RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Russian Parliament Delays Gay-Ban Vote Indefinitely

A 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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