latinos Post: Russia Pushes to Pass Anti-Gay Law
Uprising Russia may have decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, but homophobia across the country still clearly remains strong: the Kremlin and Russian Orthodox Church are strongly pushing new anti-gay laws nationwide. The legislation being pushed would make ... |
via putin's face - Google News on 1/25/13
 Kyiv Post |
Russian police break up 'kiss-in' against anti-gay law
Kyiv Post Russian gay rights campaigner Sergei Gubanov gestures with blood on his face, during a protest outside of State Duma, Russian Parliament's lower chamber, in downtown Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Gubanov was beaten up by ... Putin's ... and more » |
via Russian Politics - Российская Политика's Facebook Wall by Russian Politics - Российская Политика on 1/25/13
Госдума приняла в первом чтении "гомофобский закон"
Госдума приняла в первом чтении законопроект о введении штрафов за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди несовершеннолетних. За принятие документа проголосовали 388 депутатов, один был против, еще один …
Госдума приняла в первом чтении "гомофобский закон"
Госдума приняла в первом чтении законопроект о введении штрафов за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди несовершеннолетних. За принятие документа проголосовали 388 депутатов, один был против, еще один …
Госдума приняла в первом чтении "гомофобский закон"
via Russian Politics - Российская Политика's Facebook Wall by Russian Politics - Российская Политика on 1/25/13
Госдума установила в I чтении штрафы за гей-пропаганду среди детей
Документ, внесенный в Госдуму в марте 2012 года, предлагает за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди детей наказывать граждан штрафом от 4 тысяч до 5 тысяч рублей, должностных лиц - от 40 …
Госдума установила в I чтении штрафы за гей-пропаганду среди детей
Документ, внесенный в Госдуму в марте 2012 года, предлагает за пропаганду гомосексуализма среди детей наказывать граждан штрафом от 4 тысяч до 5 тысяч рублей, должностных лиц - от 40 …
Госдума установила в I чтении штрафы за гей-пропаганду среди детей
via Russian Politics - Российская Политика's Facebook Wall by Russian Politics - Российская Политика on 1/25/13
ЛДПР не поддержит законопроект о штрафах за пропаганду гомосексуализма - Московские новости:
Наше Время
ЛДПР не поддержит законопроект о штрафах за пропаганду гомосексуализма
Московские новости:
ЛДПР не будет поддерживать законопроект о штрафах за …
ЛДПР не поддержит законопроект о штрафах за пропаганду гомосексуализма - Московские новости:
Наше Время
ЛДПР не поддержит законопроект о штрафах за пропаганду гомосексуализма
Московские новости:
ЛДПР не будет поддерживать законопроект о штрафах за …
ЛДПР не поддержит законопроект о штрафах за пропаганду гомосексуализма - Московские новости:
via Владислав Сурков - Google News on 1/25/13
 ИТАР-ТАСС |
Танго не для двоих
Полит.ру Когда комиссия создавалась, ее куратором с российской стороны был назначен тогдашний первый замглавы президентской администрации Владислав Сурков — фигура в российской внутренней политике знаковая и за вопросы соблюдения властями гражданских прав в России и ... США выходят из «комиссии Макфола-Суркова»Forbes Россия Комиссия Суркова-Макфола ликвидированаАПН Северо-Запад США отказались развивать гражданское общество с РФComments.UA - информационный портал ГОЛОС АМЕРИКИ -KM.RU -Вести.Ru all 76 news articles » |
via Владислав Сурков - Google News on 1/25/13
 Грани.Ру |
США выходят из российско-американской группы по гражданскому обществу
Грани.Ру В январе 2012 года Мелия сменил на этом посту Майкла Макфола, назначенного тогда послом в России. Российским сопредседателем тогда стал Долгов. Его предшественником был Владислав Сурков, перешедший на работу в правительство. Группа Суркова-Макфола была создана в ... |
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 1/25/13
MOSCOW (AP) — Police say 20 gay rights campaigners and militant Orthodox Christian activists have been detained near Russia's parliament during a protest against planned anti-gay legislation.
