Dark days are getting darker for LGBTQIA people in Russia.
In Russia, Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill that expands a ban on “LGBTQ propaganda”, making it illegal for anyone to promote or praise same-sex relationships, publicly express non-heterosexual orientations, or suggest that they are “normal.” The ban is in effect across the internet, media, books, audiovisual services, cinema, and advertising.
This new law broadens the scope of a 2013 law that banned the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors. Now, promoting such information to adults is also banned.
Anyone promoting “non-traditional sexual relations and/or preferences,” as well as pedophilia and gender transition can be fined up to 400,000 rubles ($6,370) for “LGBT propaganda”, and up to 200,000 rubles ($3,185) for “demonstrations of LGBT and information that encourages a change of gender among teenagers.”
The fines increase to five million rubles ($80,000) and four million rubles ($64,000), respectively, for legal entities.
Interestingly, homosexuality was actually already decriminalized in Russia in 1993. But it still ranks 46th out of 49 European countries for LGBTQIA inclusion, according to watchdog ILGA-Europe.
