Russia president Vladimir Putin – a persistent critic of gender and sexual freedoms in the West – declared paedophilia as ‘the norm’ in those countries and called LGBTQ rights ‘pure satanism’ during his address Tuesday to his nation’s Parliament.
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“Look at what they do to their own people… destruction of families, of cultural and national identities, and perversion that is child abuse all the way up to paedophilia are advertised as the norm…” he said as he attacked the United States and the US-led NATO for starting and sustaining the Ukraine war. Putin cast Russia (and Ukraine) as ‘victims’ of the West’s double-dealing and claimed that Russia is fighting for its existence.
In December last year, Putin signed into law a bill that broadens Russia’s ban on ‘LGBTQ propaganda’ and makes it illegal for anyone to promote same-sex relationships, or even suggest that non-heterosexual orientations are normal.
The new laws also immensely expand the scope of a 2013 law that prohibited the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information. It makes it illegal to publicly promote or ‘praise’ LGBTQ relationships or non-heterosexual orientations.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993 but homophobia and discrimination remain widespread.
Activists quoted by British broadcaster BBC said the new law strengthens Russia’s crackdown on ‘non-traditional’ sexual relationships, affecting everything from books and films to social media posts. The activists vowed to continue fighting for minorities’ rights in Russia.
In 2013, a bill was passed that prohibited so-called ‘gay propaganda’ in relation to children.
In his speech Putin also suspended Russia’s involvement in the New START nuclear arms treaty with the US, which is the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with Washington, DC.