Russia’s Stance on the LGBT Community

In two years leading up to the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, many antigay laws were put into effect in Russia.

As of March of 2012, there is a “gay propaganda” ban that is placed only on the city of Saint Petersburg.  This makes public demonstrations promoting LGBT illegal because Russia does not want its minors to be influenced by this type of “propaganda”.

In June of 2013, a nationwide ban went into effect on “Propaganda of Nontraditional Sexual Relations,” which banned everyone from giving information to minors regarding LGBT people and banned anyone from being able to say that those in the LGBT community are socially or morally equivalent to heterosexuals.  Later in June of the same year, the “gay propaganda” law of Saint Petersburg became nationwide. 

In July of 2013 a law went into effect that banned foreign, same sex couples from adopting Russian orphans. This law also forbade citizens of nations with marriage equality (whether they are gay or straight), from adopting Russian orphans.

In August of 2013, people were encouraged to report their gay neighbors to the government.  Causing gay people’s homes to be raided and searched for “propaganda.” 

In September of 2013, a new law was drafted giving rights to the government to be able to remove children from their parents only on the basis that the parents are homosexual.

The attitudes towards homosexuals in modern day Russia is reminiscent of the way citizens of the Soviet Union were treated when being suspected of being anti-communist. Especially disturbing is that the government is encouraging its own citizens to turn against each other.