RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Russian Parliament Delays Gay-Ban Vote Indefinitely

russia-protestersA ban on gay propaganda put before the Russian State Duma has been postponed indefinitely, as lawmakers sent the measure back to committee.
Bill 6.13.1 would impose fines of up to $16,500 € for ayone who promotes homosexuality to minors, a vague infraction that would have included Pride festivals and other public events. The measure was being pushed in the Duma by President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, which currently enjoys a majority.
Although debate on the bill was scheduled for today, Prime Minister Medvedev had said earlier that a ban wasn’t a priority.

It’s likely not a change of heart that sent the bill back to the drawing board, but rather pressure from the international community: Today, LGBT activists staged a same-sex kiss-in in Moscow, but were met by anti-gay thugs, who shouted obscenities and assaulted them.

A similar protest in Brussels went decidedly smoother: Michael Cashman, co-president of the European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights, called it “a vivid reminder that the fight for others’ human rights is our own fight.”

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