Russia Ignores State Dept Warnings: Moves Forward with Passing Gay Propaganda Bill

By Lisa Correnti | February 10, 2012

St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city is one step away from passing what LGBT activists call an “anti-gay” bill. Yesterday it passed its second of three required approvals to become law. The third reading is all but a formality. The bill prohibits “public activities promoting homosexuality.” The bill’s author United Russia deputy Vitaly Milonov defends the propaganda bill saying it will “not infringe on civil rights and freedoms. “We are only talking about propaganda as this information about sexual deviations affects our children,”  he said.

The bill would prohibit disseminating information “which could cause damage to the health or moral and spiritual development of minors, including by inducing them to form warped perceptions that traditional and non-traditional married relations are equally socially acceptable.” If passed it would impose fines on individuals or groups promoting homosexuality, pedophilia, or transgenderism to minors.

In a press conference yesterday the State Dept. was asked to respond to the news and once again expressed opposition to the measure.

We are concerned by proposed local legislation in Russia that would severely restrict freedoms of expression and assembly for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and indeed all Russians. As Secretary Clinton has said, gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.

We have called on Russian officials to safeguard these freedoms, and to foster an environment which promotes respect for the rights of all citizens.

We have also consulted with our EU partners on this issue. They share our concerns and are also engaging Russian officials on this.

The United States places great importance on combating discrimination against the LGBT community and all minority groups.

 

The State Dept. first expressed disapproval back in November when the bill passed its first approval. At that time a Russian government official basically told the State Dept to butt-out:

“We are perplexed by the American side’s attempts to interfere in the legislative process in Russia, especially publicly. We consider these attempts inappropriate and inconsistent with the practice of interstate relations,” Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, said in a statement, according to Interfax.

 

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