via Russia - Google News on 1/25/13
 Press TV |
US quits joint panel with Russia on civil society
Washington Post MOSCOW — In a sign of growing frustration, the United States is withdrawing from a panel that was set up to promote civil society under a U.S.-Russian presidential commission. In a statement released Friday, Thomas Melia, U.S. deputy assistant ... Russia opposes sanctions on Iran, prefers diplomacy: OfficialPress TV Putin talks Mali with Russia's Security CouncilThe Voice of Russia Russia opposes sanctions on IranNews.Az RIA Novosti all 9 news articles » |
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 1/25/13
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States has quit a U.S.-Russian forum intended to promote civil society to protest Moscow's clampdown on civil rights and public activism, the State Department said on Friday. The Civil Society Working Group was set up during a thaw in ties after Barack Obama became president, and the U.S. pullout reflects how strains have grown since Vladimir Putin started campaigning in 2011 to return to the Kremlin. ...
via Russia - Google News on 1/25/13
 RT |
Communists urge revival of moral values in Russia
RT The Russian Communist party (KPRF) blames the media for bringing the society to moral and spiritual decline and urges the government to introduce tougher censorship and preserve the country's culture and traditions. The West constantly accuses Russia ... |
via Russia News Headlines - Yahoo! News on 1/25/13
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Police broke up a "kiss-in" protest by gay activists who scuffled with Russian Orthodox Christians outside parliament on Friday before it considered a law banning the promotion of homosexuality among minors. Backers say the law will protect children against "homosexual propaganda" in the media and at public events, but critics say President Vladimir Putin hopes it will consolidate support for him following the biggest protests since he won power in 2000. ...
via Putin - Google News on 1/25/13
 The Weekly Standard |
Putin's Innocent Victims
The Weekly Standard After retaking Russia's presidency last year, Vladimir Putin seemed to be headed for master-of-the-universe status. The political stage had been cleared of potential challengers to his power. The protest movement that had risen in December 2011 in ... and more » |
via Global Voices » Russia by Kevin Rothrock on 1/25/13
The Russian parliament's valiant effort to defend the nation's children continues. In the last year, Duma deputies have labored feverishly to shield Russia's youth from child pornography and online enticements to drug use and suicide (creating an Internet blacklist to ban such material), and—more recently—they passed a law to put an end to the scourge of American adoptions of Russian orphans. Law-makers have now zeroed in on the next heinous threat: “homosexual propaganda.” Yes, the Duma today approved the first draft of legislation to levy heavy fines on persons and parties guilty of “propagandizing” the tricks and trade of that most devious group: the gays.
The law would be a federal clone of an anti-homosexual statute created in Novosibirsk. (Similar laws against “gay propaganda” also exist in Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, and Kostroma.) Originally submitted to the Duma in March 2012, the current version of the legislation [ru] reads simply:
Orthodox websites like 3rm.info have published calls [ru] for “fighters” to assemble outside the Duma to beat up the protesters:
Elena Kostiuchenko, right, covered in ketchup, outside the Duma in Moscow. 24 January 2013, screenshot from YouTube.
Elena Kostiuchenko is one of the women who attended both “Days of Kisses.” A special correspondent for liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta, Kostiuchenko has actively advertised the rallies on Twitter, Facebook, and LiveJournal. She also co-founded public “events” on Vkontakte and Facebook for the first rally on January 22, which attracted over 100 RSVPs (though far fewer people actually appeared). These event-groups have links to the website loveislegal.ru, which for the past two months has collected amateur photographs of gay rights supporters and same-sex couples, often holding up banners that read, “I am a person—not propaganda.”
