A Russian gay rights activist is warning a bill passed in St. Petersburg outlawing "propaganda of homosexuality" to minors could be used to ban gay protest rallies. Nikolai Alexeyev from GayRussia.ru says the tentatively approved legislation is a disgrace. The bill calls for a fine for "public actions aimed at propaganda of pederasty, lesbianism, bisexuality, and transgenderism among minors". Alexeyev says the bill could become the main legal reason to deny any public actions by the LGBT community. "It theoretically allows the ban of anything anywhere where kids could be present," he told The Associated Press. While homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, discrimination is still widespread.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 18th November 2011 - 9:52am