Gay Propaganda Law Flouted by Madonna Nears Russian Vote
Russian lawmakers are scheduled to vote today on federalizing a St. Petersburg anti-gay law that Madonna flouted in President Vladimir Putins hometown.
The bill, scheduled for the first of three required readings, would extend the ban on homosexual propaganda among minors to all 83 regions from 12 now, according the website of the lower house of Parliament, the State Duma.
People found guilty of creating false perceptions of the social equality of traditional and not traditional sexual relations face fines of as much as 500,000 rubles ($16,600).
This law reminds us of the Stalin and fascist era, when groups of people were called socially unequal, Igor Kochetkov, head of the Russian LGBT Net movement, said by phone from St. Petersburg. Homosexuality was illegal in the Soviet Union and decriminalized in Russia in 1993.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev criticized the initiative last month, saying in a television interview that not all the relations between people are subject to regulation. Amnesty International said the bill would be open for misuse because it lacks a d! etailed description of what propaganda is.
The vague definition of homosexual propaganda will be detailed in the second reading of the draft, lawmaker Elena Mizulina told Russian News Service radio Dec. 6.
Madonna
Madonna called the St. Petersburg law a ridiculous atrocity before her concert there last August. I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed, the singer said March 20 by e-mail.
Madonna did perform and was sued for 333 million rubles ($11 million) less than two weeks later by nine local residents who accused her of violating cultural traditions and promoting homosexuality. She won the case Nov. 22.
Technically, the law itself is not dangerous at all, it just creates scandals, said Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin adviser who heads the Moscow-based Effective Policy Foundation. Gays never enjoyed freedoms here and the law isnt actually making it any harder for them.
About two-thirds of Russians consider homosexuality a disease or a bad habit, the Moscow-based Levada Center said in July, citing a poll of 1,601 residents. Homosexuality was outlawed in the Soviet era and wasnt decriminalized in Russia until 1993.
Adoption Ban
U.S. President Barack Obama issued an endorsement of gay marriage during his inaugural address on Jan. 21, likening same- sex rights to the struggles of blacks and women. It was the first time a president mentioned gay rights in an inaugural speech.
Pavlovsky likened the gay initiative to the law Russia passed last month banning U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children. That was a retaliatory measure for U.S. sanctions on! Russian ! officials suspected of involvement in the death of an imprisoned lawyer, Sergei Magnistky, who had alleged tax fraud by Interior Ministry officials.
Like the adoption ban for U.S. citizens, this initiative looks like another Kremlin attempt to assess the mood in Russia in order to find a set of ideas that the masses can unite around, Pavlovsky said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stepan Kravchenko in Moscow at skravchenko@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net