After the first protest on January 22, Kostiuchenko posted to LiveJournal the following message [ru]:
Gay rights occupies an unusual space in the Russian opposition movement. While crackdowns on Internet freedom and adoption rights have sparked major outcries from the protest movement, the criminalization of “homosexual propaganda” is unlikely to instigate the next mass rally against the Kremlin.
Roman Super, a journalist who works for RenTV [ru], provoked a long debate on Facebook, posting [ru] a sharp criticism of the “Day of Kisses” protests. Super's logic is characteristic of many Russian liberals. Not only does he argue that samesex kissing demonstrations only aggravate homophobia in Russia (this was partly Gudkov's belief), but he also jokes that most federal officials are themselves closeted homosexuals. In other words, Super's response to the “propaganda” controversy is to troll opponents and supporters alike:
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The law would be a federal clone of an anti-homosexual statute created in Novosibirsk. (Similar laws against “gay propaganda” also exist in Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, Arkhangelsk, and Kostroma.) Originally submitted to the Duma in March 2012, the current version of the legislation [ru] reads simply:
Пропаганда гомосексуализма среди несовершеннолетних - влечет наложение административного штрафа на граждан в размере от четырех тысяч до пяти тысяч рублей; на должностных лиц - от сорока тысяч до пятидесяти тысяч рублей; на юридических лиц - от четырехсот тысяч до пятисот тысяч рублей.
Propaganda of homosexuality among minors is punishable by an administrative fine of 4-5 thousand rubles [130-160 USD] on citizens, of 40-50 thousand rubles [1,300-1,600 USD] on officials, and 400-500 thousand rubles [13,300-16,600 USD] on legal entities.Twice this week, a few dozen gay rights activists have protested outside the parliament in Moscow, staging a “Day of Kisses” demonstration against the “homosexual propaganda” law. Each time, the kissing activists have attracted a slightly larger crowd of Russian Orthodox counter-protesters, who come armed with eggs, packets of ketchup, and snowballs, which they hurl at the gay rights demonstrators, before attacking them with their fists and boots.
Orthodox websites like 3rm.info have published calls [ru] for “fighters” to assemble outside the Duma to beat up the protesters:
Приезжайте все, кто сможет – нужны бойцы, чтобы драться в первую очередь. В этот раз бьем всех – Мужчин пока стоят на ногах, женщинам портим лица!
Come all who can! We need fighters first and foremost. This time, we'll beat them all—the men as long as they stand on their feet, and we'll mess up the women's faces!Photo-journalists and bloggers have meticulously captured the escalating violence at these events, cataloging the skirmishes with photos of masked Orthodox activists and bloodied gay rights protesters.
Elena Kostiuchenko, right, covered in ketchup, outside the Duma in Moscow. 24 January 2013, screenshot from YouTube.After the first protest on January 22, Kostiuchenko posted to LiveJournal the following message [ru]:
Сегодня уверенные нелюди сломали кости двум моим друзьям и избили мою девушку. Аню.
Я больше никого не зову с собой.
Когда Госдума будет принимать этот закон, я буду там.
Любой день, в 12.00.
Кто захочет встать рядом - встанет.
Today, self-assured monsters broke the bones of two of my friends and beat up my girlfriend, Anna.Earlier today, on January 25, Kostiuchenko found herself outside the Duma again, joined by 30-to-40 allies, as deputies inside voted to approve the legislation's “first reading.” The law carried a whopping 388 votes of approval, with just one vote against and one abstention. Fifty-two brave souls didn't vote at all. One of those voteless heroes was opposition figure and Just Russia deputy Dmitri Gudkov, who told [ru] Publicpost.ru that he refused to cast a ballot, as doing so would only attract more attention to “gay propaganda”:
I'm not calling on anyone anymore.
When the Duma accepts this law, I'll be there.
Any day, at noon.
Whoever wants to be there alongside me, get on your feet.
Я вообще не буду голосовать, потому что, когда начинают бороться с гей-парадами, они провоцируют пропаганду этой темы. Ее надо просто оставить в покое, тогда меньше будет пропаганды и разговоров об этом. Я против пропаганды, просто это невозможно грамотно прописать в законопроекте.
