Tourists Arrested in Russia for “Gay Propaganda”
FROM GayStarNews, Four
tourists were arrested in Russia for ‘gay propaganda’ 21 July,
making them the first foreigners to be officially charged under the
anti-gay law.
Murmansk in North Russia, four Dutch citizens were detained by police.
the four Dutch tourists were being held in the police station,
authorities said they had violated the ‘rules of stay in the territory
of Russia’.
They were told they had broken the law of ‘non-traditional sexual
relations’ propaganda among children, which was signed into law by
President Vladimir Putin last month.
Read it all at GayStarNews
HARVEY FIERSTEIN spoke out in the New York Times, saying this was like declaring war on gay peope… “Mr. Putin’s campaign against lesbian, gay and bisexual people is one of
distraction, a strategy of demonizing a minority for political gain
taken straight from the Nazi playbook. Can we allow this war against
human rights to go unanswered? Although Mr. Putin may think he can
control his creation, history proves he cannot: his condemnations are
permission to commit violence against gays and lesbians. Last week a
young gay man was murdered in the city of Volgograd. He was beaten, his
body violated with beer bottles, his clothing set on fire, his head
crushed with a rock. This is most likely just the beginning.
Nevertheless,
the rest of the world remains almost completely ignorant of Mr. Putin’s
agenda. His adoption restrictions have received some attention, but it
has been largely limited to people involved in international adoptions.
This
must change. With Russia about to hold the Winter Games in Sochi, the
country is open to pressure. American and world leaders must speak out
against Mr. Putin’s attacks and the violence they foster. The Olympic
Committee must demand the retraction of these laws under threat of
boycott.” – New York Times