It's only the first reading of the bill, but it passed 388 to 1 in the Russian parliament: a bill to ban the promotion of homosexuality to children and to fine those who do. Of course, there was a small protest of 20 people. It looks like this will ban gay parades, promotion on TV and other media etc...
The Duma passed the bill in the first of three readings by 388 votes to one, and applause rippled through the chamber. “We live in Russia, not Sodom and Gomorrah,” United Russia deputy Dmitry Sablin said before the vote. “Russia is a thousands-years-old country founded on its own traditional values – the protection of which is dearer to me than even oil and gas.”What with the high rates of substance abuse, suicide, depression, and disease that are characteristic in the gay community, this has to be a good thing. Of course, this flies in the face of the many countries whose leaders are looking to pass laws legalising same-sex marriage, but it is a start. Perhaps it is Russia who will lead the way back to Judeo-Christian morality and ideals. Who knows?
The law targets those who promote homosexuality to children, and is designed to bolster family values, according to the MPs who proposed it.
Similar legislation has been passed in several Russian regions over the past two years, including the city of St Petersburg, and now the bill looks set to take hold nationwide. The law envisages fines of up to 5,000 roubles (£100) for individuals, 50,000 (£1,000) for public officials and 500,000 roubles (£10,000) for organisations who are found to be engaging in gay propaganda.
The law will forbid “holding visual events with the participation of homosexuals in places accessible to children”, as well as “approval of homosexual links on television or radio during times when children could be watching”.