While meeting with civil rights leaders this week, Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia has absolutely no issue with gay people, and that any accusations of homophobia against his country are fabrications concocted by the West.
“Russia recognizes and does not infringe on the rights of non-traditional sexual orientation,” Putin said.
He went on to say that his country’s record of homophobia as reported by the international media is simply inaccurate. Russia loves and respects gay people. Don’t believe the hype.
“It is a label attached to the Russian Federation by other countries,” Putin alleged. “Especially by those which have criminal responsibility for people of non-traditional sexual orientation.”
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He continued: “[Homosexuality] is not the choice of our society, but those are people whose rights are not cut. [It’s not our] intention to persecute people of whatever non-traditional orientation.”
Evidently Putin doesn’t recall the more than 30 people who were arrested during last year’s Gay Pride celebration in Moscow for no apparent reason.
Or the four Dutch tourists who were arrested and banned from the country for three years for filming a documentary about gay rights in Russia.
Or the arrests of more than a dozen gay rights activists who dared to wave rainbow flags and sing the national anthem during this year’s Winter Olympics.
Oh yeah, then there was that whole “homosexual propaganda” bill The Russian State Duma passed by a vote of 434-0 in June 2013.
“We are not punishing anyone,” Putin babbled, “but traditional family, healthy nation — those are our choices. One does not exclude the other, and one does not affect the other. I believe, a balanced approach like this is absolutely correct.”
Related stories:
Putin Says Rainbow Flags OK At Olympics, Gays Not Discriminated Against In Russia
Russia Claims Its Anti-Gay Law Doesn’t Discriminate “Based On Sexual Orientation”
Putin Still Denies Gay Discrimination Is Happening In Russia
Graham Gremore is a columnist and contributor for Queerty and Life of the Law. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
Kieran
Ever since Vladimir Putin stood up and made it clear that he would NOT go along with US plans to bomb Syria and Iran he seems to have become the “new Hitler” in the US media. Is Putin a homophobe? Yeah, probably. But why aren’t the homophobic leaders in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, India, Pakistan our so-called “allies” targeted as homophobes as well?
So they now have Gay Pride parades in Moscow? Terrific. Good luck trying to have a Gay Pride parade in a place like Riyadh, Amman, Kiev or Islamabad.
Ladbrook
@Kieran: Agreed. With respect to the media, the same rule applies to Israel. The media, state dept, UN, etc condemn Israel daily for human rights violations, but never hurl the same accusations at Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, UAE, etc. Gee, I wonder why?
Arconcyyon
yes ! they is mem active is very sex beautiflyyy bibilionarys is the like sex ketchupp ! Please sorry is the darlin heart´s dear´s and dear´s Gov Preseindent Putin Claims the city region strret país Rússia and Rússia is next is new the mega event the big the mundi is leauge CUP THE WORLD CUP THE MUNDI SPORT .
onthemark
@Kieran: Safe White Target. Criticizing Muslims would be “r@cist.” Ask Ben Affleck!
But you seem confused about where Kiev is (the capital of still-independent-for-now Ukraine).
Danila
Aww, look at the paid Russian astroturfers earning their 1 cent per comment. Putin is a Hitler because he defended the one in Syria, as well as annihilated freedoms in Russia and invdaded Ukraine to annex their territory. Pride parades *have* been held in Kiev.
Saint Law
@Ladbrook: @onthemark:If this is true – and I really hope it is – perhaps because, as an American client state and supposed democracy, Israel is held to a higher standard than the fundamentalist hell-holes you list?
That it is an occupying power, whose creation was only possible due to the forced “transfer” of most of the original population, shows such a distinction to be moot.
transiteer
Vlad won’t care soon – he’ll be up to his sagging tits in trouble with the home folks with the economy tanking thanks to sanctions imposed by the West. He’ll be begging for a Gay Olympic Games before he’s done. And he will be done soon – just not soon enough.
Daniel-Reader
It’s not like there is a limit on the number of corrupt government officials who can be punished for violating human rights. There’s at most 160,000 or so officials on the planet responsible for 99% of violations against hundreds upon hundreds of millions of people. He just expected, like all corrupt politicians delude themselves into believing, that those he harms would continue to put up with it – as if that was ever going to be the case. No government official anywhere can sanely argue that their own human rights should be upheld when they violate the human rights of millions and millions of people.
GayEGO
As expected, Putin denies anything other countries accuse him of e.g. assisting Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine, persecuting gays, etc.
Cam
Are you guys F-ing crazy? You’re trying to equate the reputation of Putin and Russie as far as gay rights go with Syria?
Whatever your views are on the Middle East please keep those in check and not try to use it to excuse the brutalization, jailing and murder of LGBT’s that is going on over in Russia.
What this comment by Putin tells me, is “Crap, I didn’t think that the international community was going to care about those laws, and now it seems like they do, I better do a little PR work on this one.”
The fact is, the Russian Ruble is crashing, oil prices are plummeting and Russia is having huge problems with their economy because of it. Rather than being able to strong arm other countries as they could when Oil is $120.00 a barrel, they may now need a little goodwill if oil keeps falling and they are broke.
Kieran
@Cam Well we all know that suddenly falling gas prices didn’t happen because the Oil companies and cartels wanted to help struggling Americans with their fuel bills. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if the falling gas prices were being used as a weapon to bludgeon Russia into towing the “New World Order”. Russia didn’t roll over and go along with US plans to threaten to bomb and/or invade Syria and Iran to topple those sovereign governments. Now Russia is being punished with sanctions and a return to the Cold War.
Desert Boy
Putin has been a disaster for Russia.
From the military invasion and occupation of the Crimea, to getting booted from the G7, to being snubbed by practically every world leader at the G20 meeting in Brisbane, to increased, lethal pollution levels in Moscow, to the ruble plunging and being devalued in the international currency market, to shooting down Malaysian flight 17. Russian is more isolated internationally than ever. Some go so far to say Putin is responsible for a new Cold War with the USA.
Putin seems to relish the human rights violations against Russia’s gay community he’s responsible for. What the international community needs to accept is, Putin isn’t going anywhere. He’s a dictator and barring an assassination or illness, he will be the Russian president for life.
Little wonder Russian gays are seeking asylum in the USA in record numbers.
Cam
@Kieran:
I love you conspiracy theorists. Gee, everything that is happening in the entire world right now has to do with Syria. Yeah, because that is the FIRST thing anybody thinks of.
Hmmmm, lets look at oil prices. The U.S. and Canada have added something like 10% to world oil production in the last decade. The Saudis can produce much more cheaply than the west and therefore are not cutting production to boost prices because they may want the more expensive Western production of oil to falter. So OPEC is continuing to pump out with no reduction.
And what happens when you have more of a product on the market than people need? Golly, Prices fall, what a shock. And they are falling because of policies and situations put in place over the last 20 years.
But no, you’re right, everything in the world is about Syria. (Eye Roll).
Mikah
What a blind,bigoted moron.
Lance Mullholland
He gets an A+ for being consistent – always lying about everything.
Background: KGB thug oprichnik, wannabe Tsar.
Their economy slumps a LOT with each passing day – combined with a brain drain of emigres jumping a sinking ship. Investors, too.
Yay, Komrad Vlad !