MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday signed explicitly homophobic legislation banning public expression of LGBTQ identity — termed “propaganda” about “nontraditional sexual relations” — including all adult content featuring gay, lesbian and trans sexualities.
The new law outlaws the distribution of such “propaganda” in all media, advertising, movies or on social media.
The legislation had passed Russia’s Parliament, the Duma, by a vote of 397 to 0 on Nov. 24, The New York Times reported today.
Although all pornography is already technically illegal in Russia, adult content is overtly produced in the country, including the depiction of LGBTQ sexual acts. The new law adds another layer of prohibition for the latter, likely to be selectively enforced by authorities. Russian authorities have routinely used anti-sex laws to target specific political dissidents for non-sex-related reasons.
Putin, The New York Times explained, “has long cast LGBTQ life as a Western intrusion into Russia’s traditional society and values, and proponents of the new law recently likened the fight against LGBTQ expression to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, which they see as a broader civilization clash between them and the West.”
Russia had already banned “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” for minors in 2013, but the new law extends that ban to all adults, the Times reported.
Russia’s internet regulator, Roskomnadzor, has been empowered to survey all online content to identify violations of the new law.
Versions of Putin’s anti-LGBTQ laws are currently being promoted by members of the Republican Party in several U.S. states, including Texas.