Russia To Extend Anti-LGBTQIA+ Laws And Increase Fines
Vladimir Putin banned the promotion of so-called LGBTQIA+ propaganda to children in 2013. Since then, international films and television series that feature any LGBTQIA+ storyline have been banned from the country and any domestic media is heavily reviewed before release.
Russia has now introduced legislation that would increase fines and penalties to those in breach of the current law and seek to extend the law to ban promotion to adults as well as children, reports Inquirer.
THINGS JUST KEEPING GETTING WORSE FOR THE GAYS
The current laws were put in place by the Russian Duma as a way to censor LGBTQIA+ content and “protect” children from queer “propaganda”. The law places fines of 2 million roubles for entities promoting non-traditional relations and 5 million if the offence was published online or in the media, reports Inquirer.
The fines sit at 400,000 roubles for individuals or deportation if not a citizen. The Russian Duma claim these laws are to safeguard against immorality and indoctrination of children but activists allege that the laws are used to suppress LGBTQIA+ communities.
The situation is escalating with lawmakers seeking to extend not only the fines but restrict the audience beyond children to include adults as well. Lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein says, “Currently, liability only applies to LGBT propaganda among children. My colleagues on the committee and I would like to extend it to any propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, regardless of age.”
If these proposed amendments to the gay propaganda law are permitted, Russia will become an untenable country to live in for an already marginalised LGBTQIA+ community.
