St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, approved a law that imposes fines of up to $16,700 on “promotions of homosexuality” today, reports Ria Novosti.
Well, there goes our plans to launch a fab Next-style weekly in the ‘Burg called St. Petersboiz. And to think we had Michael Lucas all lined up for a cover story, too.
The fines are 20 times higher than when the bill originally came up in November. You’d think a stall in the action would’ve led to a realization that they needed to lower the fines, not ratchet them up, but hey, this is Mother Russia and homophobia is rampant. The bill doesn’t cover private actions, but Gay Pride parades, rainbow flags and the like are out the window.
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Authorities trotted out the old canard that the bill is needed to protect “minors’ moral and spiritual development.” But St. Petersboiz would’ve totally advocated using protection when it comes to sexual matters! They could’ve just put a full-page PSA on the back page, dammit.
Interestingly enough, the official government newspaper, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, took out a 14-page “special advertising supplement” in the New York Times today, including this unintentionally ironic headline:
Photos via Shoot Me Up, Evan Mulvihill
Danny
Like all fascists, they violate human rights because they don’t think they’ll be held personally accountable on the street for their actions. They target groups they don’t think will strike back to defend their human rights against oppression. Russia does the same thing to religious and ethnic minorities. It’s dying again just like when it broke apart the first time.
Ron
The guy in the photo is Luke Baden, on the cover of the may 2010 issue of QX magazine 🙂
http://www.wowwow.me/2010/05/luke-baden-for-qx-magazine.html
takakupo
Russia is one of two American Allies that voted against a UN resolution telling Syrian dictator Assad to step down. This is the country where Putin is bashed in effigy on the street by hundreds of thousands of protestors each day as he continues to flex his own dictator muscles, fixing elections and ousting transparency. A country that has such vast homophobia that the mere mention of art gets it banned so fast, they almost make North Korea look like the non metaphorical Kenyan in the race to be the most gaycist.
Hephaestion
“St. Petersboiz”?????
Seriously?? What a hideous name. And it would have played into the Russians’ misconception that gays are all pedophiles. Next time you try to name a gay publication in Russia, do not give it such a ridiculous name with negative local connotations which would set back the Russian gay movement 30 years.