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Loading ...Russian lawmakers reject harsh anti-gay measure
05.08.2009 9:25am EDT
(Moscow) A bill that would have made it a criminal offense for anyone who “openly demonstrated a homosexual way of life and a homosexual orientation” to hold jobs in education or in the army has been defeated.
The legislation would have mandated a sentence of from two to five years. It needed 226 votes to proceed – only 90 deputies voted for it.The move comes a week before an expected showdown between Moscow gays and city authorities over a gay pride march on May 16.
Last week, officials said that any attempt to hold a parade would be “firmly dealt with.”
“Such events will be firmly stopped by the authorities,” Moscow city spokesperson Leonid Krutakov said.
May 16th coincides with the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is being hosted by the city and will be broadcast throughout Europe. Pride organizers have called for finalists to express support for pride during the telecast.
Laws against homosexuality were repealed at the end of the Communist era, but Moscow city officials have refused to allow gays to hold a pride march for years.
Moscow Pride has seven cases already pending before the European Court of Human Rights.
The latest was filed against President Dmitry Medvedev.
With the re-emergence of the political power of the Russian Orthodox church, in the former Soviet Union, the people just traded in one form of totalitarianism for another. Gays are high on their hit list. After all, what is the point of belonging to any of these tribalistic religious cabals if you don’t have a convenient demon or two to pursue and destroy. The mob must be kept entertained at all costs or the rabble will simply move on to other mindless pursuits and leave the churches without wealth and political power. And Lord knows that would be a goddamn shame!
Even without the influence of the church, the soviet government was unbelievably homophobic. Slavic culture has always been so, and will probably continue to be so for a few generations at least. That is assuming they manage to emerge from their current situation with good ties to the west, and do not simply sink back into a new “Iron Curtain” mentality. There is some fear that the old-style conservatives may prevail.
The gay rights movement needs to start informing people that the places with the MOST resistance to gay equality are places that are considered to represent the antithesis of American values!
This way, we can line up all those who claim to be “Good Americans” with such places as Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Cuba etc..
We need to let the flag waving, self proclaimed “Good Americans” know the world company they keep when they hold such views. They are VERY scared of holding any economic views even closely similar to Communist, Socialist, Generally Despotic nations.
Let’s inform them and everyone else what kind of company they keep on “social views” and what kind of countries they are trying to model Americas social policy after.
Sadly, I fear you may be right Pauliji. =(
that the places with the MOST resistance to gay equality are places that are considered to represent the antithesis of American values!
Jamaica?
The Moscow Pride people need to move that case through the EU Human Rights court. They will win.
Well really- who cares about the safety and quality of life for queers who aren’t in America or have enough capital to do what is really important in life- go to $1 drink night, drugs, and parties.
No kidding – well, I guess the ex KGBers haven’t permeated all Russian institutions. Just as the ex nazis’ haven’t permeated all institutions, but the have the big one well under control – it is in Rome.
Really to protect the hierarchy whose puritanical views on sex turned alter boys into perverts who became priests. And they kept hiding and letting those perverts carry on for decades- why – because much of the hierarchy is most likely also guilty.
Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.