Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has recently ratified a law that exacerbates the ban on any material or activities that are perceived to advance LGBT rights within the nation.
Vladimir Putin Signs Law Extending Prohibitions On Promoting LGBT Rights
In 2013, a law was established that prohibited what the authorities regard as the promotion of ‘unconventional sexual relations’ to minors. This new legislation has widened the scope of this ban to include the sharing of such information to those aged 18 years and older.
The updated statute has banned the promotion of any content deemed to be ‘propaganda’ through advertising, the press, the internet, literature, movies, and plays.
In addition to the current regulations, the legislation prohibits material regarding gender change from being shared and prohibits the dissemination of information which could be viewed as encouraging pedophilia.
If somebody breaks the rules, they can be fined anywhere from 100,000 to 4 million roubles and, if the perpetrator is not a citizen, they could be kicked out of Russia. Additionally, certain infractions could lead to a 15-day detainment prior to deportation.
Russian legislation does not consider any violations a criminal offence – only an exclusive bill can bring about changes in the criminal code. Some politicians have proposed that they are in favour of such a policy.
The current legislation has already been applied to suppress gay pride parades and detain activists who support gay rights. According to rights organisations, this new law is aiming to remove LGBT individuals who live a ‘non-conventional’ life out of the public domain.
The response on social media was one of ridicule. A certain subset of people questioned Putin’s running of the country in light of the fact that there are concerns with his health following rumours of Parkinson’s disease. One person wrote: “Yesterday he was dying, today he is signing laws.”
Putin has shown he will do what he thinks is best regardless of what others have to say. So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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