St. Petersburg lawmakers denounce ‘gay and pedophile propaganda’
18/11/2011
Submitted by
ILGA-Europe
Original article: http://themoscownews.com/russia/20111116/189209067.html
St. Petersburg legislators voted Wednesday to ban the promotion of homosexuality and pedophilia to minors, suggesting escalating fines and in some cases heavy prison sentences.
The bill would put a legal rubber band on intercourse with same-sex adults and intercourse with children, its first reading passed almost unilaterally with 37 votes for, one against and one abstention. It proposes fines of 1,000 – 3,000 rubles for individuals and 10,000 – 50,000 for companies.
Igor Yasin, LGBT activist, is worried, “I think that next month we will see a lot of such initiatives… I think it’s a very dangerous tendency because the next step will be a law like this on a federal level,” he told The Moscow News.
‘Destructive information’
Vitaly Milonov of ruling party United Russia is the author of the bill, “children must be protected from destructive information,” Interfax quoted him as saying. St. Petersburg is covered from head to toe with “a wave of sexual perversion,” he added.
Despite the almost unanimous result the bill caused heated discussion. Yelena Babich, of the Liberal Democrats, said that the city was awash with gay imagery and demanded heavier punishments for this, Interfax reported.
She said that as city day approached rainbow flags, associated with gay rights, could be seen on the city’s iconic image of Peter the Great. Gennady Ozerov, chairman of the Lib-Dems legislative chamber faction suggested “20 years [in prison] minimum” for promoting pedophilia, Lenta reported.
Gay Pride illegal
At the same time in Arkhangelsk lawmakers approved similar legislation on its second reading, banning gay people from holding public protests.
Yasin is concerned that this kind of legislation could become a useful expedient to desperate politicians, “I think it depends on the development of the economic crisis and the economic situation. If it gets worse then [a federal bill of this kind] is more likely because politicians have nothing to offer people,” he said.
Gay Pride marches have been repeatedly banned in Russian towns and cities, provoking local uproar on both sides of the divide and criticism from abroad.
St. Petersburg legislators voted Wednesday to ban the promotion of homosexuality and pedophilia to minors, suggesting escalating fines and in some cases heavy prison sentences.
The bill would put a legal rubber band on intercourse with same-sex adults and intercourse with children, its first reading passed almost unilaterally with 37 votes for, one against and one abstention. It proposes fines of 1,000 – 3,000 rubles for individuals and 10,000 – 50,000 for companies.
Igor Yasin, LGBT activist, is worried, “I think that next month we will see a lot of such initiatives… I think it’s a very dangerous tendency because the next step will be a law like this on a federal level,” he told The Moscow News.
‘Destructive information’
Vitaly Milonov of ruling party United Russia is the author of the bill, “children must be protected from destructive information,” Interfax quoted him as saying. St. Petersburg is covered from head to toe with “a wave of sexual perversion,” he added.
Despite the almost unanimous result the bill caused heated discussion. Yelena Babich, of the Liberal Democrats, said that the city was awash with gay imagery and demanded heavier punishments for this, Interfax reported.
She said that as city day approached rainbow flags, associated with gay rights, could be seen on the city’s iconic image of Peter the Great. Gennady Ozerov, chairman of the Lib-Dems legislative chamber faction suggested “20 years [in prison] minimum” for promoting pedophilia, Lenta reported.
Gay Pride illegal
At the same time in Arkhangelsk lawmakers approved similar legislation on its second reading, banning gay people from holding public protests.
Yasin is concerned that this kind of legislation could become a useful expedient to desperate politicians, “I think it depends on the development of the economic crisis and the economic situation. If it gets worse then [a federal bill of this kind] is more likely because politicians have nothing to offer people,” he said.
Gay Pride marches have been repeatedly banned in Russian towns and cities, provoking local uproar on both sides of the divide and criticism from abroad.
