Russian Politicians Pass Bill Prohibiting 'LGBTQ Propaganda' Among Adults

Russian lawmakers have taken yet another step against promoting gay rights in the country.

On Thursday, a bill regarding the issue was passed in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Associated Press reported. It intends to expand the prohibition of "LGBTQ propaganda" and restrict the "demonstration" of LGBTQ behaviour.

Reuters

This move is being looked at as a step towards making the expression of an LGBTQ lifestyle almost impossible.

The new bill is due for approval by the upper house of parliament and President Vladimir Putin. It forbids all advertising, media and online resources, books, films and theatre productions from including such "propaganda" - a concept loosely established in the bill.

"Any propaganda of non-traditional relationships will have consequences," the speaker of the lower house, or State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said on social media.

The bill "will protect our children and the future of our country from the darkness spread by the US and European states", he added.

Extension of 2013 ban

The new bill is an extension of the 2013 rule, where the authorities called for a ban on "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors, established by legislation dubbed the "gay propaganda" law. The Kremlin adopted it to promote "traditional values" in Russia.

This ban was often enacted against any depictions of same-sex unions and used as a tool to crack down on LGBTQ rights groups and activists. Authorities have already used the existing law to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists.

Reuters

This year, lawmakers moved to ban spreading such information to people aged 18 and older.

"LGBT today is an element of hybrid warfare and in this hybrid warfare we must protect our values, our society and our children," Alexander Khinstein, one of the bill's architects, said last month.

Heavy fines for violation

Any violation of this bill could result in the imposition of heavy fines. If committed by non-residents, they can lead to their expulsion from Russia.

The penalties range from 100,000 to 2 million rubles ($1,660-$33,000). For some violations, foreigners could face 15 days' detention prior to expulsion.

However, the bill does not make violations a criminal offence, and Russian law specifies that any change in the criminal code can be made through an independent bill.

Some lawmakers have stated that they favour such a measure.

Bill to cause greater uncertainty

Reuters

The country's legal experts have expressed concern over the vagueness of the bill's language.

They believe it allows law enforcers to interpret the bill as broadly as they wish. As a result, this bill leaves members of the LGBTQ community in a state of even greater uncertainty.

Kseniya Mikhailova of the LGBTQ support group Vykhod ("Coming Out") believes that adults-only gay bars or clubs would still be allowed to function.

However, she stated that they wouldn't be allowed to advertise it and that same-sex kissing in public might be a breach.

As per Political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann, the law prohibits anything that shows LGBTQ relations or inclinations to be "socially acceptable" or "equal to so-called traditional family relations or sexual relations".

"People - authors, publishers, just people - will think twice before even mentioning anything related to LGBT," she told Reuters.

Russia explicitly outlawed same-sex marriages in 2020 by adopting amendments to the country's Constitution that, among other things, stipulated that the "institution of marriage is a union between a man and a woman."

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.