I'm not going to vote at all, because you only invite [more] propaganda for this topic, when you start fighting against gay parades. You need to leave this issue alone, and then there will be less propaganda and conversation about it. I'm against [gay] propaganda—it's just that it's impossible to legislate it intelligently.Gudkov's dedication to minimizing homosexuality's menace didn't stop him from tweeting [ru] earlier today that the only deputy to oppose the legislation, Sergei Kuzin, is a member of Vladimir Putin's United Russia. While Gudkov was having his fun, Kostiuchenko and another 19 activists were detained [ru] outside the Duma building. For the next few hours, she tweeted and posted to Instagram updates and photographs from her brief incarceration. (This included a bruise sustained to her cheek, apparently when police rushed her up a flight of stairs.) Eventually, all protesters were released [ru] from custody.
Gay rights occupies an unusual space in the Russian opposition movement. While crackdowns on Internet freedom and adoption rights have sparked major outcries from the protest movement, the criminalization of “homosexual propaganda” is unlikely to instigate the next mass rally against the Kremlin.
Roman Super, a journalist who works for RenTV [ru], provoked a long debate on Facebook, posting [ru] a sharp criticism of the “Day of Kisses” protests. Super's logic is characteristic of many Russian liberals. Not only does he argue that samesex kissing demonstrations only aggravate homophobia in Russia (this was partly Gudkov's belief), but he also jokes that most federal officials are themselves closeted homosexuals. In other words, Super's response to the “propaganda” controversy is to troll opponents and supporters alike:
Федеральный закон о запрете пропаганды гомосексуализма будет означать лишь одно: элиты прямо скажут народу и, прежде всего, самим себе о том, что гомосексуальность в России — это исключительно привилегия государственных менеджеров самого высокого звена.
The federal law banning the propaganda of homosexuality will mean only one thing: the elite are telling the people directly that, first and foremost, homosexuality in Russia is the exclusive privilege of state managers of the highest rank.In a response to Konstantin Rykov on Twitter, blogger and columnist Maksim Kononenko made a similar joke [ru] about Sergei Kuzin's stray vote against the law:
Константин Рыков @rykov
Кто? Кто этот прекрасный депутат, проголосовавший за гей-пропаганду? Это же самый крутой каминг-аут в истории российского парламентаризма!
Максим Кононенко @kononenkome
@rykov единственный нормальный человек среди 450 пидарасов
Konstantin Rykov @rykovIn other words, Russia remains a country where it is easier to joke about a crackdown on gay rights, than it is to protest such developments. Consider the conversation that played out on Roman Super's Facebook page. DozhdTV's Alya Kirillova took issue with his condescension of Kostiuchenko (who also commented in the same thread). Kirillova wrote essentially that he ought to say nothing, if he can't say anything kind. She even opines [ru] that “silence is golden.” Two minutes later, a homophobic commenter posted a photo of two men kissing at a gay parade (apparently in New York City), in an effort to prove how dangerous gay pride can be. In the background of that photo, a demonstrator holds high a sign that reads, “SILENCE = DEATH.” In Russia, that remains a contentious equation.
Who? Who is this wonderful deputy who voted for gay-propaganda? This is the coolest coming-out in the history of Russian parliamentarism!
Maksim Kononenko @kononenkome@rykov He's the only normal person among 450 fags.
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via Russia - Google News on 1/24/13
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |
Russia's State Duma To Consider 'Homosexual Propaganda' Bill
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty MOSCOW -- The Russian State Duma is scheduled to hold the first reading of a bill that would impose large administrative fines for spreading so-called homosexual propaganda to minors. The federal bill, which is similiar to laws that already exist in ... Russia considers 'gay propaganda' billFinancial Times Russia prepares to advance 'anti-gay' billHurriyet Daily News all 11 news articles » |
